Crime update 3.31.07

Robber arrested...

Armed robber arrested: A suspect has been arrested in a bold armed robbery at noon on Saturday, 3.31.07. According to the NOPD and the victim's family, the robbery occurred as the victim and his wife were returning home from voting at the polls to the 1000 block of St. Philip Street. After the victim backed his car into the driveway and before the electronic gate fully closed, the perpetrator grabbed the gate and forced his way inside. He grabbed the victim, forced him to the ground at knife-point and took his wallet. The victim's screams alerted his wife, who was already in the house, and his grown son, both of whom came to the door and scared the perpetrator off with their shouts. The perpetrator got in his car and fled toward Burgundy Street. A neighbor, alerted by the victim's family's shouts, followed the perpetrator into the Ninth Ward where NOPD officers apprehended the suspect.

According to the 8th District, the captive--who was positively identified by the victim--is also suspected of similar robberies in several other NOPD districts. He is in custody and is being investigated in connection with the other robberies.

Ironically--or coincidentally--the victim and his wife were also the victims of an armed robbery in January at Bourbon and Gov. Nicholls streets. The perpetrators in that robbery and several other incidents in the French Quarter were later arrested.

How this robbery could have been avoided is hard to imagine. But it does highlight the importance of being vigilant at any time of the day at any place you are, no matter how safe it might otherwise seem.

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As always, your comments and suggests are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 3.22.07

Alerts coming...

Crime Alerts coming soon: Capt. Edwin Hosli of the NOPD 8th District has appointed two members of his staff, Sgt. Teri Meunier and Ofc. Colleen Fincher, to compile the district's crime reports DAILY and transmit them to me to compose as "Crime Alerts" to email to 400+ addresses on the NOcrimeline list. Once a method of transmitting the reports to me is devised, NOcrimeline should be able to send out alerts as soon as crimes occur.

In my meeting with them on Wednesday, 3.21.07, we agreed the 8th District would report ALL crimes against persons: murder, rape, aggravated battery (other than domestic disputes), assaults, armed robbery, purse snatching, and simple robbery). Property crimes (burglary, auto theft, theft, shoplifting) will be reported only when a trend becomes evident that the public should be aware of. The district will supply information on:

• When and where the crimes occurred in the French Quarter or Marigny Triangle;
• How the crime occurred (names of victims will not be used);
• A description of the perpetrator, if there is one, and a description of any vehicle used.
• In addition, the district's Quality-of-Life officer, Roger Jones, will add tips and precautions to help residents avoid the particular type of crime being reported.

The level of cooperation the Captain and his staff are offering to NOcrimeline and the enthusiasm they have for it is remarkable. Never once in the meeting did I hear the words "we can't", "that's too difficult", or anything of that nature. They seem willing to do anything possible to keep the residents of the 8th District well-informed so citizens can take precautions against becoming victims and help the NOPD apprehend those disturbing peace in our neighborhoods.

Call 911: Despite a recent warning from a Time-Picayune columnist that you would lose your anonymity by reporting a crime by calling 911, Capt. Hosli says: "I still suggest that in an emergency that you call 911. If you tell the 911 operator that you don't want to speak with the police and an officer still knocks at your door, I need to know this. We don't want our officers contacting citizens who want to remain anonymous. In times of an emergency the 821-2222 may delay the response times."

I personally had an occasion to call 911 this week and the emergency operator specifically asked if I wanted to speak with the officer sent to the scene. I declined, and the operator said the officer would not contact me. It appears to me you can use 911 and still maintain your anonymity.

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As always, your comments and suggests are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 3.18.07

Latest updates...

Apology: The last email I failed to send "blind" and email addresses were exposed. If anyone emails you spam as a result of it, please use the spamblocking feature of your email program to block them or unsubscribe from their list. I'll be more careful in the future to email a blind copy.

Crime alerts: Capt. Hosli and I are planning on meeting this coming week to work out the procedures for issuing alerts about crimes occurring in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle. Stay tuned.

Purse snatcher nabbed: As you probably know by now, a suspect was arrested Tuesday 3/13/07, in the brutal beating robbery of Gregg and Belinda Huber at Gov. Nicholls and Burgundy on 2/28/07. The other perpetrator who was driving the vehicle is still at large.

Ronald Martin, 30, was apprehended by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and turned over to the NOPD. He is being held in Orleans Parish Prison on $180,000 bond on charges of 2nd degree battery, simple battery, and purse snatching. He is due in Magistrate Court Section M5 on 5/13/07 at 9 a.m. for a "show cause" hearing to determine if there's enough evidence to charge him, in case you want to follow the case.

He was also charged in another incident with attempted simple kidnapping, 2nd degree battery, and aggravated armed robbery. He is being held on a separate $350,000 bond in that case. His "show cause" hearing is tomorrow 3/19/07 at 10 a.m. in Magistrate Court Section M1.

Purse snatching thwarted: Quick action by a citizen resulted in the apprehension of 3 of 4 young thugs who snatched the purse of woman outside of Matassa's Market at Dauphine and St. Philip on Friday afternoon 3/9/07. The citizen chased the perpetrators down and corralled them until the police arrived to arrest them. The woman's purse was recovered with nothing stolen.

Big buses: Marc Turk of Chartres Street flagged down an oversized tour bus that was illegally in the 800 block of Royal Street on Tuesday afternoon 3/13/07. A NOPD officer who responded criticized Turk for stopping the bus and sided with bus driver, letting him go without a citation. Capt. Hosli responded: "I will ask my officers to enforce the laws when they observe the violations." And he said he would speak to the officer who responded to the call, adding "let me be the first to apologize for any wrong doings on my officer's part." He promised, "I will also make certain that the schools attached to the NCAA games are advised not to bring to large buses into the Quarter."

Use other numbers: In the email about the NONPAC meeting, I erroneously reported that Capt. Hosli said "if something doesn't look right" to call the 8th District directly. Those calls should go to 821-2222 for non-emergencies and to 911 for emergencies. (But Jarvis DeBerry in his Times-Picayune column this morning warned that if you call 911 you'll have NOPD officers on your porch asking for details. He cautioned that if you have a tip for the police and want to remain anonymous that you call 821-2222 instead.)

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As always, your comments and suggests are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Thom Kahler

Notes from NONPAC 3.9.07

Notes from NONPAC

The crowd was so large at the Omni Royal Orleans that the meeting had to be moved from a smaller meeting room to the hotel's largest room to accommodate all those attending--showing how important the crime problem is to the residents of the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle.

Crime alerts: After numerous complaints from citizens at the meeting about the lack of information on recent crimes in the 8th District, Capt. Ed Hosli, commander of the district which polices the Quarter and Triangle, announced an email program will be set up in the next couple of weeks to alert residents to crimes in their neighborhoods. The information -- transmitted from this email address -- will include the type of crime, where it occurred, when, the MO ("modus operandi"=the way it occurred). "I want to avoid the rumor mill," said Hosli, who came from the Uptown's 2nd District, and was amazed at how fast information -- whether accurate or not -- travels through the Quarter. The email program received the enthusiastic approval of the captain's boss, Chief of Operations Tony Cannatella. The 8th District will be the only NOPD district doing this in the city.

Auto thefts: Hosli reported a rash of auto thefts in the district in the past month, but noted many of the cars had been towed not stolen. He is going to set up a log at the district headquarters to keep track of the time of the tow and the location of the towed vehicle so it can be checked before reporting the vehicle stolen.

More patrols: The Criminal Sheriff's Department will begin mounted horse patrols in the Lower Quarter beginning next week. Hosli also reported the motorscooters parked all around the district headquarters building will be mobilized for patrols as soon as his officers can be trained on them in the next month. Patrols will also be expanded to the Marigny Triangle.

Reporting crime: Hosli urged citizens to report crime to 911 as soon as it happens. And for suspicious situations -- "something doesn't look right" -- he urged contacting the district directly (658-6080 or him personally by email at EHosli@cityofno.com). "I firmly believe if we address he little things it'll take care of the big things," he said.

Councilman's comments: Councilman James Carter, of District C which includes the Quarter and Triangle, said the city will soon have a "crime tracking" program that will map crimes in real time to determine where they're happening and the patterns. He said the program will put the criminal justice system "under the magnifying glass to know who's not doing their job." He also heartily endorsed the "strong push to community policing and moving into the community" by getting officers out of their cars and on to the street.

The monthy NONPAC (New Orleans Neighborhood Policing Anti-Crime Council) meetings are held the SECOND Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Omni Royal Orleans hotel, 621 St. Louis St.

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As always, your comments and suggests are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Thom Kahler

FIRST REPORT 3.05.07

Welcome to NOcrimeline

NOcrimeline is a new effort to keep the residents of the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle informed about crimes occurring in those neighborhoods--and what citizens can do about it. It is important to know when a crime occurred, where the dangerous areas are, how the crime happened, and a description of the perpetrator, if possible. With this information, a resident hopefully can take precautions to avoid becoming a victim.

NOcrimeline will try to gather this information in two ways:

1) Work with the command of the NOPD 8th District (which polices the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle) to get reports of crimes as soon after they occur as possible, and

2) Accept information from residents who have direct knowledge of a crime occurring on their street. (In some cases, this information is more detailed and accurate than that supplied by the NOPD.)

When this information is compiled, an alert will be sent to those on our email list as soon as possible. Our email list was compiled from various sources, including the list the 8th District NOPD used to use to notify citizens of NONPAC meetings.

If we have listed you more than once, or you do not wish to receive these emails, please reply to this email and indicate "UNSUBSCRIBE" on the subject line.

If you have neighbors who would like to be added to our list, please have them email us at NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome.

Thom Kahler