From Tom K. at 5th Ave villas, regarding an incident a few weeks back…

Hi,

Some time yesterday (Sunday) a long extension ladder was used to get onto the balcony of one of our owners along 20th Street. We have no idea where this ladder came from but it was used to steal a very expensive mountain bike from the balcony of this owner. He will be calling the police to file a report but whether or not he will be able to recover his bike is questionable. In any case, this should serve as a warning to all of us not to leave expensive personal property on our balconies and to make sure that the doors from the balcony into the actual unit are locked at all times.

Please be mindful of your belongings in porches or balconies. As always, let our crime watch know of any suspicious activity so we can put everyone on alert. 

Per HYNCA’s and other interested parties’ input, TPD has introduced community policing officers to Ybor from Monday thru Friday during business hours. Two officers will patrol the area to make our neighborhood safer for everyone. You will recognize them as they will be traveling on foot, by bike, or the new TPD golfcart. One the officers is Robert Barrett who was previously of District 3’s Neighborhood Crime Watch office. 

HYNCA happily welcomes our two new officers and looks forward to working with them through our neighborhood crime watch!

From the Tribune:

Valerie Kalfrin and Mark Holan

Published: January 16, 2008

TAMPA - The city’s crime statistics are still being finalized, but an early look shows that crime reported within the city limits appears to have dropped for the fifth consecutive year, police and Mayor Pam Iorio said Wednesday.

The Tampa Police Department expects to release its 2007 annual crime report toward the end of the month. However, "we’re anticipating a 10 percent decrease" in the overall crime rate compared with 2006, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

That would mean the crime rate in Tampa has dropped more than 40 percent since 2002, McElroy said.
Iorio mentioned the crime drop at a Wednesday luncheon meeting of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce, saying no other cities in Florida or "any other medium-sized city across the country" has experienced a similar decrease.

"Crime is lower than when I was in high school 30 years ago," she said.

The crime rate is calculated by adding seven categories of reported offenses: murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny and auto theft.

Annual crime statistics for Tampa in 2006 showed that crime in the city dropped 9.4 percent compared with 2005 and 36 percent compared with numbers for 2002.

McElroy on Wednesday said the police department’s District 3, which covers east Tampa, downtown and Ybor City, led the other two districts in reduced crime statistics. The district worked heavily on addressing problems caused by juveniles and "fine-tuning their crime analysis," she said.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

From TPD Captain Hamlin’s weekly report:

At 2:37 AM a bouncer from Club Empire, 1902 E. 7th Ave. knocked out a citizen with a punch to the face.  Causing the victim to suffer injuries to his face and head.  It is believed that this incident was unprovoked. The bouncer fled the scene prior to police arrival and the case has been assigned to detectives for further investigation.

By Officer Bob Barrett, District III Crime Prevention Team

There are simple steps that one can take to reduce the likelihood of their home being burglarized without having to spend thousands of dollars on a state-of-the-art home security system.

The easiest crime prevention practice one can take to prevent break-ins is simply to walk around your home and think like a burglar.  Look for items that are lying around the outside of your home that could aid a burglar to get into your home.  Secure tools inside your home or in a locked shed where a burglar can’t get at them.  The item I most commonly see lying outside homes are ladders.  If a ladder can’t be secured indoors, lock it up somewhere in your yard with a chain so it can’t be used.

The single area that I have found deficient at most home sites is lighting.  One should make sure that exterior lighting is mounted out of reach so burglars can’t easily unscrew or break out light bulbs.  We also suggest buying motion-sensitive lights for the exterior of your home.  They have become relatively inexpensive in recent years.  I purchased a fairly attractive set for my home this past weekend for $35 each.  Also, remember to keep your trees, shrubs and bushes trimmed to reduce shadowing and areas where intruders like to hide.  Lastly, illuminate your house number and make sure it is easily visible from the street.  This will help the police and/or emergency services find your home much quicker in case of an emergency.

Inside your home, be sure to keep a log of all your valuables.  Keep track of brand names, model numbers and most importantly serial numbers.  After a home is burglarized, often the items are sold at pawnshops for cash.  In most cases, the only way the police can find and return stolen merchandise is if the victim can provide this important information regarding their personal items.  In cases where there is no serial number (jewelry for example) take photographs for your records.  Remember a picture is worth 1,000 words.  Lastly, engrave your valuables with an identifying mark to prove ownership in the event the item is stolen.  This will also greatly aid the police in recovering stolen property.

September is turning out to be a very active month. Labor Day weekend saw some news-making incidents including a high-speed car chase ending in Plant City and reports of an assault rifle being waved out of a car! Here are the police reports:

Friday August 31, 2007: Officers received a call from a parking lot attendant in regards to a subject riding in a vehicle eastbound on E. 7th Avenue at N. 20th Street, waiving an assault rifle out of a car window.  Officers located the vehicle abandoned, but did recover the assault rife from inside of the car.  The vehicle was not reported stolen. This case has been referred to detectives for further investigation.

Saturday September 1, 2007: Three black male suspects approached a victim near E. 6th Ave & N. 20th Street, while displaying a firearm and demanding the victim’s property. The victim grabbed the gun from the suspect and they struggled over the firearm.  During the struggle, a shot was fired.  The suspects then ran towards and entered a blue Buick and fled the scene in this car.  A police officer had heard the gun shot and was in the area with other officers investigating the shots fired when they located the Buick and the victim.  The suspects refused to stop for police and a vehicle pursuit was initiated.  The pursuit ended in Plant City with the arrest of two of the three suspect

We urge you to become involved with our crime watch. Our first meeting this Weds the 19th 6:30pm in Rock and Sports.  For questions please call Jose at 789-4252

Last Thursday we had a shooting on 8th Ave. that involved two Empire patrons. We have verified with TPD that the shots were fired in the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office parking lot and not in the City of Tampa parking lot directly behind the nightclub. The police and Club Empire staff were on scene within 15 seconds of the first shots being fired. A shoot-out did
occur between two groups of young black males. There was never a fight in Empire as Channel 13 stated:

Witnesses at the scene say it all started when a fight between two groups of men began inside Club Empire.  They say it continued into the parking lot with members from both groups getting guns and firing at each other.

 Although Empire is making an effort to control its clientele, as we have seen, it keeps attracting a violent crowd to the area.

Here is the complete story printed on the St. Pete Times:

TAMPA - Gunfire rang out in Ybor City early Friday, and Tampa police believe some of the bullets were intended for them.

Christopher Ingraham-Richardson, 24, of Tampa was arrested in connection with the incident. Police said he rammed a marked police cruiser while trying to flee.

About 3:13 a.m., while they were monitoring crowds spilling out of area bars, officers heard an argument break out behind the Empire nightclub.

One man retrieved a sawed-off shotgun from a four-door, brown 1990 Honda sedan and began waving it around "recklessly," said Assistant Chief Jane Castor. The man put the shotgun back into the car, fetched an SKS assault rifle from the car and fired a single shot.

When officers arrived to investigate, they saw muzzle flashes and heard several more shots - gunfire that they believe had been aimed at them.

The officers opted not to return fire because of the gathered crowds. That’s when they spotted the car speeding away.

Police units, including a helicopter, saturated the area and tracked the car several blocks away, police said, boxing it in around N 23rd Street and Second Avenue. Police said the driver tried to break out by ramming a marked cruiser, but that failed.

The driver got out of the car without a weapon, and he beat on his chest, repeating, "You’re going to have to kill me!" Castor said.

Guns drawn, the officers approached him, and he "resisted violently," she said. Officers used a Taser on him several times, she said.

Police recovered both weapons. No injuries were reported.

Police took two men into custody, but only Ingraham-Richardson had been charged Friday evening. He was being held in lieu of $15,500 bail, and the charges include aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, battery on a law enforcement officer and obstructing or opposing an officer.

Ingraham-Richardson of 14521 Prism Circle, Apt. 105B, had been charged Thursday with driving with a suspended license.

Until Friday, that had been his only arrest, according to state records.

Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said the incident is still being investigated.

To all neighbors and businesses in the area:

Due to the recent acts of violent crime in our area we urge to contact Jose Garboza, 813-789-4252, and become involved in the Neighborhood Watch. If you see any suspicious activity call TPD immediately. Also, we would like to remind you that there is a curfew in effect on Friday and Saturday nights in the Historic District. If you see underage teens without an adult, please contact TPS asap and be sure to have a location and description. We depend on you to make Ybor a safer place. Please become involved!

Here are the details on the recent events:

• Story on Friday’s shooting - Club Empire
• Story on Robbery and Kidnapping
• Story on Holdup / Carjacking