Brentwood Communications Committee talks car-jackings

Crime in Brentwood, specifically in Ward 1, was the first thing mentioned in the Communications Committee meeting on Thursday.

Committee member Dan Duffy said they should launch a campaign to encourage home owners to light their houses and lock their cars at night because of the “major issue” carjacking has become in Brentwood.

Duffy mentioned one carjacking in particular on Senora where a hearing-impaired resident was robbed at gunpoint at 1:15 a.m. on a recent Friday night. He said it “went south” when the victim had trouble hearing the attacker. He said there have been several other crimes in Ward 1 in the past two weeks.

Committee member Lori Sims suggested having Police Chief Dan Fitzgerald do a short public service video for the city to air on its website to reach as many residents as possible. She said it could be similar to what Fitzgerald told Ward 1 residents at their ward meeting last week.

Resident, Louise Charboneau, at the meeting, but not as a committee member, said the message needs to “walk a fine line between hysteria and prudence.” She said it should be a quiet message, but “you can’t beat that drum enough.”

The topic returned when they discussed hiring a communications manager this year (2017 city budget) to manage the comprehensive marketing programs, as well as train and manage the position below that — the customer relations position, which was filled recently.

Alderman Steve Lochmoeller said they need to remember that the communications position is part of the whole budget, and for the cost, the city could buy another police officer. “I want to be proactive in attacking this crime problem,” he said.

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The committee also brainstormed for the name of the upcoming Brentwood comprehensive plan. Names they liked were: Imagine Brentwood, Brentwood Tomorrow, Your Brentwood, and variations. Tagline ideas they liked were: Today, Tomorrow and Beyond; Rich History, Shared Future; A Plan for Our Future; and other variations.

Among names they rejected: Brentwood Forward (sounds too much like Brentwood Forest), the tagline, A Community Plan for the City of Warmth.