LOCK IT OR LOSE IT CAMPAIGN
In the new Lock It or Lose It campaign, Police in Baldwin county are urging residents to help them prevent crime by better securing their homes and cars. Most thefts in the county could be prevented by simply locking the door they say.
RECENT MONTROSE BURGLARIES AN EXAMPLE
Police and neighbors say almost all of the recent thefts in the Montrose community could have been prevented if residents had been more responsible.
One Main St. resident, Kent Hendricks, who criticized police for poor investigation, was burglarized 5 times since last Fall. (A suspect was arrested last weekend)
Police say other measures such as motion lights, dogs, security alarms, pulling shades, etc. are effective measures to "get them to go to someone else's house."
Most thefts from cars (phones, computers, etc) could be prevented by simply locking car doors as well.
MORE POLICE COSTLY FOR CITIZENS
The Fairhope Police Department's current 4 officers on duty during each shift to patrol 88 sq. miles has been called inadequate, but hiring more could prove costly to the city/taxpayers.
Chief Press has said he plans to ask for 3 more patrolmen per shift in next year's budget year; and reducing the police jurisdiction may also be considered as an alternative. Police protection is the most costly service any city provides, Press said recently.
Community Watch programs can also be effective and efforts are now underway to launch one in Montrose.
The Police Department in Fairhope is primarily financed by taxes, utility bills, and other misc. fees/fines.
Community Watch programs can also be effective and efforts are now underway to launch one in Montrose.
The Police Department in Fairhope is primarily financed by taxes, utility bills, and other misc. fees/fines.
Comments
A direct quote from the article...now, with all the area the police are supposed to keep safe, how about Point Clear, including the Grand Hotel and Montrose either agree to anti up and annex into the City, pay their fair share to support the police and fire depts or hire their own security companies....Then again, there are huge amounts in campaign contributions to political coffers from those two areas, so it's something for nothing off the back of the "taxpayer" which is usually how the elite rich stay that way and how crony politicians are either elected to or remain in office, bought and paid for...
The fire department also serves residents within the police jurisdiction, outside the city limits (roughly from Montrose, down to Barnwell and east past HWY 181)
Those outside pay no property taxes to the city.
Let's say the city does both of these. What's to say that these people now out of our jurisdiction but paying utilities decide they no longer wish to be a customer of Fairhope Utilities? So water customers start putting in wells. How many would have to be done before the city is now searching to replace this lost revenue with higher fees and taxes on us?
And we know that the sherriff's department would then be overwhelmed with the new responsibility. How well would they patrol these areas? How long would it take to respond?
Why do the rich white folks jump ahead on investigation. Are we going to have to pay more tax for more police to save their fancy big tv and just so they dont have to lock their door at night? Its not right what they doing.