HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-03-12 TC Special Meeting documents
To: Mayor Wheat and Town Councilmembers
Tom Brymer, Town Manager
From: Amanda DeGan, Assistant to the Town Manager
Date: November 30, 2012
In advance of the special Town Council meeting set for Monday evening, I have
attached or included the following documents which may be pertinent to the discussion:
• Glenwyck HOA agenda from Tuesday evening
• Crime prevention tips provided from the Keller Police Department
• Keller Police Services Contract
• Notification timeline for burglaries
• Questions and statements from HOA meeting
The gathering held by the HOA was well attended, with over 45 residents present and
provided good information to the community. Several Town of Westlake staff members
were on-hand, as well as Lieutenants Tommy Simmons and Brenda Slovak from the
police department. Mr. Mike Keeley, president of the Glenwyck HOA conducted the
meeting and provided a comprehensive update of the facts that were available as of
that night. The Lieutenants’ and Town Staff also fielded multiple questions from the
audience. Attached, you will find a copy of the crime prevention tips that were
distributed to attendees and which have been sent out via the Westlake Wire to our
entire community. The tip sheet contains a comprehensive set of contact numbers and
encourages residents to contact Keller PD to report ANY suspicious behavior. The final
attachment contains a listing of the various questions and statements made by
residents at the HOA meeting on Tuesday evening. You will notice it is in ‘rough’ format
as it was compiled from notes I made as individuals were speaking.
The following chart contains the statistics we have been provided from the police
department and a brief analysis/response based on a few questions that were asked at
the HOA meeting.
Glenwyck Farms and Vaquero Burglary Time Line
The table indicates that the first call was received in the dispatch office at approximately
08:21 a.m. on Friday. We were notified by email of this burglary by Chief Hafner later
that same morning. The next two notifications were called in late that same Friday
evening, at 10:13 and 11:02 p.m. Further email notice was provided to town staff
Saturday morning concerning these two events.
A question that was raised at the HOA meeting concerned the information that three (3)
burglaries occurred in Vaquero on Thursday and the remaining seven (7) transpired on
Friday in Glenwyck Farms. After further review of the dispatch records, it is difficult if not
impossible to pinpoint the exact time of each burglary and assign it to a neighborhood
due to the lack of video evidence and alarm responses. The video evidence that does
exist (and has been reviewed) indicates that the police department had no definitive
method to determine if all three burglaries occurred in Vaquero on Thursday evening.
The initial call was reported the Friday morning after Thanksgiving, however subsequent
notifications of the thefts were not given until late Friday evening. This sequence of
events would not have allowed for the issuance of an email alert to our Glenwyck
residents on Friday afternoon.
Another area of concern has been the allocation of resources and the question of
whether or not we have enough officers assigned to our community. As you can see by
the police contract, we are ‘assigned’ a set number of officers on a full-time basis in
Westlake. However, when an event such as this occurs the entire police department
ADDRESS DATE
NOTIFIED
TIME
NOTIFIED
RESIDENTIAL
AREA
1109 Post Oak Place 11/23/12 8:21 am Vaquero
1622 Fair Oaks Ct 11/23/12 10:13 pm Glenwyck
1623 Fair Oaks Ct 11/23/12 11:02 pm Glenwyck
1804 Copperfield Ct 11/24/12 10:38 am Glenwyck
1605 Sleepy Hollow Ct 11/24/12 11:32 am Glenwyck
1823 Broken Bend Dr 11/24/12 3:36 pm Glenwyck
1817 Broken Bend Dr 11/24/12 3:36 pm Glenwyck
2204 Vaquero Estates Blvd 11/25/12 8:39 am Vaquero
1110 Post Oak Place 11/25/12 12:44 pm Vaquero
1802 Millstream Ct 11/25/12 1:51 pm Glenwyck
staff may be allocated to solve crimes or process an accident scene. We are not limited
to only the number of police officers assigned in our contract.
Several other questions were asked during the meeting, which may require Council
review, such as:
• Installation of lighting and/or fencing in the Glenwyck park
• Hiring of additional officers for patrol
• Camera use in the park and along trails
• Communication and response efforts
As to the question of additional patrol and/or police officers in Westlake, we had
previously planned a review of our officer allocation according to the call volume and
response to service load we experience on an average basis. For instance, if the
majority of our police related calls were occurring from 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., then
we would adjust the patrol allocation for the maximum amount of coverage during these
time periods. According to our contract, we currently have 5 patrol officers working the
north Keller and Westlake regions along with 2 motorcycle officers for traffic
enforcement. Staff will be reviewing these assignments and updating Council as
needed.
The installation of additional security measures in the park should be reviewed in
conjunction with our community wide efforts in order to ensure a comprehensive
response to crime prevention. Additional camera and lighting placement may be
effective in the park and along the various trail paths connecting Terra Bella down to the
Academy. The decisions made in response to this event have the propensity to change
our current and future development standards for all commercial and residential areas.
Staff has suggested an initial plan of action to form a group of representatives
from the Glenwyck and Vaquero HOA’s, the police department and Town staff
members to help formulate a response to the concerns raised by our residents in
light of the recent burglaries. The invitation to participate has also been extended
to the HOA’s and/or a representative of all our subdivisions. The goal is to create
a ‘task force’ to review the suggested security measures from the police
department, determine the applicable use of new technology in our community
and focus effective methods of holistic communication efforts. Preliminary steps
have already been taken, as some HOA management staff members have agreed
to help increase our communication outreach through a ‘shared’ email listing of
residents.
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Important Crime Prevention Tips to remember for your safety!
During this holiday season, we would like to remind our
Westlake residents about the importance of safety precautions
that can help deter criminal activity in our community at any
time; but certainly, while many homeowners may be away.
Many burglaries occur with the use of forced entry while
homeowners are out of town. This type of crime can cause
emotional pain and be tough to deal with in any given
situation. In an effort to keep you informed, below are several
crime prevention tips/strategies that we have received from our
community’s police, the Keller Police Department. We thank
them for their hard work and devoted service to Westlake!
• When going out of town for any time period, please fill out a vacation house watch
check form with the Keller Police Department by calling 817-743-4522 or stop by the
KPD station. This takes very little time and officers will stop by to check your home
while you are away; and includes: windows, doors, vehicles on premises and suspicious
activity.
• If you are going out of town, have a trusted neighbor or friend pick-up newspapers and
the mail (unless you have it set-up for "hold' at the post office), water your plants, turn on
lights, leave on a radio and tend to the pets. This helps give your home the "lived-in"
appearance. The more often your neighbor can stop by, the better.
• Have interior lights set on timers to turn on and off during your absence.
• Set your alarm system, each time you leave your home. If you do not have an alarm,
consider installing a system and/or upgrade your current alarm system. Many
homeowners' will have the basic monitoring system with contacts on all moveable
windows and doors that lead to the outside of the home. If a burglar breaks the glass on a
non-moveable window and enters through this window, the alarm will not detect the
intrusion. Therefore, upgrade the alarm system by adding glass breakage and/or
motion detectors to also activate an alarm. Additionally, have your security system
transmit the alarm wirelessly- either in place of, or in addition to, the wired alarm
transmission to ensure a signal is sent to the alarm company in case of cut telephone
lines.
• Test your alarm system periodically, specifically before you go on any trips.
• Closed Caption TV cameras set-up in and around the house can definitely be a deterrent
to thieves and helps law enforcement officials should the cameras record any suspicious
person.
• Check your outside lights to make sure they are all working properly. Replace bulbs that
are burned out and repair lights that are not working. Consider installing the standard
outside lights to motion sensor lights. This helps lower the cost of an electric bill and can
be a psychological deterrent for criminals.
• Shut all driveway gates and lock all exterior gates.
• Lock valuables in a safe and if at all possible, bolt your safe to the foundation (concrete)
of your home. This makes it much more difficult for a burglar to pull and defeat the safe.
Also consider wiring the safe to the security system as well.
Page 2 of 2
• Keep a record of all valuables in the safe. Consider using a video recorder, cell phone
recording device or other electronic device with recording capability. Keep the
information in a safe place in case you are burglarized.
• Call immediately if you see anything suspicious. Examples include: people or vehicles
that seem out of place or that you do not recognize as a resident in your neighborhood; a
person or persons walking in the neighborhood at a very late hour carrying unidentifiable
objects. The list can be extensive - the end result is, we want you to notify the police
department should you have a concern. 9-1-1 is a quick and easy call.
Another method to help secure your home is to consider an in-home review and upgrade to your
existing security system. Many residents have a good basic system that monitors doors and
windows, but newer features can include the glass breakage and motion detector options that
sound the alarm even if a door or window is not opened from the outside. These systems can also
be customized for residents with pets to help avoid false alarms. Technology is improving as
time goes on and just as you upgrade your cell phones and computers, you should consider
upgrading your home security system to incorporate these latest features. If you would like for
Keller PD to perform a security audit, please call our Crime Specialist Officer (& Community
Relations Officer), Scott Bradburn, at 817-743-4533 for an appointment or at
sbradburn@kellerpd.com.
While you live in a very safe town, no community is immune from crime. Security gates and
security officers at entrances can deter some intruders, but they cannot eliminate all. Rest
assured that Keller PD will continue to patrol the Westlake neighborhoods (especially during
holiday periods) and more effectively, perform traffic enforcement duties around your
community along the roads entering and exiting Westlake, stopping suspicious persons called in
by residents, and working with residents to educate them on how to "harden the targets."
Working together we can make a difference! Thank you,
Mark R. Hafner Thomas E. Brymer
Director of Public Safety- Chief of Police Town Manager
Keller Police Department Town of Westlake
Website: www.kellerpd.com Website: www.westlake-tx.org
mhafner@kellerpd.com tbrymer@westlake-tx.org
Questions and Statements from the Audience
Were all burglaries at night?
Were any home attempted and not broken into?
Alarm questioned from standpoint of breakage vs. motion, which is better or both?
Are we interviewing for similarities?
In favor of additional lighting; cameras down streets and in the park area; gating
doesn’t want to lose access to park due to criminals
Advised that residents should take up the ‘hide-a-key’
How to get license plate camera video to the police? Why is it taking so l ong to review?
Were crimes similar to July break-ins?
Similarities in cases from July
Concerned about data set and correlation of info and interviews of affected families?
Vehicles involved – any more info?
Also asked how to not allow tailgating of another vehicle into the gate?
Why didn’t police know the other houses were broken into?
10K to security company – buying guns; taking classes to protect themselves
3M product for glass breakage – asked LT’s if it was effective?
Future meetings?
Concerned about code and gate access (realtor and vendor code)
Reset all codes; why didn’t the police check all homes?
Why didn’t the police automatically patrol the area due to the holiday?
Concerned about piggy backing in gate, worried about an altercation
Were police patrolling on the weekend?
Thinks they walked from park to her home.
Hasn’t had any contact with HOA in the eight (8) years she has lived in GW.
What is the HOA’s duty for security?
Why no patrol during holiday season?
What has been done with $ from the dues?
Upset about lack of response from Town; not just HOA response
Doesn’t want collaboration to be lack of activity
Why wasn’t the Mayor and Council there at the meeting?
Park must have lights; motion sensor lights
What about number of police patrol? Is it adequate; Says pleased with officer response
time from KPD
Favors small HOA; doesn’t expect them to protect from all levels; concerned about them
being responsible for tailgating enforcement; concerned about kids and interested in
guard; lighting
Did the park play a role in this?
What about alarm company – vendors are they suspects or shared commonalities.
What was the heads up between Vaquero vs. Glenwyck
Why didn’t the town know and tell them (about Vaquero)
In favor of surveillance at front gate.
Set hours in park – people in golf cart in parks to late at night; what is current threat
level?
Theft on the job sites are 99% from within; WL will always be a target
What is being done in other cities? Is this a ring?
Wants HOA to keep in mind police recommendations to increase security.