December 2009 Safety Committee Report

A Night of Vehicle Burglaries and Suspicious Activity
At least three Finesilver Ranch families were victims of vehicle break-ins overnight 27 – 28 December. Apparently the four vehicles involved were unlocked allowing the burglars to enter and rummage for valuables. Anecdotal reports indicate nothing was taken. There are no official police reports of these incidents.

The same night, at about 1:00 am, Blue Armor Security observed four suspicious males on foot near the park.  They later entered a green Honda and drove away to avoid the patrolman.  The officer followed the Honda out the gate and obtained a license plate number.

Unfortunately, police have nothing to investigate since none of the burglary victims filed a report. The neighborhood Cellular on Patrol and Blue Armor Security were informed of the activity.

Incidentally, the Safety Committee learned of another two vehicle burglaries on Sweetwod and Briarwood occurring the night of 4 – 5 January. In these cases windows were broken and personal property of marginal value was taken.  At least one of the victims filed a police report.

Man Possibly Poses as Peace Officer
Other suspicious activity included reports of an unfamiliar security vehicle patrolling FSR streets on 8 December. This coincided with a complaint of a uniformed man who, while possibly posing as a police officer, confronted teenagers at the park. A witness observed a dark blue sedan with a red stripe parked at the community center at the time.

It is not conclusively known whether the man was a legitimate officer or not. However, the incidents may be related to the arrest elsewhere in San Antonio of a former security company employee accused of harassment and other police impersonation incidents.

Blue Armor is the contracted security service for Finesilver Ranch. Their vehicles are white with blue lettering and red stripes.  Officers wear a dark blue or black uniform. If you observe any other security company in Finsesilver Ranch, call Association Management Services, 829-7202.

Cellular on Patrol
Members of Finesilver Ranch’s COP met 8 December to plan 2010 activities. There are currently about 20 active members who watch for suspicious activity and promote crime prevention on a daily basis.  They also performed weekly scheduled patrols last year.  Late night patrols are scheduled for the coming year as well.

If interested in joining COP, see the flyer recently distributed door-to-door.

Blue Armor Patrol Summary
Security officers emphasized early morning coverage in an effort to deter vehicle burglaries.  In one case, 31 December at about 1:40 am, an officer observed a pick-up truck racing to the gate in an effort to tailgate another through the entrance.  Noticing the patrolman, the truck driver backed down the entry and departed west.  The Blue Armor officer copied the license plate and followed the vehicle to Loop 1604.  

On 22 December, while patrolling the park on foot at about 1:00 am, an officer observed three males and one female run from the woods adjacent to the pool into a white Nissan parked at the community center.  The officer caught up to the vehicle as it exited FSR; a license plate number was obtained.

Also, Blue Armor received the report of the 8 December possible impersonation case, and on the 26th, directed three solicitors off the property.  

SAPD Responses
Police responded to 15 service calls in Finesilver Ranch during December, compared to 11 during December last year. The monthly average for 2008 was 14 calls.

• A home on Edgecreek was reportedly burglarized. No further information is available as of this post.
• A minor accident was reported around 1:00 am, 5 December on Sweetwood.  It is not clear whether the crash actually occurred in Finesilver Ranch.
• A suspicious vehicle was reported Saturday, 12 December on Andover Creek at about 4:30 pm.
• There were two theft reports.  At least one of these occurred at a location away from FSR.

Police also made two burglar alarms, responded to three disturbances, and took five "miscellaneous" reports.

There were two police responses to the Greenbriar neighborhood near Nichols ES, both of them burglar alarms.

Greenbriar, with about 1/4 the number of homes as Finesilver Ranch, is the closest gated community and presumably has similar demographics for crime reporting comparison.

Sex Offender Watch
No registered sex offenders reside in Finesilver Ranch as of this post.

SAFD Responses
San Antonio Fire and EMS responded to a record five emergency calls in Finesilver Ranch during December. There were two medical calls and two automatic residential alarms. Firefighters also ventillated a kitchen due to a "brisket flame up," according to an incident report.

Follow FSRsafety on Twitter
Join Twitter and follow FSRsafety to receive time sensitive announcements of neighborhood safety and crime prevention concerns online and via text message.

During December, FSRsafety issued 22 "tweets" on public safety interests occurring in and immediately surrounding Finesilver Ranch.

Subscribe to the FSR Safety Committee Blog and follow on Twitter for updates throughout the month.  Contact the committee via email:  FSRsafety@yahoogroups.com.  Call Association Management Services (829-7202) for more contact information.