Neighborhood Watch

The incidents below were reported in the Loudoun Connection - March 7-13th
issue (under CRIME).

Suspicious Event: Ridgeway Drive/Engleside Place Ashburn (not in Ashburn
Farm - in Broadlands off Claiborne Parkway)- March 3rd - 5:10 PM - A 9 year
old says he was walking in the area of the listed location when he was
approached by a man in a vehicle. The car was described as being dark in
color with four doors. The driver was described as a white male, in his
30s. After he was approached the child ran home and told his parents.

Burglary: Preston Court - March 3rd, 4:30 - 10:00 P.M. - two unknown
subjects entered an OPEN GARAGE of a residence. The suspects attempted to
remove beer but fled from the scene after being confroned by the homeowner.
The suspects dropped the beer out front of the residence. The incident is
being investigated by the Sheriff's department.

Neighborhood Watch

 

Received this email a few days ago:

I wanted to bring to your attention a string of auto intrusions that occurred last night on Thornhill Place and Arbor Glen Court . Whoever did this went car to car checking to find easy targets of opportunity. Those that were unlocked had various items taken including CDs, money, and cigarettes. The oddest things missing from a number of glove compartments were the owner’s manuals. Unfortunately, the one night we left our van out of the garage and unlocked we got hit. Our insurance cards and registration were stuffed in our manual creating a bit of a headache for us having to replace those items (and hoping not to get pulled over in the mean time).

A number of us called the sheriff. A deputy was in and out of here all morning it seems. He believed it was probably just some 12-14 year old teens goofing off on the first weekend of spring break and probably pulling April Fool’s jokes. He said these kinds of things happen between 10 and midnight, especially on non-school nights and increasingly over spring break and the summer. While our phone calls were logged he didn’t write up any of the incidents that I could tell and they didn’t investigate further.

He said they will step up their patrols in the area (for how long I don’t know). He also said that we should call them if we see anyone on our streets at any time of the day that we don’t feel comfortable about. Better to call them and have them check out the situation than find something missing later.

I asked about kids just roaming the streets at night (like I used to do when I was a kid) and whether that was something that should trigger some concern. He said that unlike when I was a kid there is an 11pm curfew for kids under 18 in the county. I was surprised to learn this and have since asked a few other parents in the neighborhood with a range of older aged kids. They had no idea there was a curfew either. We all wondered when this went into effect, how well publicized it was, and how often it is enforced.

Anyway, I wondered if there is anything you can do to warn people of the possibility of something going on of this nature, that there will be stepped up patrolling, and that since there is a curfew in place parents should know where their kids are. Maybe the newsletter or web site would be appropriate, but maybe there are other ideas you and your committee have at your disposal.

 

Several thousand dollars of vandalism was done to the SouthernWalk pool a few nights ago.

Over the next few months the HOA will be making a concerted effort to get a much more active Neighborhood Watch program up and running. It will be the focus for discussion at our Annula Meeting.

I haven't got the total yet, but vandalism damage to HOA property that we pay for with our dues is probably in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The kicker is that it's our own residents doing it.

 

Cliff,

just a few suggestions to get the word out:

you should have the Tech Committee put this info on the main webpage (with a link not as a headline), sent out via the Armstrong Management system (via their email notification function), and added to the next newsletter.

If I remember right, the HOA is 'self-insured' in these type of cases, right ?? So all this comes out of the HOA's reserve fund ... tens of thousands ... OUCH !!

So much for 'kids are just being kids' .... as some of the TV stations used to say (maybe still do) before the late news:

"Its 11 PM ... do you know where your kids are ??"

 

Neilz & Cliff - Because I don't know I thought I would ask. Since the HOA carries insurance and if a claim(s) are made...wouldnt it potentially increase the cost for the insurance? If so then this increase could (trickle down economics) could be filtered back to BL homeowners?

As Cliff pointed out, if the damage is caused by BL residents (kids), if and when they are caught will the HOA go after the kids and or parents of the kids for restitution?

I would be more than happy to become more involved with the BL Neighborhood Watch program. Our community is in need of this.

Last night I noticed on Claiborne (heading toward Stone Hollow) that 3 of the Sprinkler heads had been smashed to pieces - I can only imagine what it will cost to repair/replace those.

 

What damage did they do to the pool this time?

 

We do not file insurance claims on these types of issues. It is cheaper in the long run to pay for it. The money comes from our operating revenue and not Reserves.
Down spouts were ripped down, several lights smashed.

 

That's good to hear ... still, money that could have been used for other things.

As far as the sprinkler heads ... has VM turned that system over to the HOA yet ?? If not ... its their worry

 

I think all of our HOA pools/facilities should have good video surveillance cameras, and the area needs to be decently lit at night. These kids will think twice once they learn their friends got nailed by video. Parents will learn to know what their kids are doing after dark as well.

 

FWIW ... if I was still there on the HOA board, this is something I'd vote for. While you'd like to think that Broadlands is free of major crime (and it is), its the minor crimes such as vandalism and such that cause the most irritation, as well as repair dollars.

Of course, if the pool areas were kept lit, you'd have complaints about the light from the nearby residences. However, low-light or infrared cameras would work to identify the 'perps', then a vigorous prosecution would then be in order.

FWIW .. I would not allow a plea to 'pay for the damages' with no record either. Parents should not be 'bailing out' the kids, who need to learn about consequences of their actions.

 

"The kicker is that it's our own residents doing it."


Wait, how do you know this? Do you know with certainty who the vandals were? If not, how can you be sure this was someone from the neighborhood?

 

Talk to ANY law enforcement official. This subject isn't even debatable.

 

Actually it is debatable unless you know for sure exactly who did the vandalism. If you don't have names, you don't know for certain that it was residents of this community.

Other neighborhoods are having issues with kids outside of their developments causing trouble, and this certainly could be the case here.

Unless, of course, the police know who did it.

 

Odds are pretty high that it is residents of Broadlands causing the trouble. If not residents, then friends of residents.

The types of incidents are not something that teenagers (most likely) plan to do. They are probably spur of the moment, brain-fart, stoopid genes taking over when they are bored and hanging out.

 

Yes, agnesk. All Broadlands kids are angels. It's the kids in all of the evil neighborhoods around us that come here to do their vandalism.

 

Well, Cliff, considering you also have a teenage son, I guess you are including him as one of the non-angels?

Until you know for sure these were Broadlands kids, don't state that the vandals were residents. Because you don't know.

 

Agnesk,
Your correct, we don't know that it wasn't a Broadlands resident. The fact remains we don't know and unless someone comes forward, we will never know. The chances are, yes it was a Broadlands resident or child/children of a Broadlands resident. Statistics don't lie. The fact remains, that we now have to fix and repair a community resource. The cost to fix, and secure these assets (pool, playgrounds, and centers) will certainly be passed on to us, the residence. So unless you know for certain that it wasn't a Broadlands resident, your argument is futile, and our (collective) HOA fees now go to fix the issue.

 

Why do you seem to equate this with "all Broadlands teen-agers are bad?"
The vast majority are good kids. I'd like to think mine is one of them.
But if he was caught stealing or causing vandalism, had video and/or eye witness evidence to prove it, and is roaming around past midnight, I might think there is a problem. Unlike other parents who simply put on blinders, refuse to believe it, and do nothing about it. They'd rather ignore the problem and go on with their life inconvenienced rather than deal with issues with their children. This happens and I do know for a FACT on many occasions

As I said, talk to just about any law enforcement person about this type of activity. I have on many occasions. They will give you countless stories about this type of vandalism/activity and that it was done by kids in their own community. Sorry if the facts about this get in the way of your idealistic view of all teenagers in Broadlands.

 

And I'm sorry if your jaded view of teenagers in Broadlands gets in the way of the fact that most of these kids are great kids. I work in both the middle & high school. I know most of them.

I agree with the others that it COULD be, and probably is, Broadlands residents. Most likely they were kids that walked by and thought, "Heyyyyy....I wonder if I could hit that light from here with this rock?" Dumb, stupid idea, but that's the teenage mind sometimes. (and oh yeah, even "good" kids do dumb things)

But you stated that it was for SURE residents. I merely objected to your stating that with certainty since you don't have names. Defensive much?

 

hmmmm...I wonder if the kids' recently expelled for drugs from Eagle Ridge live in the "Broadlands" ?