September 28, 2006

Montevideo residents meet with city, police officials about
outbreak of auto thefts and vehicle break-ins

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Last week, members of the Montevideo Homeowners Association expressed their concerns directly to city and police officials regarding a recent spate of auto thefts and break-ins.

The Montevideo Homeowners Association clubhouse was packed with interested residents concerned about the recent increase in auto thefts and vehicle break-ins. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

“I’m here tonight because like you I am very concerned about what’s been happening in your neighborhood,” District 10 Councilmember Nancy Pyle told the crowd. “We will certainly work with you to do whatever we can to stop this horrible rise in thefts from occurring.”

More than 150 residents attended the meeting at the clubhouse at Coleman and Camden avenues that was open to all interested parties in Almaden Valley. Approximately 25 percent of those present live outside the Montevideo area.

District 10 Councilmember Nancy Pyle, San Jose Police Department Southern Division Commander Capt. Jack Farmer, Lt. Santiago Trejo and Crime Analyst Specialist Tamara Davis attended the meeting to answer questions about the increase in auto thefts, vehicle break-ins and vandalism. Westfield Oakridge Shopping Center General Manager David Burke, who recently moved to Almaden, also attended.

Standing from left: Councilmember Nancy Pyle, SJPD Lt. Santiago Trejo, and SJPD Capt. Jack Farmer. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

“I’m not sure what the cause is,” said Capt. Farmer. “I don’t know if it’s an economic issue or a societal issue, but across the board in the entire city of San Jose car burglaries are up. Typically, it’s going to be young men, 16 to 24, usually two or three working together looking for dark locations that aren’t well lit. It happens around 3 to 4 a.m. when everyone is asleep or not up yet. When we make an arrest, and we do, the group is usually responsible for 25 to 40 car thefts and burglaries. It’s important to have these meetings to bring things to my attention so we can direct our resources to the problem.”

Lt. Trejo presented tips on how to be a proactive witness, including obtaining a good description of the suspect and vehicle when calling 911 to report crimes in progress or suspicious persons. He also suggested that homeowners have adequate lighting in their front and back yards, trim shrubbery around their home, use a system to put identification on property and that neighbors be on alert for unusual people in the area.

“Don’t leave valuables in the car,” said Lt. Trejo. “Call 911 immediately if you see something unusual and don’t place yourself in harm’s way. You need to be our eyes and ears. If they see that people care they will go somewhere else. Ninety percent of the auto break-ins are because something is visible. Even if nothing is stolen, you need to notify us regarding the activity. We can’t do it by ourselves—you have to be involved.”

Montevideo residents had other questions besides the auto thefts and vehicle break-ins: whether there were patrols of the neighborhood [police say there is] and the statistics of crime in the Montevideo area.

“The crime in your area is very low compared to the rest of the city,” said Capt. Farmer. “You have property crimes here because you have nice things that you have worked hard for, but it is a very safe area compared to others.”

Other concerns were the length of time to reach a 911 dispatcher because of lengthy recordings, difficulty of submitting an online police report, obtaining information on a reported crime; vandalism, smoking and drinking on school grounds and a homeless encampment at Guadalupe Creek.

“Our metro unit is dedicated solely to the homeless problem,” said Capt. Farmer in response to the homeless encampment. “They bring a homeless coordinator to offer help and assistance when they break up the camp. As far as dispatch and communications, I’d be happy to bring one of them out for another meeting so you can address your concerns.”

The Montevideo Homeowners Association is now preparing a neighborhood watch committee. Under the guidance of President Don Whiting, Vice President Dan Migliore and member Dec Hannan, a representative from each street in the area will volunteer to act as a liaison to the directors to coordinate the effort.

“People have been asking for this for two or three years,” said Migliore. “This was a great turnout and we now have a lot more power.”

SJPD Crime Analysis Unit provided the statistics of vehicle crimes comparisons from January 1 to July31 for 2005 and 2006. 10852 VC is tampering/removing vehicle parts. For information on your neighborhood go to SJPD’s public report listings at http://www.sjpd.org/PoliceData.cfm. Courtesy of SJPD

SJPD Patrol Districts and Beats. Almaden is A and the Montevideo area is A4. Courtesy of SJPD.