Post by crudo on Oct 31, 2005 14:31:31 GMT -5
What's a city to do?
Frustrated by a lack of police response. neighbors roll up their sleeves for a fight
By CHRIS TOGNERI
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: October 31, 2005, 09:01:54 AM PST
When you lose faith in the police's ability to crack down on car thieves and vandals, what do you do?
Some take the law into their own hands.
Several people in a west Modesto neighborhood say thieves and vandals are targeting them, shattering not only their car windows but their peace of mind.
They have called police and requested extra patrols, they said, but nothing changes.
"We're Number One in the nation (in per capita car theft), but the cops won't do anything for us," said Erika Borges, who lives on October Way, south of the Modesto Junior College West Campus. "You start to wonder why we're paying taxes."
Feeling abandoned, some neighbors are fighting back. Many homeowners have set up video surveillance cameras to monitor their property 24 hours a day. Neighbors communicate with each other via walkie-talkies, reporting any suspicious activity. Several people walk the streets late into the night, using flashlights to check dark corners and alleyways.
Others are resorting to more extreme measures.
Nelson Borges, for example, said he sometimes sleeps on his living room couch next to the front door — with a loaded handgun and a shotgun.
"I'm just waiting for someone to come through the door," he said. "I'll lay them out."
When told of the neighborhood's complaints, police officials said the area is not being hit by thieves and vandals any harder than other areas in Modesto.
These neighbors don't buy that. On a recent Sunday afternoon, a dozen locals gathered in the Borges' driveway, recounting a crime spree they said began in the spring and continues today.
Several cars have been stolen or broken into. Others have been shot up with paint balls or splattered with eggs.
Siphoning gas and throwing rocks
George Russell said thieves siphoned gas from his sport utility vehicle and van. Tony Poli said he was sitting in his car one night when someone heaved a rock through the windshield, narrowly missing him.
Borges, a father of 9-month-old triplet boys and former U.S. Marine, said his pickup was stolen from his driveway in late March. Police recovered it, but someone tried to steal it again in August. The would-be thieves smashed the rear window, but didn't get the truck because a neighbor armed with a baseball bat chased them off.
Borges has recorded strangers walking up to his front door late at night, apparently casing the house. One person snubbed out a cigarette on a wall by his front door, he said.
In Poli's case, when the rock came through his windshield, he became obsessed with catching the culprits.
So, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, Poli began stalking his front yard late at night, waiting for them to come back.
"I was thinking, 'You stop in front of my house, I'll shoot your tires out — or worse,'" Poli said. "When I went outside with my shotgun, it was fully loaded. I had shells in my pockets; I didn't care. It got that bad."
For their part, police said they encourage community activism in the form of neighborhood watches. But they do not endorse vigilantism.
"People get frustrated, but … are they ready to kill someone over that?" Chief Roy Wasden said. "That's a sobering thought. It's pretty final to kill someone."
It's also illegal. If Poli were to kill someone on his own property, he would have to prove that his life was in danger, that he acted in self-defense. Otherwise, hecould be charged with manslaughter, or worse, officer Rick Applegate said.
No choice but to fight back
Neighbors counter that they are left with no choice but to do the job themselves.
"The police said our case wasn't important enough," said Lynn Poli, Tony Poli's wife.
"They won't take fingerprints," Erika Borges said. "All they do is take a report, but how is that going to help us?"
Said Anne Schultze, who also lives on October Way: "Two cars were abandoned in front of my house, and it took them three days to pick them up. Two weeks ago, someone tried to break into my house, and I caught it on video. The police took a report over the phone, but no one ever even came out."
The last time someone tried to steal the Borges' truck, the couple captured it on their video surveillance camera. Erika Borges said she offered the tape to police, "but they didn't bother to look at it."
Although denying the tape was ever offered, Applegate said he understands the neighbors' frustrations.
"If something happens to me, it's important to me," he said. "I've been violated and I want someone at my house now."
He added, however, that the Police Department is understaffed, so "when we get a call for a stolen car, we're probably not going to drop everything and respond right away. We can't."
Tony Poli's response? If the police won't do it, he will.
"I'm kind of taking this vigilante stuff to heart — it feels good," he said. "If I'm doing wrong, oh, well. I want to take my neighborhood back. I paid good money for this house. Why should I move? Why should I give up everything I own?"
Bee staff writer Chris Togneri can be reached at 578-2324 or ctogneri@modbee.com.
Frustrated by a lack of police response. neighbors roll up their sleeves for a fight
By CHRIS TOGNERI
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: October 31, 2005, 09:01:54 AM PST
When you lose faith in the police's ability to crack down on car thieves and vandals, what do you do?
Some take the law into their own hands.
Several people in a west Modesto neighborhood say thieves and vandals are targeting them, shattering not only their car windows but their peace of mind.
They have called police and requested extra patrols, they said, but nothing changes.
"We're Number One in the nation (in per capita car theft), but the cops won't do anything for us," said Erika Borges, who lives on October Way, south of the Modesto Junior College West Campus. "You start to wonder why we're paying taxes."
Feeling abandoned, some neighbors are fighting back. Many homeowners have set up video surveillance cameras to monitor their property 24 hours a day. Neighbors communicate with each other via walkie-talkies, reporting any suspicious activity. Several people walk the streets late into the night, using flashlights to check dark corners and alleyways.
Others are resorting to more extreme measures.
Nelson Borges, for example, said he sometimes sleeps on his living room couch next to the front door — with a loaded handgun and a shotgun.
"I'm just waiting for someone to come through the door," he said. "I'll lay them out."
When told of the neighborhood's complaints, police officials said the area is not being hit by thieves and vandals any harder than other areas in Modesto.
These neighbors don't buy that. On a recent Sunday afternoon, a dozen locals gathered in the Borges' driveway, recounting a crime spree they said began in the spring and continues today.
Several cars have been stolen or broken into. Others have been shot up with paint balls or splattered with eggs.
Siphoning gas and throwing rocks
George Russell said thieves siphoned gas from his sport utility vehicle and van. Tony Poli said he was sitting in his car one night when someone heaved a rock through the windshield, narrowly missing him.
Borges, a father of 9-month-old triplet boys and former U.S. Marine, said his pickup was stolen from his driveway in late March. Police recovered it, but someone tried to steal it again in August. The would-be thieves smashed the rear window, but didn't get the truck because a neighbor armed with a baseball bat chased them off.
Borges has recorded strangers walking up to his front door late at night, apparently casing the house. One person snubbed out a cigarette on a wall by his front door, he said.
In Poli's case, when the rock came through his windshield, he became obsessed with catching the culprits.
So, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, Poli began stalking his front yard late at night, waiting for them to come back.
"I was thinking, 'You stop in front of my house, I'll shoot your tires out — or worse,'" Poli said. "When I went outside with my shotgun, it was fully loaded. I had shells in my pockets; I didn't care. It got that bad."
For their part, police said they encourage community activism in the form of neighborhood watches. But they do not endorse vigilantism.
"People get frustrated, but … are they ready to kill someone over that?" Chief Roy Wasden said. "That's a sobering thought. It's pretty final to kill someone."
It's also illegal. If Poli were to kill someone on his own property, he would have to prove that his life was in danger, that he acted in self-defense. Otherwise, hecould be charged with manslaughter, or worse, officer Rick Applegate said.
No choice but to fight back
Neighbors counter that they are left with no choice but to do the job themselves.
"The police said our case wasn't important enough," said Lynn Poli, Tony Poli's wife.
"They won't take fingerprints," Erika Borges said. "All they do is take a report, but how is that going to help us?"
Said Anne Schultze, who also lives on October Way: "Two cars were abandoned in front of my house, and it took them three days to pick them up. Two weeks ago, someone tried to break into my house, and I caught it on video. The police took a report over the phone, but no one ever even came out."
The last time someone tried to steal the Borges' truck, the couple captured it on their video surveillance camera. Erika Borges said she offered the tape to police, "but they didn't bother to look at it."
Although denying the tape was ever offered, Applegate said he understands the neighbors' frustrations.
"If something happens to me, it's important to me," he said. "I've been violated and I want someone at my house now."
He added, however, that the Police Department is understaffed, so "when we get a call for a stolen car, we're probably not going to drop everything and respond right away. We can't."
Tony Poli's response? If the police won't do it, he will.
"I'm kind of taking this vigilante stuff to heart — it feels good," he said. "If I'm doing wrong, oh, well. I want to take my neighborhood back. I paid good money for this house. Why should I move? Why should I give up everything I own?"
Bee staff writer Chris Togneri can be reached at 578-2324 or ctogneri@modbee.com.