Baltimore County Police Department Bulletins

Captain Marty Lurz
Precinct 7

>>> <police@baltimorecountymd.gov> 8/5/2008 12:13 PM >>>

NEWS RELEASE: Accreditation Team Invites Public Comment

The Baltimore County Police Department is seeking reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). A public information session is scheduled on August 18 for comments from community members.

More: http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/media/releases/0805caleareaccredit.html

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http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/go/police

James T. Smith Jr., County Executive
James W. Johnson, Chief of Police

Baltimore County Police Department
700 E. Joppa Road
Towson, Maryland 21286-5501
410-887-2214

I have sent a few e-mails out this year (and last year) concerning what we refer to as "Deception Burglaries." Since February 14, 2008, there have been seven (7) such burglaries throughout Baltimore County. Five of the seven occurred in June 2008. So far - and this is where I am once again counting on you to spread the word - NONE of these incidents have occurred in Precinct 7. I believe this is a result of the residents spreading the word to family, friends and neighbors throughout the precinct.

We have had several people join "the tree" since the deception burglary explanation email went out back in March of 2008. I also wanted to update everyone on the increasing frequency (especially in June) of these burglaries and give everyone the latest information as follows:

For the convenience of everyone, I have once again attached an overview of how the "deception burglar" works. The ruse may change but the intent is the same - win the "trust" of the victim and then get the victim out of the house or down into the basement so that a second suspect can enter the house undetected. They prey on the elderly citizens. PLEASE - help again by spreading the word, particularly the descriptions given above, to your neighbors, families and friends. Please remember to call 911 to report any suspicious persons or activity.

Folks,

I am pleased to let you know that early Saturday morning in the Mays Chapel area, we made two arrests and recovered a car reported stolen from Baltimore City. The vehicle also contained stolen property from a vehicle in the Mays Chapel community.

In addition to the Precinct 7 officers' quick response, one of the things that pleases me the most is that a resident of the Mays Chapel community heard and saw something suspicious - at 2:40 AM in the morning - and immediately called 911 while providing an excellent description of the suspicious vehicle. Based on that information, we located the vehicle within moments of receiving the call and the driver and occupant were subsequently arrested after a foot pursuit. We are investigating these suspects' involvement with the additional thefts that I brought to your attention last week.

Kudos to the resident that called 911! Though the officers were in the residential areas, they may not have seen or known about this vehicle had that person not called to report suspicious activity. This is an excellent indicator of the teamwork that is necessary in order to keep our communities safe.

Please continue to remain alert and use good proactive crime prevention measures for your homes and cars. And...don't hesitate to make that call to 911!

Captain Marty Lurz
Precinct 7

We have recently noticed an increase in the number of calls for service regarding door-to-door solicitors in residential neighborhoods. We have also made an arrest in regards to an alleged unlicensed solicitor who made fraudulent claims in order to seek donations. According to several victims, the person said he was selling childrens' books for a company along with several other statements such as:

1) The solicitor said he was a student at a local university
2) He was seeking a college degree in communications
3) He was going to do a summer internship in London
4) He lived in the same neighborhood and would mention neighbors' names as if he knew them
5) Any books purchased would support his internship and the books would be sent to a local childrens' hospital

In addition to not being licensed as a peddler through Baltimore County Permits and Licenses, the arresting officer was able to disprove the statements listed above.

The intent of this email is NOT to suggest that all door-to-door solicitors are fraudulent! However, please be cautious as to the veracity of the solicitor's claims, where any money is going, etc. And, the first step for residents to know is that such solicitors are required to be licensed by Baltimore County. They are also required to carry that license with them. Legitimate solicitors will show you their legitimate license, so ask to see it. Licensed or not - if you're still not certain, perhaps the best thing to do is not to make the purchase until you can check into the company and the seller's claims. You can also call 911 to report such solicitors.

Captain Martin Lurz
Precinct 7

Folks,

In the past ten days, I have sent out two email alerts regarding thefts from autos in residential areas. We have tracked these thefts and they basically fall into five areas of the precinct listed below in general chronological order of occurrence:

1) Loveton Farms
2) W. Seminary Ave / Thornton Road area
3) South Timonium (between York and Dulaney Valley Roads, south of E. Timonium Road)
4) Springdale Community
5) Mays Chapel North

These thefts have occurred during the overnight hours on various dates between the 6/3/08 and 6/18/08. We do not know if all of these thefts are related. We have developed a suspect in one of the areas and have recovered some stolen property. We do believe that there are other subjects committing these crimes and I am asking that you remain alert for the following vehicles acting suspiciously in your neighborhoods that may be involved in these crimes:
Gray or green van
Gray Chevy Suburban with dual exhausts and upgraded wheel rims
Again...the common denominator with all of these thefts is that in the vast majority of cases, the car doors were left unlocked. That allows quick, easy and quiet access into the vehicle.

Please pass this information along to your neighbors while we investigate these thefts. Locking your car doors will reduce the chance that your property will be stolen. Please remain alert to suspicious persons, noises or activity, particularly during hours of darkness, and call 911 immediately to report such activity. If anyone has information concerning the two vehicles listed above, please contact the Precinct 7 Investigative Services Team at 410-887-1823.

Captain Martin Lurz
Precinct 7

During the overnight hours of darkness on Wednesday night 6/4/08 into Thursday morning 6/5/08, suspect/s entered at least eleven vehicles in the West Seminary Avenue / Wandsworth Bridge Way / Lambeth Bridge Court area of the precinct. For those not familiar with the area, it's just north of W. Seminary Avenue off Thornton Road. Nothing was removed from the majority of the vehicles but the suspect/s looked through the interior and the glove box of each vehicle. Two GPS units were stolen from the other vehicles, as well as wallets, credit cards, etc.

The common denominator in each of these cases was that at least one car door was unlocked. These incidents often occur when a suspect or group of suspects will walk down a street and tug on every car door handle until an unlocked one is found. No windows were broken nor were doors forced open to enter these vehicles. Remember that the vast majority of thieves and burglars do not want to make noise and attract attention to themselves. Breaking glass makes noise, so it's less risky to look for the unlocked car door. PLEASE...take that extra step and make sure that your car doors are locked and that no valuables are kept inside your vehicle.

We are seeking information from any residents who may have seen suspicious activity in this area during that time frame. Please call the Precinct 7 Investigative Services Team (Lieutenant Parker or Sergeant Riebel) at 410-887-1823 if you have any information that may assist us with this investigation.

I have previously sent email alerts out concerning what we call "Deception Burglaries" that generally target the elderly citizens of the county. As a quick review, the suspect/s in these burglaries use a ruse (such as Water Department, roofing companies, fencing companies, satellite TV companies) to distract the homeowner away from the front door and into the rear yard or basement of the house, out of view of the door, while a partner enters and steals valuables.

So far this year, we haven't had any of these incidents in Precinct 7. However, there have been three such incidents in the western part of the county since 2/14/2008. The victims' ages range from 75 to 92 years old. The first two cases involved the Water Department ruse. The last case, on June 3, 2008, involved a lawn maintenance "let's go into the backyard" ruse. In each of the three cases, the suspects' description vary from a white male and black male team, to a Hispanic male, to a white male team in their 40s, both about 5/11 and having a heavy build.

One way we can stay in front of this trend is by word of mouth. As I have pointed out before, and this year's stats seem to hold true, most victims are elderly citizens and the suspects prey on those folks' perceived vulnerability. Let's stop that by talking with your families, friends and neighbors and making them aware of these types of crimes. Make sure that they VERIFY the identification of anyone who shows up for "repair work" and the like.

I have attached some of the most current information concerning Identity Theft. As noted in the brochure - and this applies mainly to residents in the rural communities whose mailboxes border the roadways - quick retrieval of your mail after it has been delivered is a good precautionary measure because it will prevent what we call "fishing" from your mailbox. Another key point is to try to deposit all outgoing mail in a public USPS mailbox or at the post office itself. Leaving outgoing mail in a roadside rural mailbox and then raising the box flag to alert the carrier for pick-up also advertises to someone intent on stealing your identity that there is mail in that box...and that mail often includes bill payments with account numbers and other personal information.

Please click on the attached link for some useful information concerning choosing a specialized lock that could help prevent thefts from storage structures. As we've discussed before, if you take the time to "harden" the target, there's a greater chance that you won't become a victim of burglary or theft.

Precinct 7

NEWS RELEASE: Specialized Locks Help Prevent Thefts

A recently arrested burglar told Baltimore County police officers about the different types of specialized locks that he and other thieves avoid. They can be used on storage sheds and other structures, and to secure ATVs and dirt bikes.

More:
http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/media/releases/0507locksspecial.html