Crime update 9.3.07

This is HARD labor...

All that work for what?: The NOPD apprehended one suspect in 2 armed robberies in the French Quarter yesterday. Charles J. Bush, 25, whose last known address was 1531 Conti St., was charged with attempted armed robbery.

The robbery occurred at about 9 p.m. Sunday when 2 black men who had been sitting on the steps at 1030 Burgundy St. stopped a 39-year-old white man who lives in the 900 block of Gov. Nicholls Street who was walking up Burgundy. They demanded "Break it off!" while one of them pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the victim. The victim exclaimed "I don't have anything," emptying his pockets to show them he had only credit cards on him. The would-be robbers ordered him down on the street and fled on foot down Burgundy, turning on to Ursulines Avenue going toward N. Rampart Street, according to a witness.

Bush was stopped in the 1400 block of N. Rampart at 9:45 p.m. by officers who noticed he fit the description of one of the perpetrators: 5'7" tall, weighing 150 pounds, dark complexion, wearing a long red shirt, a red cap, long black denim shorts, black and white hi-top shoes. The victim positively identified Bush as one of the perpetrators. His accomplice, who was not caught, was described as 18-22 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing 150 pounds, light complexion, wearing a red shirt, blue cap, and had short dreadlocks.

Citizens helped: The involvement of some citizens may have helped in the apprehension of Bush, though they're not so sure. One resident who lives in the 1100 block of Burgundy (between Gov. Nicholls and Ursulines) said he "was sitting on my porch in the 1100 block of Burgundy and noticed 2 young men walking on opposite sides of the street, circling back and following solitary pedestrians. I called 911 and gave the operator a detailed description and location of these guys." But he says he never saw a police car respond.

There's a reason: The victim, after being robbed on Burgundy, ran up St. Philip Street to Rampart to the Meauxbar restaurant, yelling for help. A couple out walking their dog followed him in and found he had been held up by 2 men fitting the description of a suspicious duo they had seen earlier on their walk. They went outside and flagged down a police car--possibly in the area from the other citizen's 911 call. Those officers got a description of the perpetrators and said they would circle the area while a detective called to the scene took a report from the victim--it's likely this unit is he one which located the suspect. And while the citizen who made the 911 call said he never said the police, it's because all the police's dealings with the victim were on Rampart, not Burgundy.

All 3 of these citizens probably had a bigger role in the apprehension of this suspect than they think. And the couple who first noticed the suspects said they will make it a point to take their cellphone with them next time they go out, so they can call 911 if they see something suspicious. (I take mine with me when I take the garbage to the curb!)

Not so lucky: In an earlier armed robbery yesterday, a 29-year-old white man who lives in the 600 block of Ursulines Avenue who was walking home from his shift as a bartender, was robbed at 6:30 a.m. by 3 black thugs loitering in the 500 block of Burgundy. As he tried to walk by them, they grabbed him and one stuck a gun in his side. They went through his pockets and took his iPod and a wallet containing $75. The hoods fled up Burgundy to Conti Street. The victim reported the theft at the 8th District station at Conti and Royal streets.

The 3 perpetrators were all described as about 21 years old and:

• 6'1" tall, wearing a black "Biggie Small" shirt, blue jeans, blue baseball cap, armed with a blue steel revolver with black grips;
• 5'6" tall, weighing 140 pounds, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans;
• 5'7" tall, weighing 150 pounds, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
  

Not so strange: In the last NOcrimeline report, we thought it was strange the police classified a would-be rape as an "aggravated burglary." As it turned out, the incident (in which a man forced his way into another man's apartment at gunpoint) turned out to be more of an "aggravated battery." But by classifying it as a burglary, the penalty is about twice as great: upon conviction, a minimum of one year and a maximum of 30 years at hard labor.

Truth is...: In the same report, we accused Superintendent Warren Riley of taking away the individual NOPD districts' control over sex crimes, making it difficult for local commanders to explain to citizens in their districts what has happened in a sex crime. Truth is, sex crimes have been the province of the sex squad since long before Riley, even before Chief Pennington was here.

The reason: Interviewing victims of sex crimes require sensitive and complex techniques, training beyond what the average detective has.

How it works: When a sex crime is reported to 911, an officer from the local NOPD district is dispatched to take initial information and determine if it is a sex crime. Then a sex squad detective is usually called while the uniformed officer is still on the scene. From that point on, any investigation is handled by the sex squad and any information released is up to the commander of that unit.

Solution: While residents are naturally concerned when sex crimes occur in their neighborhoods, it is difficult to divine the line between what the public needs to know and what needs to be confidential. In an ideal world of enlightened police departments, some one would come up with a formula that would satisfy everyone. In an ideal world...

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.31.07

What IS going on here?

Break-in just another name for rape?: First, the French Quarter is nervous as hell about the attempted rape of a school girl in a Royal Street shop. Reports crop up that other women may have been attacked by the same perpetrator. Then a woman is raped last Sunday in--of all places--the restroom of a gay bar, Bourbon Pub. Now a man is sexually attacked Wednesday night by another man who followed him home from another gay bar, Cafe Lafitte's in Exile--and the police are labeling it "aggravated burglary." Aggravated, in deed!

In Wednesday's incident, the victim, a 25-year-old white man, met the perpetrator at Lafitte's while socializing with a female co-worker. The 2 men walked the woman to her home at about 10:30 p.m. and then the perpetrator followed the victim to his home in the 1200 block of Chartres Street. Once there, he pulled a handgun and forced his way into the victim's apartment.

The perpetrator announced his intentions and forced the victim to take off his pants and get into bed. The perpetrator disrobed completely and got into the bed also. The victim informed the perpetrator he had Crohn's Disease which would make the perpetrator's intentions a messy proposition. Instead, the perpetrator fondled the victim through his underwear but didn't engage in any other sexual activity.

The perpetrator left about 2:30 a.m., taking the victim's car keys and cellphone (perhaps this is why it was classified a burglary). Later the victim discovered his car missing from where it was parked on Chartres near Esplanade Avenue.

The perpetrator was described as a white man, about 40 years old, 5'11" tall, weighing 165 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

No wonder they're nervous: The suspect in last Sunday's rape at the Bourbon Pub has been let loose. Randall Treadway, 40, had been charged with aggravated rape and was being held on a $100,000 bond. But on Wednesday a judge allowed a friend of Treadway's to sign a personal guarantee bond for $50,000 of the amount and required only $50,000 to be posted as a surety bond. Treadway walked free Wednesday afternoon and is not due back in court until 9.10.07 for a preliminary hearing.

Another victim?: Another woman has come forward--sort of--and thinks she may also have been the victim of the guy who assaulted the girl at the Royal Street shop on 8.12.07. And she wonders if it might not be the same guy involved in the Bourbon Pub incident 8.26.07.

She doesn't say where it happened, but says "on a recent Sunday a.m. about 9:55 (if my memory serves me correctly it was 8.12) I was accosted by a man fitting the description of the perp involved in the one and possibly 2 sexual assaults...I screamed at him and slugged him. I then went to my shop and called in a report, location and description."

The woman, a merchant in the 600 block of Toulouse Street, doesn't indicate if she called 911 or the 8th District station house. After reading about the Royal Street attack, she says, "I called the police to make certain my report was recorded and to let them know I would offer my help. I was brushed off and no effort (was made) by them to follow up. If the rape at the (Bourbon) Pub was the same man, then I blame the police for not following up the incident on 8.12.07 and my phone call."

Here's the problem: Everyone wants to blame the 8th District NOPD for not keeping them posted on these recent sexual assaults. But, unfortunately, their hands are tied. Big Chief Riley, in his wisdom, has taken away the individual police districts' control over investigating sex crimes and homicides. The district gets the initial 911 call, but then the case is turned over to the sex squad for further investigation.

Unlike the cooperation NOcrimeline gets from the 8th District, we have no similar inroads with the sex or homicide squads to get information. So what happens is citizens are left wondering what's going on, if a perp has been arrested, or is walking the streets, of just what they should be aware of.

That's not a good system. Let Big Chief Riley, or maybe even Councilman Jaames Carter, know if you agree.

Another robbery, another arrest: 8th District cops were quick to make an arrest of a suspect in a robbery on Dumaine Street at 2:29 a.m. today. The victim, a white man from River Ridge whose age was not indicated, was walking in the 1000 block of Dumaine when a black man walking from the opposite direction pulled a silver-plated semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it at him. The perpetrator ordered the victim to remove everything from his pants pockets and place it on the steps of the building they were in front of. The victim was told to walk away while the perpetrator fled in the opposite direction. When the victim returned, he found his wallet missing but that his cellphone and pager were still there.

The perpetrator was described as 25-30 years old, 6'1" tall, weighing 165 pounds, wearing a red T-shirt, blue jeans, and red cap (not exactly a wise choice for career clothing). The police were able to get a positive ID from a photo line-up of Donny Pierre, 35, whose last known address was in the 1100 block of N. Villere Street, and charge him with armed robbery with a firearm. He has a long criminal history going back for years with arrests--but few convictions--for rape, forgery, bank fraud, forcible rape, false imprisonment, soliciting crime against nature, simple and armed robbery, and so on.

Another warrant for another robbery: Another warrant has been issued for the arrest of Christopher Hoard for a second armed robbery. He is now wanted for the armed robbery 8.24.07 of a man walking in the 1000 block of Dauphine Street at about 9:30 p.m.

Hoard, 18, is also wanted for the armed robbery 8.6.07 of 2 Baton Rouge men in the 200 block of Burgundy. Hoard is a black man, 5'9" tall, weighing 165 pounds, with dreadlocks.

His last known address is 308 Burgundy St. A NOcrimeline subscriber, noting the address is in the French Quarter, suggested putting pressure on the landlord to run him and his family out of their apartment. The property is owned by a real estate company which has a number of other properties in and near the Quarter. You can look it up in the assessor's property records.

But considering this guy hasn't got the memo yet that robbers aren't welcome in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle, let's hope Lt. Eddie Selby's night patrols take him down soon.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.28.07

Any connection?

Makes you wonder: Although the NOPD's sex crimes squad is handling this latest case, 8th District Commander Capt. Edwin Hosli is wondering if there's any connection between a rape Sunday night on Bourbon Street and an attempted rape 2 weeks earlier on Royal Street.

8th District officers arrested Randall Treadway for the rape of a 19-year-old white woman in the restroom of the Bourbon Pub, the largest gay bar/nightclub in New Orleans. Treadway, a 40-year-old black man, was arrested at the scene and booked into OPP on a charge of aggravated rape. He is being held on a bond of $100,000.

Though no detailed description of this suspect is available, what has Capt. Hosli worried is that in the attempted rape on Royal, the perpetrator was described as a black man with a light complexion, in his 40s, about 5' 5" tall, skinny, with short hair or bald headed, and a gold tooth or two, wearing a black T-shirt and blue shorts.

In an incident on 8.12,07, a 17-year-old white girl working alone as a clerk that Sunday morning at Sabai jewelry store, 924 Royal St., was assaulted by a black man who pulled down his pants and was trying to pull down hers. The attack was thwarted by an artist working next door who came in the shop and chased the attacker off, pursuing him on foot until he fled down N. Rampart Street.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.25.07

Keep your guard up...

They're still out there: Though it's been relatively quiet since Lt. Eddie Selby sicced his crew of cops on the robbers in the Lower French Quarter and Marigny Triangle the first of this month, the bad guys are still out there. And Dauphine Street between Ursulines Avenue and St. Philip Street seems to be their happy hunting ground lately.

Last night (8.24.07) at about 9:35 p.m. a white man walking in the 1000 block of Dauphine was held up at gunpoint by a black guy. The robber got all of $25 and a military ID from the victim before fleeing in a white van that was waiting near Ursulines. The perpetrator was described as being 18-25 years old, 5'10" tall, weighing 180 pounds, clean shaven, hair in dredlocks, wearing dark clothing.

It's nearly the same location where a 40-year-old couple thwarted an armed robbery 8.15.07 at Dauphine and Ursulines by throwing a cup of hot coffee on the would-be robber. The robber and his accomplice were described as: a black man, 18-25 years old, 5'6" tall, weighing 160 pounds, clean shaven, with short hair, wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans; the other was a black man, 20-25 years old, 5'10" tall, weighing 220 pounds, clean shaven, with short hair, wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans.

How to Describe a Suspect: It's amazing how many suspects Lt. Selby and his crew are able to round up, considering the sometimes scant descriptions they have to work with. And it does seem so many of the descriptions all fit one guy, which of course isn't so. Here are some tips from the Chicago Police Department that might help:

To capture a criminal in these highly mobile times, it is of utmost importance for the police to promptly obtain an accurate description. Following are some of the most important identifiers the police need to apprehend criminal suspects. Keep this information in mind so that you can give the police an accurate description of any criminal or criminal incident you may observe.

Location information is critical:

• Observe where you are and the exact location of the crime. Try to remember if you have ever seen the suspect in the area before.
• Note the time as precisely as possible.
• Observe if the suspect is carrying a weapon and, if so, what type-revolver, handgun, shotgun, knife, etc.
• If the suspect leaves the scene, note the direction of flight.
• If the suspect is in a vehicle , note as much of the following information as possible: vehicle type (auto, truck, van, etc.); color; make and model; condition (dirty, damaged, etc.); and license plate numbers. Note also if the vehicle has no license plates or a "license applied for" sticker in the rear windshield.
• Watch for decoys or accomplices.

A variety of general description information about the suspect should be noted:

• Sex
• Race or national origin
• Age (estimated)
• Height: use comparisons with your own height, a door, or some other standard measure
• Weight (estimated)
• Build: fat, husky, slim, muscular, etc.

Facial information is also important:

• Hair: note the color, texture, hairline, style; also possible dyes or wigs
• Forehead: note forehead height, and whether the skin is smooth, creased or wrinkled
• Eyes: note the color, shape (round, slanted), whether clear or bloodshot, and the heaviness of eyelashes and eyebrows
• Nose: overall shape (long, wide, flat, etc.) and nostrils (wide, narrow, flared) are important
• Cheeks: is the flesh sunken, filled out, dried or oily? are there wrinkles around nose or mouth? are cheek bones high or low, wide or narrow?
• Ears: note size and prominence (protruding or flat against head)
• Mouth: are lips thin, medium, full? do corners turn up, turn down, or level?
• Chin: what is the shape (round, oval, pointed, square)? double chin, dimpled, cleft?
• Neck: note protruding Adam's apple or hanging jowls
• Complexion: note pores, pockmarks, acne, razor rash, bumps
• Facial hair: clean shaven? unshaven? beard, mustache, goatee, sideburns?
• Tattoos: shape and style; on what part of the body

Clothing information is also very important:

• Hat: note color, style, ornaments, how it is worn (bill forward, backward, to one side)
• Coat: note color and style (suit coat, jacket, topcoat, overcoat)
• Shirt/blouse/dress: note color, design, sleeves, collar
• Trousers/slacks/skirt: note color, style, cuffs
• Socks: note color, pattern, length
• Shoes: note color, style, brand name for sneakers (if possible), condition
• Accessories: sweater, scarf, gloves, necktie
• Jewelry: rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces
• General appearance: neat or sloppy? clean or dirty?
• Oddities: look for clothing too large or too small; odd colors; patchwork

Other physical features or peculiarities:

• Voice: pitch, tone, rasp, lisp
• Speech: articulate, uneducated, accent, use of slang
• Gait: slow, fast, limp

You will never be able to remember all of these details about any one suspect you may see. But remembering as many as possible can be particularly helpful to the police and to your community.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

How to describe a suspect

It's amazing how many suspects the NOPD actually rounds up, considering the sometimes scant descriptions they have to work with. And it does seem so many of the descriptions all fit one guy, which of course isn't so. Here are some tips from the Chicago Police Department that might help:

To capture a criminal in these highly mobile times, it is of utmost importance for the police to promptly obtain an accurate description. Following are some of the most important identifiers the police need to apprehend criminal suspects. Keep this information in mind so that you can give the police an accurate description of any criminal or criminal incident you may observe.

Location information is critical:

• Observe where you are and the exact location of the crime. Try to remember if you have ever seen the suspect in the area before.
• Note the time as precisely as possible.
• Observe if the suspect is carrying a weapon and, if so, what type-revolver, handgun, shotgun, knife, etc.
• If the suspect leaves the scene, note the direction of flight.
• If the suspect is in a vehicle , note as much of the following information as possible: vehicle type (auto, truck, van, etc.); color; make and model; condition (dirty, damaged, etc.); and license plate numbers. Note also if the vehicle has no license plates or a "license applied for" sticker in the rear windshield.
• Watch for decoys or accomplices.

A variety of general description information about the suspect should be noted:

• Sex
• Race or national origin
• Age (estimated)
• Height: use comparisons with your own height, a door, or some other standard measure
• Weight (estimated)
• Build: fat, husky, slim, muscular, etc.

Facial information is also important:

• Hair: note the color, texture, hairline, style; also possible dyes or wigs
• Forehead: note forehead height, and whether the skin is smooth, creased or wrinkled
• Eyes: note the color, shape (round, slanted), whether clear or bloodshot, and the heaviness of eyelashes and eyebrows
• Nose: overall shape (long, wide, flat, etc.) and nostrils (wide, narrow, flared) are important
• Cheeks: is the flesh sunken, filled out, dried or oily? are there wrinkles around nose or mouth? are cheek bones high or low, wide or narrow?
• Ears: note size and prominence (protruding or flat against head)
• Mouth: are lips thin, medium, full? do corners turn up, turn down, or level?
• Chin: what is the shape (round, oval, pointed, square)? double chin, dimpled, cleft?
• Neck: note protruding Adam's apple or hanging jowls
• Complexion: note pores, pockmarks, acne, razor rash, bumps
• Facial hair: clean shaven? unshaven? beard, mustache, goatee, sideburns?
• Tattoos: shape and style; on what part of the body

Clothing information is also very important:

• Hat: note color, style, ornaments, how it is worn (bill forward, backward, to one side)
• Coat: note color and style (suit coat, jacket, topcoat, overcoat)
• Shirt/blouse/dress: note color, design, sleeves, collar
• Trousers/slacks/skirt: note color, style, cuffs
• Socks: note color, pattern, length
• Shoes: note color, style, brand name for sneakers (if possible), condition
• Accessories: sweater, scarf, gloves, necktie
• Jewelry: rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces
• General appearance: neat or sloppy? clean or dirty?
• Oddities: look for clothing too large or too small; odd colors; patchwork

Other physical features or peculiarities:

• Voice: pitch, tone, rasp, lisp
• Speech: articulate, uneducated, accent, use of slang
• Gait: slow, fast, limp

You will never be able to remember all of these details about any one suspect you may see. But remembering as many as possible can be particularly helpful to the police and to your community.

Crime update 8.23.07

The heat is on...

It's hard to tell whether it's the record-breaking temperatures or the heated-up undercover patrols in recent weeks, but crime has been virtually non-existent in the 8th District. Yeah, there have been a couple of minor (if there's such a thing) robberies up around Canal Street near the CBD, but nothing to worry the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle neighborhoods. Even the auto thieves have slacked off dramatically, though car break-ins are still a pain.

Shot down and charged up: The guy who thought he could out draw the NOPD got out of the hospital Tuesday and was arrested and then charged yesterday with 2 counts of armed robbery with a firearm.

Vincent Beverly, 18, who was shot on Chartres Street by a member of the vaunted undercover patrol on 8.2.07 was charged with robbing 2 Mississippi men on 7.23.07 in the 1400 block of Royal Street and robbing a Times-Picayune editor on 7.28.07 in the 1200 block of Bourbon Street. Beverly, whose last known address was 6001 Downman Rd., was also charged for aggravated assault with a firearm and simple battery for his confrontation with the 2 NOPD officers. He is being held on $107,500 bond pending a preliminary hearing 9.5.07 in magistrate court.

The suspect reportedly will be paralyzed for life from the single gunshot wound. And with his legal future clouded as well, it seems like it was a pretty stupid way to make a couple of hundred bucks--the amount the robberies netted.

Be on the look out: The NOPD has issued an arrest warrant for a guy who apparently likes to work close to home. Christopher Hoard, 18, whose last known address is 308 Burgundy St., is wanted for the armed robbery 8.6.07 of 2 Baton Rouge men in the 200 block of Burgundy. Hoard is a black man, 5'9" tall, weighing 165 pounds, possibly with dreadlocks.

"What we have here...": A failure to communicate seems to have merchants in the 900 block of Royal Street stirred up and the NOPD feeling unjustly accused of failing to respond.

What we know is this: On Sunday morning, 8.12.07, a man attempted to rape a high school junior working as a clerk in Sabai Jewelry, 924 Royal St. An art gallery owner named Mr. Smith walked by, saw the attack and thwarted it. He called 911 at 10:21 a.m. while he pursued the perpetrator who turned down St. Philip Street toward N. Rampart Street.

Where it gets murky: According to Lt. Reginald A. Jacque of the 8th District, police units were in the area within 5 minutes. But by that time the perpetrator had fled into Treme, according to Mr. Smith. The cops on the scene "could not locate Mr. Smith who was on the move and hung-up on the complaint (911) operator. Police were further kept out of the loop because the address of the original incident was never given."

Units from both the 8th and 1st District (across Rampart) scoured the area for a perpetrator described as a black man, light complexion, approximately 48 years old, bald headed, and gold teeth. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

Further complicating the investigation is the victim's apparent lack of cooperation with the police. The store owner said the girl was starting school the next day but that he would tell her that the police needed to talk to her to get information they needed to do an investigation.

Lesson to be learned: When you report a crime, stay on the phone with 911 for as long as it takes and no matter how dumb or repetitious the operator's questions sound. I've had my own problems with 911 in the past, but I've usually been surprised at how quickly help has come. And follow up with a call to the 8th District station (658-6080) to make sure the police have all the information they need from you.

Huh? : If you go to the NOPD's website and look at its phone directory, it lists Capt. Edwin Hosli as the commander of the 7th District and Capt. Kevin Anderson as the commander of the 8th. The directory is not outdated; it lists the captain who replaced Hosli as commander of the 2nd District. Hosli, who's never commanded the 7th, assures us "I'm not going anywhere." And Anderson's not coming back here.

What's disturbing is this: If Big Chief Warren Riley can't keep track of his commanders, how can he fight crime? If he doesn't know where his top brass is, how in hell will he ever find where the bad guys are? You can argue, well, it wasn't Riley himself who made the mistake. Probably true enough, but it was done by someone whom he counts on to help fight crime. If they can't do this simple task correctly, what confidence do you have that they could, oh say, solve the murders of Helen Hill or Robin Malta or Chris Roberts? Every one seems to want Eddie Jordan's scalp to solve the crime problem. Perhaps they need to look at the other culprits in the mix.

And we're glad too: Jimmy Delery, who lives in the 2nd District where Capt. Hosli and his sidekick, Lt. Eddie Selby, came from, says he "can tell you in no uncertain terms the two Eddies are some of the best and most professional cops in this city. We miss Hosli and Selby. I just hope Riley realizes want kind of good police officers they are!" We hope so too--and that he knows where they are.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.17.07

In the heat of the night...

Victims turn heat on crooks: A 40-year-old local couple strolling on Ursulines Street about 9:48 p.m. Wednesday (8.15.07) got to Dauphine Street at the same time as 2 black men. One of the black men demanded, "Give me all you got!" So the white would-be victim did--he threw his cup of hot coffee in the face of the would-be robber. (No. I don't know why someone was carrying a cup of hot coffee when it was probably 90 degrees out.) The victims escaped up Dauphine toward Esplanade Avenue. One of the perpetrators screamed at his accomplice to shoot them. The victims heard several metallic clicks of a gun dry-firing. The thwarted thugs fled on Ursulines toward N. Rampart Street.

One of the suspects was described as 18-25 years old, 5'6" tall, weighing 160 pounds, clean shaven, with short hair, wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans. The other was described as 20-25 years old, 5'10" tall, weighing 220 pounds, clean shaven, with short hair, wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans.

It's working: Lt. Eddie Selby still has his beefed up plainsclothes details saturating the Lower French Quarter and Marigny Triangle to get a grip on crime--principally armed robberies--in those neighborhoods. He was lamenting that his officers hadn't been able to make more arrests, other than the one suspect they shot and the car-full of kids on a robbery lark they arrested. But since the patrols began the first of the month, robberies--and most other crimes--have been virtually non-existent in the targeted area. That's what citizens want--NO crime. If you agree, you might let Lt. Selby and his crew know.

Rape on Royal?: Capt. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, has confirmed that an art gallery owner thwarted the attempted rape of a jewelry store clerk in the 900 block of Royal Street on Sunday (8.12.07). The gallery owner allegedly caught the would-be rapist with his pants down pressing the shopkeeper--a high school junior who was alone in the shop--against the counter. The perpetrator left the shop, walked up St. Philip Street toward N. Rampart Street. The gallery owner pursued him on foot, with 911 on his cellphone, asking for an officer to meet up on Rampart.

The worst part: The perp mocked his pursuer, telling him "no one will come," meaning that no cops would respond. The perp was right--no cops responded to the call. In fact, the dispatcher told the citizen there were only 2 cars on duty, and they were busy.

Late word is that the tapes of the 911 call are being retrieved at the so the NOPD can figure out just what the caller was told.

According to a merchant, either before or after the perpetrator assaulted the girl in the jewelry store, he was in another nearby shop fondling a different girl, who was also working alone. She reportedly fought back and merchants think she did report it, as there were cop cars there, according to neighbors.

Reported? Not reported? Not sure? It sounds like both incidents were reported, if cops showed up in one incident and the gallery owner called 911 in the other. But if victims are going to be blasé about whether or not they call in crimes, what do you expect the police to do?

Learn about video surveillance?: If you missed Det. Michael Carambat's presentation on video surveillance cameras at the NONPAC meeting last week (as I did), attached is a PDF of the essence of his presentation. I understand the meeting was standing-room only, according to Jon Kemp's excellent account of the meeting in the T-P on Thursday. According to the 8th District's Quality-Of-Life Officer, Roger Jones, he went to one French Quarter residence where one of the $10 cameras is in use and reported it delivers excellent results. If you need more information, contact:

• Det. Mike Carambat: mcarambat@cityofno.com
• Ofc. Roger Jones: nopolice29@yahoo.com
  

A little clarification: In our report 8.11.07 on several residential burglaries, we questioned whether a "door kicked in" constituted forced entry. The question is really whether the door had been kicked in. The resident reported he found his apartment door kicked in when he returned home; the investigating officer found no evidence the door had been kicked in.

Above and beyond: A few weeks ago, Ofc. Brian Shubert took over the job of compiling the crime maps and reports for the 8th District. About the same time, the NOPD's computer system lost its ability to send PDF files (not Brian's fault), so he's been meticulously cutting and pasting the reports together in emails to NOcrimeline so you'll have information in a timely fashion. A thumbs up to Ofc. Shubert.

But it makes you wonder how Chief Riley can ever hope to get a grip on crime if he can't even make his computers run right.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.11.07

Break-ins breaking out...

What next?: Normally, residential burglaries are not a problem in the French Quarter or Marigny Triangle, occurring rarely. But, now...4 burglaries have occurred this past week, all within a close area:

• 1022 Toulouse St., 8.6.07: The owner locked up his house at 11 p.m. on 8.4.07, but when he returned on 8.6.07 at 9:30 a.m. he observed the front door was shut but not locked and there were pry marks near the door knob. Missing were 2 brown leather suitcases and 2 antique walnut chairs with green seat covers.
  

• 913 Gov. Nicholls St., 8.7.07: The victim said his house was locked up at midnight, but when he awoke at 10 a.m. he found the bathroom window open and the screen cut. He discovered a laptop computer and computer bag missing.

• 724 Dumaine St., 8.9.07: The owner locked his house at 2 p.m. 8.8.07. When he returned 8.9.07, he noticed the door to his apartment had been kicked in and the interior ransacked. Missing was $1,200 in cash and a men's silver Guess watch. The report states, "The officer observed the scene but could find no evidence of forced entry." The "door kicked in" doesn't count?

• 1015 Dauphine St., 8.9.07: The victim was home and at about 6:55 a.m. heard someone pull hard on the exterior door to her apartment. She looked out the window and saw a white male, 20-25 years old, wearing a light blue shirt and khaki cargo pants, jump over the wall into a neighbor's courtyard.

• 919 St. Philip St., 8.9.07: At 7 a.m., the neighbor adjoining 1015 Dauphine heard a loud noise. He got out of bed and went to the living room where he saw the window next to the front door had been smashed and there was blood on the outside walkway under the window.

You can run but you can't hide: If you think it's any better else where, here's news from a NOcrimeline subscriber summering in the oh-so tony Hamptons:

"Well crime has come to East Hampton. Had our 2000 green Volvo stolen from in front of our house in East Hampton. Came in our house through a window. Did not mess anything up. Took all the hard liquor and a Queen Mary tin of quarters $100. Took key out of dish in living room and left with car. Disgusting, but I guess we are lucky. Television, etc. not touched."

Whew, that's a relief--you'll still be able to watch "Cops" on Saturday night.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.10.07

Night out FOR crime...

Some just haven't gotten the message: It had been a relatively quiet week crime-wise, ever since Lt. Eddie Selby deployed his mega-force of cops in the Lower French Quarter and Marigny Triangle 10 days ago. But 2 nights after local residents held Night Out Against Crime events, a car-full of punks tried to make it a night out FOR crime last night by staging 3 robberies in the span of 90 minutes. When it was all over, 8th District cops swooped down on the car carrying the gang of 6 in the 1000 block of Chartres Street--just 2 blocks from where an officer in the taskforce shot another suspect exactly one week ago. Maybe these guys--and gals--haven't heard the Lower Quarter and Triangle are no places to go if you've got dastardly deeds in mind.

Here's what happened where:

• 600 block of Burgundy Street (between Toulouse and St. Peter streets), 10:35 p.m. Thursday: A 48-year-old white man who lives in the 900 block of Conti Street was walking toward Esplanade Avenue on Burgundy when he saw a black man walking toward him. He tried to avoid him, but the man jumped in his path again and mumblede something, which turned out to be "Give me your money" when the victim looked down and saw the semi-automatic handgun the perpetrator was holding. The victim, who had just come from the NONPAC police meeting about 4 hours earlier, said he "immediately forgot everything Capt. Hosli has told us about remembering a perp's appearance. All I could see was the gun. I gave him my cash ($28) and we each fled in opposite directions, he towards Esplanade and me back towards Conti."

• Dauphine and Kerelec streets, 11:15 p.m. Thursday: A 27-year-old white man who lives in the 1900 block of Dauphine was walking to the Esplanade Mini-Market at the corner when he noticed 2 black men, one of whom crossed the street and acted as a lookout while the other pulled a handgun and demanded the victim's money.

• Dauphine and St. Philip streets, 12:10 a.m. Friday: A white man who lives in the 500 block of Dumaine Street (who turned 22 today) was walking on Dauphine toward Esplanade Avenue when he noticed a car-full of black people parked just off St. Philip. Just as he past the street, a black man came up from behind and asked him if he knew where "Quincy Street" is. When the victim turned around, the man brandished a black semi-automatic pistol and asked for the victim's cellphone and a red bag he was carrying.

The robber fled down St. Philip toward the river and the victim walked back toward Dumaine where he saw a cop car parked in the 1100 block of Dauphine. As the officer came around and down St. Philip, he spotted a man fitting the perpetrator's description getting in the car the victim had earlier seen on St. Philip. The officer, joined by other NOPD cars, pursued the getaway car to the 1000 block of Chartres Street where they stopped the 1999 gray Infiniti G20, which was occupied by 2 black men, a black juvenile boy, and 3 black women. A gun described in each of the robberies was found in the glove compartment and various property taken in the robberies was found on the back seat.

Arrested were:

• John James, 20, whose last known address is 1736 Vintage Dr., Kenner. He was charged with 2 counts of armed robbery, 1 count of robbery with a firearm, and is also being held on a warrant from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. He was identified in all 3 robberies.

• Wilbert L. Johnson, 18, whose last know address is 444 Sopaparu St. He was charged with 1 counts of armed robbery and 1 count of robbery with a firearm. He was identified in the Dauphine/Kerelec robbery and the Dauphine/St. Philip robbery.

• 14-year-old black boy, whose last know address is 1839 Carondelet St. He was charged with armed robbery.

Also charged with armed robbery were 3 black women who shared the same address 1736 Vintage Dr. in Kenner as John James:

• Kiandra Lee, 23

• Tiandra Lee, 21

• Tiffany LeBlanc, 25
  

All 6 suspects were booked into Central Lockup this morning just after 7 a.m. They have not appeared before a magistrate yet for a bond hearing.

Give the men of the 8th District, and their commander, Lt. Selby, a hand for putting the screws to these crooks and getting them out of the neighborhood. The taskforce they're manning every night is showing results--either in fewer crimes or more arrests. Maybe even tell your city councilman you want funding for these efforts to continue.

More tomorrow on a rash of residential burglaries...but for now, the Saints aren't going to delay the kickoff for me.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.7.07

So far so good...

Hyped-up patrols are working: Since Lt. Eddie Selby sent his force of plainclothes cops into the Lower French Quarter and Marigny Triangle on the first of the month, that part of the 8th District has been nearly as quiet as it's ever been. After the patrols began in reaction to a wave of armed robberies at the end of July, no armed robberies have occurred and even car thefts and break-ins have been virtually non-existent in those neighborhoods. That's in marked contrast to 22 armed robberies in the 8th District from 6.29.07 to 7.31.07, with 15 of the total in the Lower Quarter and Triangle.

The shooting of a suspect by one of the force's plainclothesmen may have solved at least 2 of those robberies. The second night of the enhanced patrols last Thursday morning, Vincent Beverly, 18, a black man, tried to outdraw the cop by pulling a .40-caliber Glock from his waistband when he was corned by 2 officers at Chartres and Gov. Nicholls streets. The cop was quicker on the trigger and shot the suspect once in the side. He's still in the hospital and is expected to be paralyzed for life.

When Beverly's picture was shown in a photo lineup to victims in several recent robberies, the victims in 2 robberies were able to positively identify Beverly as the man who robbed them. The victim in a third robbery said he couldn't be sure it was Beverly. When the suspect is released from the hospital, he will be charged in the robbery of 2 white men 7.23.07 at 1417 Royal St. and the robbery of a man 7.28.07 in the 1200 block of Bourbon Street. A man who was robbed in the 900 block of Esplanade Avenue on 7.26.07 was not able to positively ID the suspect.

But elsewhere...: The only 2 robberies that have occurred since the crackdown have been outside the targeted area.

• Magazine and Gravier streets, Monday 8.6.07, 4 a.m.: A 25-year-old black female from Illinois was walking on Gravier when a black car pulled up and a black female armed with a handgun got out and demanded the victim's purse. The victim complied and the robber sped off with the purse containing $300. The robber was described as 25-27, 5'5" tall, weighing 130 pounds; there was no description of the vehicle.
  

• Iberville and Burgundy streets, Monday 8.6.07, 5 a.m.: A white man, 22, and a black man, 39, both from Baton Rouge, were walking in the 200 block of Burgundy toward Canal Street when they realized they were being followed by 3 black men. As they got to Iberville, 2 more black men approached them from the other direction. The 5 thugs attacked the 2 men and took their wallets. Ritz-Carlton employees observed the melee and ran to the aid of the victims and stopped the attack. The attackers, described as 20-25 of age, with one having dreadlocks, made off with the wallets and just over $300 in cash. The incident was caught on the hotel's video cameras, but was of poor quality. (You'd think the Ritz-Carlton, of all hotels, could afford better surveillance.)

Pursesnatchings continue: While pursesnatchings have subsided somewhat, you still have to be careful. On Sunday, 8.5.07, a white woman, 31, was walking in the 900 block of Toulouse Street about 3:30 p.m. when a black man on a red English racer-style bicycle rode up beside her and grabbed the purse from her shoulder. He fled across N. Rampart Street and turned on Basin Street. He was described as in his early 40s, 5'11" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with short hair and dark complexion, wearing dark pants and light colored T-shirt.

Kidnapping? You decide: Only a tourist would be foolish enough to follow two strangers into the Iberville Housing Project. But according to the Times-Picayune, a 38-year-old man from Maryland wandered off Bourbon Street about 8 a.m. Saturday 8.4.07 when 2 men approached him and asked him to follow them. Typically, the T-P didn't identify the victim or the perps by race, but it's hard to believe 3 white men would stupidly venture into the 1400 block of Bienville Street where there have been 3 or more shootings/killings in the past week. Once there, the tourist was held against his will, cut no less than 7 times and shot in the butt 3 times. He was too sedated in the hospital for cops to get more details. But the NOPD's 1st District, which wrote the report, is calling it a "simple kidnapping" to pin the crime in the 8th District. Can't blame the 1st for not wanting to take the heat for still another shooting in its jurisdiction, but why pin a dubious charge on the 8th?

Don't forget : As part of the annual Night Out Against Crime TONIGHT, 2 crimewatch groups in the French Quarter are staging parties:

• Lower Quarter Crime Watch: 6-9 p.m. at Cabrini Park at Dauphine and Barracks streets. Bring a potluck dish to share; drinks will be supplied by Margaritaville. There will be live music. Bring chairs and your neighbors.

• Upper Quarter Neighborhood Watch: 6:30-8:30 p.m. 900 block of Orleans Street, between Dauphine and Burgundy streets. It's potluck with free beer, wine and soft drinks, and live music by violin and accordion.

More importantly: With all the talk of the good video surveillance cameras could do in fighting crime in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle, the NONPAC meeting THIS Thursday (8.9.07) will feature a presentation by Det. Mike Carambat, from the NOPD's criminal intelligence bureau, about cameras for homes and businesses. He'll show demonstrations and dispense important information on installing your own video surveillance. With him will be Robert Stellingworth, president of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, who will explain the plans for a citywide database of video cameras.

A good number of residents have expressed interest in installing their own systems, but are unaware of how to go about it. This meeting should provide some valuable insights.

The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Omni Royal Orleans hotel, 621 St. Louis St.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler