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For rapid response to any crime actions or suspicious person you should contact the Travis County Sheriff Department at 911 For Reporting of NON-EMERGENCY ACTIONS CALL 854-9728 Welcome to the Stoneridge Crimewatch Information page. We hope you
find this section to be informative, but not alarming.
12-14-2009 A homeowner on Bescott Dr. reported that on 12-08-2009 their home was burglarized during the daytime hours. The thieves gained access by kicking in their front door. Only cash and DVDs were stolen, but Travis County Sheriff surmised that possibly this was an effort to case out the home for a repeat visit. This is one of the busiest seasons for home burglary. Criminals never take a holiday and they know that homes are being stocked with the newest and latest electronic gear that are still in the box. Residents should avoid putting gifts under the tree too early and especially if the tree can be seen from an outside window. After the holidays, empty boxes from recent purchases should be put inside the trash can or dark bags to avoid telling the crooks what is brand new inside. Another tip from the experts is to replace your deadbolt door jam 1inch screws with 3-4inch screws that will secure the jam directly into the frame of the house. Certainly if the crooks want in bad enough they will find a way, but don't make it easy for the novice criminal. Remember YOU ARE THE EYES AND EARS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH! Call 911 immediately if you see someone suspicious. See the next article for another way to protect the home during the holiday vacation! 11-7-2009 The Stoneridge Crime Watch in close association with the Travis County Constable Office Precinct 2, is excited to offer a valuable service to the residents of our Stoneridge neighborhood. Constable Sgt. Kevin Ward, Stoneridge Crimewatch Coordinator is offering a Close Patrol Request that goes directly to Sgt. Ward in Travis County Constable Office Pct. 2, that will enable Travis County Constables to provide added drive by patrols for residents that are on vacation, or have other security concerns. The officers will be able to pay more particular attention to a residents home and make additional random drive by patrols. To initiate a patrol, a Close Patrol Request can be filled out and emailed or faxed directly to Sgt. Ward to begin this service. Please note there is a link to the
9-13-2009 Mark your calendars for Tuesday OCTOBER 6 NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AT STONERIDGE ! The Stoneridge Crimewatch is planning to participate in the National Crimewatch Night Out where you can meet your neighbors and get the latest information on how we can actively participate in crime prevention in our neighborhood.We will meet in the Culdesac at the south end of Bescott Dr. (the end by the frisbee golf course).at 6:30pm. The POA is providing hot dogs and sausage wraps, soft drinks and water for the neighborhood. There will be a jumping room for the kids, so bring your chairs and family and lets all get acquainted. We plan on having Sarah Eckhardt, our Pct 2 County Commissioner, whom assistance in conjunction with the Travis County Sheriff Dept. was instrumental in getting our nuisance house problem solved. We will also have members from the Sheriff department as well as Kevin Ward ,Pct 2 Constable Sergeant and our Crime watch Coordinator on hand to answer questions on crime prevention issues. We will have a brief POA meeting to update folks on what else has been going on in the neighborhood. We hope to see everyone there. Any suggestions or a willingness to help, please contact us at ernst@stoneridgepoa.com 6-21-2009 The're Back!!! The car thieves have returned again and stolen another car on Bescott Drive. this is the 3rd car stolen in our neighborhood in the past 4 months. It appears to be the same gang of thieves, returning after 5-6 weeks when the heat is off and stealing another import car from the driveway. All of the thefts have occurred between midnight and 5am. These are "professional car thieves". This time they brought a car jack dolly to un wedge the car from between the garage and another car, push it on to the lawn and hot wire and drive it away. The Travis County Sheriff Dept has NO leads on this gang. If anyone saw anything on Thursday June 18th, early morning in the 14900 Block of Bescott please call immediately at 854-9728 . Also in the coming weeks if anyone sees ANYONE suspicious during the early morning hours, such as guys walking around talking on cell phones(the lookouts) or carrying tools or jacks call 911 immediately. Happy Memorial Day Holiday 2009. As you enjoy the holiday weekend, keep in mind that the criminals don't take a holiday off. One of our neighbors reported a theft from their open garage while they were still at home. Unfortunately thieves see an open door as an invitation to steal your stuff. Every year we get reports in our neighborhood of open garage theft of sporting equipments, lawnmowers and tools. It only take less than a minute to snatch something, throw it in a truck and be on their way. Please don't make it easy and keep your garage doors closed. Have you installed a garage door opener in the past year or so? Did you reset the default opener code? The Police department burglary detail reports that more than 10% of garage openers are still on the default code and any crook with a opener can get inside day or night. Not sure how to change the code, then consult the operating instructions that came with the opener and change it again. Don't make it easy!. May 7, 2009 One of our neighbors was surprised to find that their car was stolen from their driveway on Bescott Drive on Friday night or early Saturday morning. The Travis County Sheriff Department reports that auto theft in Wells Branch continues to be a problem. If anyone saw anything suspicious such as slow moving cars, standing by or looking into cars please call the TCSO at 854-9728 to investigate. If you see this sort of activity in the future call 911 to summon a deputy immediately. Do you have a car that is a target for thieves? The top 10 cars that thieves are looking for according to National Crime Information Center include:
The NICB encourages everyone to follow what it calls a "layered approach" to auto theft protection by employing simple, low-cost suggestions to make vehicles less attractive to thieves. The four layers include common sense, a warning device, an immobilizing device, and a tracking device.The least expensive form of defense, common sense simply means using the standard anti-theft features of a vehicle by locking the car and taking the keys. The second layer is a warning device or alarm on the vehicle. The third layer suggests some sort of immobilizing device, such as a fuel cutoff or smart key that prevents the vehicle from being driven. The fourth layer consists of a tracking device allowing law enforcement officers to track and recover a vehicle if stolen. The criminals of Austin are always coming up with new ways to commit their crimes. One of our neighbors on Bescott Drive recently put their house up for sale. Unfortunately the FOR SALE sign was an indication that no one was home. An empty home is still a target for thieves. These owners soon found out that their large central air conditioning unit has been stolen for its copper inside. Copper thefts are an increasingly on the rise in Austin and air conditioners are prime targets. When folks put a house up for sell it is not unusual to see AC vans, painters and landscapers around sprucing up the home. Please be vigilant that these large trucks and vans may have other plans for your neighbors. Meet your neighbor, and get their current phone number and if anything looks suspicious call 911, and the Travis County Sheriff Dept will send a deputy to investigate immediately. It only takes a few minutes to cut the lines and lift a unit into a truck and be on their way. Be the eyes and ears of our Crimewatch and your neighbors will do the same!! 2007 Many of our neighbors have recently received a notice in the mail from the Texas Department of Public Safety, regarding a high risk sex offender living in our neighborhood. Though it is not our intent to alarm the neighborhood, we thought it would be appropriate to be aware and vigilant for our neighborhoods safety. We have provided a link that you may review here at Texas Department of Safety Sex Offender Registry . It may be noted that several sex offenders are living within 1 mile of our Stoneridge neighborhood in nearby areas of Wells Branch. A complete listing may be obtained from the DPS website link of Sex Offenders in 78728 zipcode The Texas Sex Offender Registration Program ( Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure ) is a sex offender registration and public notification law designed to protect the public from sex offenders. This law requires adult and juvenile sex offenders to register with the local law enforcement authority of the city they reside in or, if the offender does not reside in a city, with the local law enforcement authority of the county they reside in. 1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards.
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Stoneridge Crimewatch 