WEST GARLAND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION 7/28/09 MINUTES

The meeting was called to order at 7:05PM by Secretary Bobby Woods acting for the absent president. There were no corrections or additions of the previous minutes and they were approved. As the treasurer was not present, the financial report was omitted. The Secretary moved on to current business and suggested an address for Yard of the Month at 3909 Tynes. There were no nominations for the other side of Walnut Street. Pictures will be put on the web site as soon as available for both areas.

Ms. Wood passed around the picture of a felon who had been caught by the police in the process of burglarizing a home. She stated that the man had been sent to jail in Dallas County and after 11 days was released by the judge. She wanted everyone to know his face and that he circulated through areas by bike. Several comments were made about the fact he was out and back in action so quickly.

Webmaster Ken Agee noted that the next meeting was October 27 and he would update the web site prior to that time. It was noted this meeting was very well attended due to the telephone reminders made prior to the meeting.

There were two groups of speakers that were introduced as part of the program. The representatives of Door Devil presented their product, a pre-hung metal door frame that secures home doors from being kicked in and can be used to create safe rooms in homes as well. They raffled off a free frame which was won by Ken Agee. They also noted that power tools were required for installation well.

The second group of speakers was 3 members of the Garland Police Department: Officer Franey, Officer Mallison, and Officer Thompson. They covered the problem of the rise of burglaries in the area with advice for homeowners. Many entries were gained through doggy doors or just by kicking in the doors. Most were done in the daylight hours and done very quickly. Wide screen TVs and GPS systems in cars were particularly popular items to steal. Caution was urged when someone unknown rings your door bell, a favorite way to find out if someone is home or not . Leaving the radio or TV on loudly sometimes may deter robbery, or just simply don’t answer the door if you feel uncomfortable with the person on the door step.

They suggested marking personal items with your driver’s license engraved on them. They asked that suspicious behavior be reported when observed and that homeowners keep their blinds and garage doors closed. Lock boxes were available for elderly or ill occupants who might need to have access to their homes in an emergency situation. These could be had for free after signing permission slips from the city.

Finally, they noted that car jackings were up in apartment areas and that they expected burglaries to increase the closer the time for school to start. They offered a name of a trusted handyman for installation of Door Devils or any other security devices you might want installed. They offered the number for reaching the neighborhood patrol (972-495-4896) and again repeated that involvement was the key to cutting crime.

Question was asked as to what was going to happen to the old fire station. There had been talk of it being made into a police substation. Attending Council Woman Chick noted that was not to be and that the sale of the land was pending and two new homes would be built there instead. She further thanked all 3 officers for their time in coming to the meeting.

A final question was asked as to when the planning for the Neighborhood Night Out would be done and it was suggested that the next meeting would have to take that up on October 27.

The meeting adjourned at 8:21 PM.