Know your nPo

neighbo R hood P olice office R

Each month, the Advocate will profile a neighborhood policeb officer from the bNorth Central Division to bhelp residents get bto know the cops who cover their block.

T hey gR abbed T he T vs and T hen T he ca R.

Ralph Hamm and his wife enjoy playing golf together. they enjoy the competition and time outdoors at some of the nice golf courses in the area.

unfortunately, a thief recently grabbed some of the Hamms’ clubs as part of their loot — and took their car, too.

“I walked in and saw that some guys had broken in,” Hamm says. “they didn’t tear

The victim: Ralph hamm

The crime: burglary date: Wednesday, June 8 location: 5700 blcok of Watson anything up, but they headed straight for the tVs. they also took the car.” the burglar broke a rear patio door to enter the house while the Hamms had been out of town. Hamm says it was quite a shock to come home to a burglary. the burglar took in quite a haul, including computer equipment, three big-screen name: Mark Lutz years on the force: 20

Time: between June 8 (8:30 a.m.) and June 12 (8 p.m.)

“It’s very disruptive, disturbing and intrusive,” he says.

My neighborhood: My primary sector is the 650s, which contain four beats south of Forest Lane, west to Inwood Road, east to Central Expressway and north of Northwest Highway. The area includes small businesses as well as the robust NorthPark Center. Crime is statistically and consistently lower than many other areas of Dallas due to the strong partnership between the citizens and police.

Q: home burglaries have jumped 7 percent this year. What’s the criminals’ most common point of entry? a: Rear doors and windows. and in many cases, these are left unlocked.

Con Ta CT T he nor Th Cen T ral p oli Ce sTaTion aT 214.670.7253.

$30,000

07.02 televisions, crystal decanters, jewelry, a toaster, leather jacket, several bottles of liquor and two sets of golf clubs, including a backup set of Hamm’s and his wife’s set. Luckily, Hamm says his best set of clubs wasn’t taken and that the burglar left behind other valuables, so it could have been worse. the burglar also made off with the family’s 2008 Infiniti. the Hamms have lived in their home since 1998, and this is their first brush with crime. One positive was that the car was recovered the next day without any damage. the total property lost was valued at more than $13,000.

Dallas Police Lt. Richard Dwyer of the North Central Patrol Division advises residents to always notify their neighbors when they leave town, and also hold newspaper and mail delivery so as not to tip off thieves. In this case, things turned out well with police catching a suspect.

“North Central patrol officers spotted the car at a motel off Central Expressway and LBJ,” Dwyer says. “they arrested the subject and recovered some of the stolen property.” —SEAN

CHAFFIN

vALuE o F THE 2005 bLAC k Hu MMER ST o LEN FR oM A P ubLIC PAR k IN g LoT IN THE 8500 bLoCk o F E DgEMERE w HILE THE ow NER wAS AT wo Rk

Nu MbER o F o FFENSES THAT o CC u RRED AT No RTH PAR k C ENTER IN o NE w EEk, INCLu DIN g 17 THEFTS o R ATTEMPTED THEFTS

D ATE w HEN A v ISIT oR’S j Ew ELR y wAS ST o LEN FR oM HER Ho TEL R oo M IN THE 3800 bLoCk o F wEST No RTH w EST HIgHwAy w ITH No SI gNS o F Fo RCED ENTR y sOuRCE: Dallas Police Department