Rash Of Armed Robberies Target Individuals In Driveways, Parking Lots
Tuesday September 04, 2007 4:15 pm Reporter: Abby Ross Posted By: Kevin King
Tulsa - A frightening crime in Tulsa is only getting worse. Police say groups of criminals are robbing people at gunpoint, hitting parking lots and driveways all over the city. Officers worked eight cases just over the weekend.
Some of the target areas are 61st and Memorial and 33rd and Peoria. Police say they investigated thirty cases last month and they aren't stopping. We spoke to one man who became a victim over the weekend.
"We were about to enter the backyard here. I opened the gate and turned and saw a car parked here on the street."
The expression, 'home sweet home' went out the window for Cary Enterline. Now, it's more like 'home scary home' after a group of men pulled up in front of his house and robbed him at gunpoint.
"The gun was in my face and he said give me your wallet."
The thieves took his wallet and left. That night, Cary says he didn't sleep at all.
"I was mostly reflective at how fragile your life can be at the hands of someone else just in a heartbeat."
And, Cary's not the only one who faced a life or death situation this weekend. Police had a rash of calls -- all of them men or women getting held up in parking lots and driveways.
"I think we're seeing an influx of weapons in young people's hands," says Sergeant David Walker. "I mean these guys are predators, they're not thinking right, they get a gun, they become powerful."
Police say the thieves show up in a car. One or two hop out, stick a gun in someone's face and take the person's purse or wallet. Like most people, Cary never thought he'd be a victim, especially in his own driveway. Today, two days later, he's still shaken up, but also thankful he's alive.
"You think about how your life can change so quickly when you're walking home from dinner and having a normal evening."
Police arrested four suspects over the weekend, but say there are still more suspects out there. They say they are all black teenagers, between 5'6" to 5'8" and around 180 pounds. They were driving a white box car.
at least the suspects has been found. you should have someone to accompany you during long drives and if you know that you my cross new paths and unfamiliar roads.
the way you think.......it's just the way you are dodge replacement parts (//%22http://www.replacementdoparts.com/%22)
Indeed, be careful out there as many desperate outsiders are wild with stress....
BS like this is exactly what I have a concealed carry permit and carry at all times.
The red neck way?
Seems to be working. Not.
But I will agree that if the general population carried arms, there would be more dead stupid violent people out there.
$1500 seems to be the going rate to have someone killed, at least in BA.
Remember, I put the fun in dysfunctional....
I really think we should do the London thing and have cameras on the streets. At least in high crime areas or where lots of people go, like around Brookside, Cherry Street, major shopping areas, Entertainment districts, etc.
They have been used and shown to make great improvements all over this country as well. Even the best cameras are not that expensive and I bet the businesses in some areas would chip in to help pay for them.
Just saw a thing the other day about a neighborhood that had really bad firearm crimes. The local police installed cameras and sound detection sensors around the area. The sensors can pinpoint exactly where the shots come from and can even determine the type of gun. The police are immediately alerted. The cameras record anyone going in or out of the area and can even be made to automatically zoom in the direction of the firearm incedent.
The people in the neighborhood were talking about how incredible the difference was since the system was set up.
These things can be set up and made to work quite well for many types of circumstances. Just takes the descision to do it.
One question... Why is it that so many of these videos of convenience store robberies, banks, etc. The cameras are set looking down on the robber. They then show the image of the person looking down on top of their head or the face hidden because they are wearing a cap. I dont think I could recognize myself looking down on top of my head like that. Terrible placement and unfortunate for those trying to find these criminals and get help finding them.
I can understand the need for them being up high in the rest of the store or place. But behind the counter there should be some just above eye level on the wall. I have seen some that do this so I know its possible. And usually you can very easily see the criminals face.
There should be some guidelines or rules about proper placement of the cameras.
You can't put cameras everywhere.
I recommend a Walther PPK with a RZM stamp.
Hammerless S&W in 44 Mag.....I can shoot it through my coat pocket or car door....
I keep less than $10 in fuel in all our trucks and vehicles, leave the doors unlocked, unplug the coil wire and remove the main fuse at night and flatten a tire on the ones that are not driven daily.
Thus far it has seemed to work as a truck parked near ours had the drivers window broken out with brick and the steering column heavily damaged last week.
The Flat left front tire seems to keep them away more than anything. LOL
NO to cameras, I refuse to trade my personal freedom and privacy for the illusion of security. Clearly these people are not concerned about being seen, as they assail people to their face. Camera's being installed in cities are for revenue generation first and may catch a few criminal second. They have never been shown to have a reduction in the crime rate.
I was going to respond to AOX comments... but I think I'll just not.
People need to carry arms for self protection. many of the young kids are on some sort of drug anyhoo. They don't really care.
"They were driving a white box car."
Seems like they would be easy to find. You don't see many box cars around Brookside.
Don't you need a locomotive to move a box car?
Glock 26 FTW.
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
"They were driving a white box car."
Seems like they would be easy to find. You don't see many box cars around Brookside.
Don't you need a locomotive to move a box car?
You beat me to the punch on this.
quote:
Originally posted by TheArtist
I really think we should do the London thing and have cameras on the streets.
At best, cameras provide documentation, but not deterrence. In the case of some criminals, it just completes their bragging rights.
Be careful what you wish for.
"WASHINGTON -- Many D.C. police said they had hoped that installing dozens of new surveillance cameras across the city would assist them in cracking down on crime, but the system does not appear to be working as planned." http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/cams_dc_police_cameras_no_help_fight_crime.htm
"The promising technical fix to a stubborn, age-old problem is what city governments find so alluring about crime cameras. But it's an illusion.
Catching criminals on camera has done little to stop violence in Baltimore, Chicago, New York and San Francisco in recent years and come at substantial cost to civil liberties. Now, in Washington, with 48 cameras installed in high-crime neighborhoods as part of the response to this summer's crime-emergency, we are about to have our first taste of their failure." http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20061005-095252-1901r.htm
Melbourne is dumping it's expensive system as ineffective:
"Melbourne City Council last night voted to dump its network of 23 security cameras after councilors argued the cameras had failed miserably to prevent crime.
Greens councilor David Risstrom led the charge against the cameras and said the half a million dollars they cost each year would be better spent on police presence. "This system is costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, yet all of the research shows that the cameras don't make people safe in the city, nor do they deter crime," he said." http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2004/04/13/1081838728290.html
And in London, it has fallen into abuse:
"Thousands of cameras installed originally to counter terrorism or robbery could end up trapping more motorists than criminals. Indeed, the use of CCTV cameras for traffic enforcement has been so successful it is likely to be taken up nationally."
"Councils are naturally delighted about the prospects for revenue raising; private contractors such as NCP will set up the cameras while the councils watch the money roll in." http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22750-2079711,00.html
14 February 2007, London, England: "Perveillance of CCTV Operator," by Andrew Parker, The Sun.
A police CCTV operator has been carpeted -- after security camera footage showed close-ups of the boobs and backside of a woman in the street. Shocked detectives found a 20-minute sequence of saucy footage while checking the film during a probe into an assault. The screen was filled by shots of a scantily clad woman's breasts, bum and legs as she was "followed" by cameras in Worcester.
Officer Tony Muff, 62, was suspended from his job heading a police station team manning surveillance cameras -- supposedly looking for crime and anti-social behavior. But he escaped with a warning and has returned to work -- to the anger of others at the Castle Street nick.
A source said: "It's a joke and has been terrible for morale. It all came to light after the police had a report of a sexual assault and naturally wanted to check the CCTV cameras. The woman obviously had no idea she was being spied on. Everything was hushed up but then Muff was suspended -- and let off with a final warning."
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Images from a traffic camera that was used instead to monitor passersby near the University of Alabama led to the arrests of three people allegedly misbehaving on the street, police said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, officials said they were still investigating who had diverted the focus of the camera from traffic -- where it normally is used to monitor vehicles -- to pedestrians, particularly young women. The remote-control camera, located at an intersection near a row of nightclubs, usually shows traffic. But officials said someone in a state trooper office diverted the camera to focus on pedestrians in the pre-dawn hours last Friday. Footage broadcast citywide on a cable TV channel showed several people, and the camera zoomed in on the breasts and buttocks of several young women walking past.
A 22-year-old woman was charged with public lewdness about 4:10 a.m. after baring her breasts in front of the [obviously visible] camera, said Capt. David Hartin, and a 25-year-old man was charged with disorderly conduct moments later after allegedly grabbing his crotch as cars went by. A 28-year-old man was accused of public intoxication and resisting arrest after dancing in the street along a row of bars called "the strip," said Hartin. Hartin said the three were arrested after an officer on dinner break saw images from the camera on TV and notified headquarters, which sent officers to the area.
Chris Ellis, a spokesman for the state trooper office in Tuscaloosa, said the camera was being used for surveillance after a report that a man had exposed himself. "Our officer was absolutely not inappropriately following young women," Ellis said. "The trooper was using the camera to monitor traffic and some type of criminal activity." Ellis, who refused to identify the trooper, said no disciplinary action was planned.
The city has disabled troopers' ability to control the cameras, he said. Bryan Fair, a professor of constitutional law at Alabama, said the incident appeared to have more to do with the misuse of government property than civil liberties. "Clearly, that camera wasn't designed to zero in on young coeds," he said. "If it is for traffic purposes, then it should be used as such and not for the self-gratification of a trooper."
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
"They were driving a white box car."
Seems like they would be easy to find. You don't see many box cars around Brookside.
Don't you need a locomotive to move a box car?
It could be a stolen car. I'd guess a "box car" would be something like a Lincoln, or Cadillac or older Buick or Oldsmobile white in color. This robbery style is likely to spread all over the city, it's fast & easy and the haul can be big.
Maybe they meant the Scion Xb as the "boxcar".
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6886/scionxb5doorwagon2004exwf4.jpg)
quote:
Originally posted by Rowdy
Maybe they meant the Scion Xb as the "boxcar".
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6886/scionxb5doorwagon2004exwf4.jpg)
Yer guess is as good as mine. I haven't a clue. I just read what was posted.
I wasnt even thinking about having people sitting around looking at camera screens. I was thinking about them being more for looking at later on when a crime had been committed in an area to help the police catch the crooks. Like what they are used for in Banks and Convenience stores. They dont seem to deter crimes in those places either but they can be quite handy in tracking down the crooks when you have a face pic of them. Same with the cameras on the streets they can help, as they did in London with tracking down the terrorists, who else they were with, their movements etc. If an assault happens or a rash of break ins you can then go over the tapes during the times and places and perhaps find the vehicles and tags to better catch the crooks.
I have thought of placing a camera on my house and having it so that it can see and record every liscense plate that drives by. Not just for myself but for the neigbors as well. I am not about to sit and watch the danged thing and it will automatically erase after a day or so, But if something happens on my street I can then go back and look at the footage and perhaps see what car was going by at that time and be able to help the police track down the people. Often these crooks do a lot of burglaries, car break-ins etc. sometimes even in the same night. Catching just one of them takes a lot of crime off the streets.
If your car or house was broken into would you complain if I had an image of the possible vehicle and its liscense plate? If the people that had been assaulted in the "driveway robbery" knew there was a camera on a building or street nearby that may have caught the persons vehicle, do you think they may hope the police look at it and perhaps find an image on it that helps them catch the crooks? Wouldn't you?
Heck I have seen where ATMs or a camera on a business across the street have caught some information that has later helped the police catch people.
Casinos use cameras all the time. It may not stop the criminals from trying, or even catch them all. But it sure helps catch a lot of them in the act. Many stores have cameras in their parking lots and that info can later help the victims.
There have been lessons learned in what type of cameras work and in what type of areas, and where and when they dont work. Again, I dont think they will prevent crimes but they can help catch the criminals afterward.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2755037&page=1
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2007-08-17-no-more-shootings_N.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3360287
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3332429
quote:
Originally posted by AMP
I keep less than $10 in fuel in all our trucks and vehicles, leave the doors unlocked, unplug the coil wire and remove the main fuse at night and flatten a tire by unscrewing the shrader valve on the ones that are not driven daily. Easy to add air prior to driving it again.
Thus far it has seemed to work as a truck parked near ours had the drivers window broken out with brick and the steering column heavily damaged last week.
The Flat left front tire seems to keep them away more than anything. LOL
Yes, It does seem the robbery rate is thru the roof in Tulsa. I dunno what can be done with it. They need to crack down on that stuff instead of seatbelt high crimes. thanx.
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=135757
quote:
Robbery Outside A Home Turns Fatal
KOTV - 9/11/2007 3:31 PM - Updated 9/12/2007 6:32 AM
Tulsa Police need your help to find a man accused of gunning down another man in the backyard of the victim's family home. It happened near 7th and Zurich at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. Tulsa Police do have several witnesses in this case and they have now named 27-year-old Martinez Williams as a person of interest.
Tulsa Police investigators are trying to find the man who killed 27-year-old Steffan Schlemme in his family's backyard.
Police officers say the victim and his father were fixing a weed-eater, when they were approached by a man who initially asked for gasoline. When they didn't have any, investigators say the suspect asked for money. The victim's father says his son refused and that's when the suspect pulled out a gun.
"I would have easily have given him $20,000 or anything I had. But it's not the way it worked out. And this guy was obviously here to rob us, otherwise he wouldn't have had a gun on him," says David Shlemme.
Click here to watch David Shlemme's interview with the News On 6.
Steffan Shlemme died at a Tulsa hospital.
Tulsa Police did recover a necklace from the scene; they are hoping someone will recognize it. Police also believe the suspect was driving a silver or gray four-door car, possibly a Chevy Corsica.
Again, Tulsa Police want to talk to Martinez Williams. If you have any information on where Williams is or can help with this case, police ask that you call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS. As always you can remain anonymous.
Tulsa Police believe the same man who killed Shlemme might be behind two other robberies earlier in the day on Tuesday.
It's a shame that you can't even do yardwork without having to worry about being robbed or shot.
quote:
Originally posted by sauerkraut
Yes, It does seem the robbery rate is thru the roof in Tulsa. I dunno what can be done with it. They need to crack down on that stuff instead of seatbelt high crimes. thanx.
We are going to develop the river....That will help.....[8)]
that's white city, right?
wth?
This bulls**t will continue if we do not stop the revolving door of justice. We need to make examples of these hoods for others to witness. Bring back the chain gangs, it is free labor. Make the punishment fit the crime.
Yes, that's White City. I was a block away from there when that happened. We have two rental homes in that area. We've had a number of things stolen over the past couple years and it wasn't always like that. People are just crazy.
Very sad. I really feel for his family.
quote:
Originally posted by breitee
This bulls**t will continue if we do not stop the revolving door of justice. We need to make examples of these hoods for others to witness. Bring back the chain gangs, it is free labor. Make the punishment fit the crime.
Indeed, stealing and breaking into a homes -if you get caught- does not offer much of a punishment. I think someone who steals should go to a labor camp and stay there till they pay back everything they stole plus intrest and only then can they be let out on parole...The faster they pay off the the victim the sooner they can get out of the labor camp. I'd favor something like that.
This is exactly what is wrong with the system!
Former Condemned Killer Up For Parole
AP - 9/13/2007 8:38 AM - Updated 9/13/2007 8:42 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A convicted killer who was originally sent to death row is up for parole this week. Alfred Brooks was convicted and sentenced to die for the kidnapping and killing of Judy Webb and wounding of Karen Trantham in 1974. The two women were taken from an Oklahoma City night club to a remote area and shot.
Brooks' death penalty was commuted to life in prison by an appeals court.
Police in Norman have said the gun used to kill Webb has been linked to three unsolved homicides in Del City and Norman but they don't have enough evidence for charges.
That just really frosts me. Going from death row to back on the streets. What about the wishs of the jury? Another thing that frosts me is when the USSC overturned the cap, punishment in the 1970's everyone on death row got "life" then latter when the USSC reversed it self how come the ones who had cap. punishment before didn't go back on death row, they stayed with life in prison... Some people claim cap. punishment is the "easy way out" and life in prison is more of a punishment, but it's funny how everyone on death row fights to get life in prison and not very many lifers fight to get cap. punishment and take the easy way out.[xx(]
Well, at one point, our mayor promised to deal with our crime problems.
At one point (//%22http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=060317_Ne_A10_Taylo20386%22), Taylor said crime was the most important issue facing the city and that "if we don't tackle the issue, we're not going to retain and grow jobs; we're not going to be able to improve public education; and we're not going to get people to come to this city."
Well, here's where the rubber meets the road, huh. Taylor can't prevent all crime, but her campaign was so disingenuous on this issue.
I am not allowed to shop in Tulsa alone or go there alone after dark.
I shop in Jenks or Bixby. it is just not safe to go to Tulsa anymore.
They want to build up the river so Tulsa will have another nice place people will be afraid to visit.
Think about it: people have to be careful when they jog or ride bike, careful to not be alone.... Now we are going to build the criminals a really nice place to terrorize and it will be a lot closer to home.
AND - they will have a really nice pedestrian bridge to outrun the fat police on.[B)]