Councilman Lane Carter Presents New Neighborhood Watch Program

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – Yesterday evening, City Councilman Lane Carter held a Town Hall meeting at the MHMR Services for the Concho Valley, located on W. Beauregard, to further discuss the issue of neighborhood security.

In the past months, Santa Rita residents have been experiencing an influx of home invasions and car burglaries. Carter held a previous town hall meeting on this issue towards the end of November of last year. Yesterday, Carter came back to begin the organization of a Neighborhood Watch Program.

An estimated 50 people attended last night's meeting, and several residents were not shy about voicing their concerns over recent events.  

One concerned citizen, whose car was broken into this past Sunday and whose street had several home invasions, expressed concern over how the police department handles the criminals who commit these crimes, and questioned “at what point in time does SAPD have enough to build a case to put these people away for a good amount of time?”

Police Chief Frank Carter, who was in attendance, said the investigations into these crimes is “a complex situation,” but the bigger problem, Chief Carter expressed, is the issue of jail overcrowding. He affirmed that, in the last four months, the SAPD had arrested 1,303 people. Furthermore, the legislation on burglaries has changed in the last decade, changing the charge of a burglary from a first degree felony to a misdemeanor charge. 

Chief Carter further added, “The majority of the vehicles that have been broken into are left unlocked.”

For those who say their cars were locked before a burglary occurred, Chief Carter warned that burglars use their cell phones “to see what you have in open view” to decide if they want to break into a car.  

Councilman Carter urges everyone, not just those living in his district, to “get to know your neighbors” and let them know that everyone is “looking out for each other.” Together with the President of the Home Owners Association of Santa Rita, Carter plans to begin a Neighborhood Watch Project. Though this project is still in the making, Carter said he is looking for volunteers living in the Santa Rita area interested in being in charge of  reporting to the Santa Rita Home Owners Association, as well as notifying everyone on their block should there be any kind of suspicious person(s) or activity.

For any San Angelo resident concerned about the rise of home invasions, the SAPD does offer free residential security and threat assessments. Crime Prevention specialist Sergeant Tim Coffman, who was also in attendance last night, explained that he and his team can inspect homeowners' “exterior landscaping, exterior lights, doors, windows, garage, shed, and interior of a home” to conclude if there are any potential factors that would make a house more prone to burglaries; suggestions to help make the residence safer would also be provided if necessary. This service is also available for businesses.

The Town Hall meeting wrapped up with Chief Carter underscoring that the easiest way to prevent break-ins of any kind can be done so by locking car and house doors, as well as taking out all valuables from vehicles.

For more information about the new Neighborhood Watch Project, please contact Lane Carter at 325-213-1987, or at [email protected]. For more information or to schedule an appointment with Sgt. Coffman, please contact him at the SAPD’s Community Services Division, 325-657-4331.