Brentwood Ward 1 residents in a meeting on Tuesday told Chief of Police Dan Fitzgerald they want to know what is being done to stop crime in the area, according to KMOV.
They said they want police to beef up patrols.
“We are trying to do stuff like this [hold a meeting] and communicate with the neighborhood and help them be a little more safe, maybe some more lighting,” Fitzgerald said. “Lock your cars, bring your valuables inside would be helpful. We have increased our patrols quite a bit in the neighborhoods.”
A man was carjacked on Sonora Avenue on June 17 (see KSDK). The car was recovered in East St. Louis but the suspect remains on the loose.
Fitzgerald also reported on the meeting in his police blog: “We have increased our concentration of neighborhood patrols. We have established an Overtime Detail, where officers will target areas for increased police presence. Our officers are aware of the importance of protecting the community, and they will continue to give their best effort.”
He has this advice: “As a citizen, you can help by locking your car and not leaving valuables inside the car. Lighting your property is helpful. Many neighbors talked about purchasing various lighting systems for their homes. Know your neighbors. When you leave town, let the neighbors know you will be gone and for how long. Give them your contact information. If they see someone on your property, encourage them to call the police.”
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been out late at night (after midnight) and seen a police car sitting way in the back of a parking lot in Hanley Industrial Court, or up against the woods in the parking lot of Brentwood Park, etc. IMO, a police officer should never be stationary over night. Never. If not on a call, on a meal break, or using the rest room, that officer should be randomly patrolling neighborhoods. Every officer on duty, all night, constant random patrols.
Also, when there is a call at night, we should not have every officer on duty respond, that doesn’t leave anyone for the rest of the city. All a criminal would have to do is call in a fake emergency on Melvin, then rob a house on St. Clair and get away Scott free.
Seems like liscense plate scanners would be an easy way to be practive in getting folks with issues off the streets. I know I saw an unmarked car with Illinois plates and plate scanner doing a sweep through Brentwood forest last fall. I assume it was the U.S. Marshall service. With all the traffic on manchester brentwood and mcknight I woild bet it would be more productive than random stops.
McKnight is a dark, quiet, and the obvious choice for criminals to take as it is the fastest way in and out of these neighborhoods by Tilles Park.
My first opinion for residents is to lock you house, lock your cars, keep your exterior house lights on, keep you dogs out at night if possible, and install a security system with cameras and monitoring capabilities. I sound like a broken record but so do all of the these crime reports and residents pointing fingers at Brentwood PD like it is their fault this happens. Residents you are always the first line of defense. Be aware, be prepared, and call in any suspicious activity. Brentwood PD is there to protect and serve your community. Use them to help prevent.
Brentwood PD Non-Emergency # (314) 644-7100
My second opinion for Brentwood PD is to station a patrol car(s) on McKnight and Brentwood Blvd to make your presence known or at least look for suspicious activity. Install security camera(s) on McKnight and Brentwood to catch license plates of fleeing vehicles. Video verification of a vehicle at the time and place of an event is enough evidence to further investigate.
The more criminals we can catch “together” and prosecute the more we can get the message out that Brentwood isn’t an “open bar’ for crime anymore.