Here is a message from Captain Jay Landsman, Jr. about the recent crimes in and around Rodgers Forge:
Precinct 6 Communities,
It has been a tough week in the Towson Precinct, while we did arrest 3 juveniles for the street robbery near Banbury Road and Anneslie Road on the 29th, officers and detectives continue to work around the clock to resolve the string of burglaries in the Rodgers Forge community and the commercial robberies we have experienced this week on the east side of the precinct, as well as other cases.
I especially want to thank the COP members that our officers and detectives have encountered while patrolling during the overnight hours, which really says a lot about the COP program in Towson. I also want to thank all of the community members who have been so eager to assist in any way they can. We will continue to do everything possible to bring these cases to a speedy conclusion.
I have included a list of basic crime prevention tips. Please focus on the burglary prevention tips and take the easy steps to secure your homes and vehicles, and shrink the window of opportunity for the bad guys.
Crime Prevention Tips:
1. When you are outside in the back yard working, make sure that you do not leave the front door open or unlocked. This is a quick and easy opportunity for thieves.
2. Secure your bicycles with a bike lock or bring them inside when not in use.
3. Lock your vehicle and make sure that it is locked before you walk away from it.
4. Remove all keys from your vehicles (including keys to other vehicles that may be parked nearby). We have experienced numerous cases that start out as a theft from vehicle and turn into a theft of a vehicle, because keys were left inside.
5. Laptops, purses, wallets, phones and other valuables should never be left in a vehicle.
6. Flashback to the 1990s and use an anti-theft device like “The Club” or a similar steering wheel lock as another deterrent for thieves.
7. Leaving the porch light on or installing motion sensitive lights in the front and back of the house is a deterrent for suspects, who want to operate under the cover of darkness.
8. Trim branches and hedges away from windows and doorways to eliminate areas where suspects can avoid being seen as they attempt to break into your house.
9. Make sure that your doors have a lock on the handle and a deadbolt lock. If there is a window next to the door handle, the deadbolt should be a double key lock and not a thumb lock on the inside. This will prevent a burglar from reaching in and unlocking the door. The key should be hung in a place where your family can find it easily in the event of an emergency. You can also add an additional sliding latch lock or chain on the inside of your door pretty inexpensively.
10. Placing a piece of wood or metal in the track of your sliding glass doors and windows can make entry to your home much more difficult for criminals. An inexpensive dowel rod cut into pieces that fit into your window or sliding door track could accomplish this step.
11. If you have an attached garage, lock the door leading from the garage to your house, even when the garage door is closed. If a thief gains entry to your garage, you do not want to give them easy access to your house. If you do not park your car inside the garage and you have a garage door opener in your car, do not leave the garage door opener in the car unattended.
12. Take a look out your window throughout the day and if you happen to get up in the middle of the night. If you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood, call 911 to report it!
To schedule a residential security survey, contact our Community Outreach Team at (410) 887-5933.
Please consider attending the next Police Community Relations Council Meeting and or joining the Towson Area Citizens on Patrol. Both organizations are key partners in our crime fighting efforts.
Please look out for your friends and neighbors.
Thanks,
Jay
Captain Jay Landsman, Jr.
Commander
Precinct 6 / Towson
Baltimore County Police Department
115 W. Susquehanna Avenue
Towson, MD 21204
(410) 887-5507