12 minute read
Crime
Oct. 11
Reported at 8:35 p.m.: a suspicious person in the 4800 block of Thunder Road.
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Oct. 12
Before 10:44 p.m., a vandal broke a window at the Flatts Shell Auto Repair gas station at Preston Road and LBJ Freeway.
Oct. 13
Before 4:13 p.m., a destructively rude crook broke off a lock and took a key at a home in the 4300 block of Valley Ridge Road and then used the key to enter a vehicle “without consent.”
Oct. 14
Reported at 11:01 a.m.: A vandal on Oct. 13 damaged a gate at a home in the 6700 block of Norway Road.
Oct. 15
Reported at 9:15 a.m.: A prowler took wooden pallets from a construction site in the 6200 block of Woodland Drive.
Oct. 17
Arrested at 12:43 p.m.: two men, ages 40 and 26, who are accused of using a loudspeaker to disturb residents in the 6700 block of Orchid Lane and failure to provide IDs.
Oct. 19
Before 9:32 a.m., a burglar, somehow armed with the garage door opener, used the device to get inside and steal stuff at a home in the 5700 block of West Hanover Avenue.
Oct. 20
Reported at 8:11 a.m.: road rage. A recklessly barbaric motorist forced another driver off the road near Lowe’s Home Improvement store on Inwood Road near Forest Lane, kicked the other driver’s door hard enough to damage the vehicle, and threatened to choke and kill the other driver.
Oct. 21
Overnight before 12:24 p.m., a prowler took both taillights off a woman’s F250 pickup truck at a home in the 4900 block of Elsby Avenue.
Oct. 22
A woman left her wallet in her vehicle while parked at the Good Shepherd Episcopal School at Midway and Northaven Roads, and a prowler opened the door and took it before 11:06 a.m.
Oct. 23
Officers responded at 2:19 a.m. to an alarm at a business in the Preston Forest Shopping Center where one or more burglars had used unknown force to enter through the wallboard.
Oct. 24
Officers dispatched to a “burglary in progress” at the Market at Preston Forest arrested a 28-year-old man and gave him a criminal trespassing warning.
Oct. 26
Before 12:10 p.m. at the Preston Forest Shopping Center, a terrible person scared a woman at Whole Foods by telling her he had weapons and explosives.
Wire theft reported at 12:48 p.m. at the Summertree shopping center on Inwood Road: Cops called after crook completed copper caper “without consent.”
Oct. 27
Before 8:19 a.m., a talented thief avoided damaging a man’s locked vehicle at a home in the
4900 block of Thunder Road
while still gaining entry and snatching the contents.
Oct. 28
Before 4:33 p.m., a porch pirate pinched packages from a woman’s home in the 7000 block of Azalea Lane.
Oct. 29
Reported at 6:32 p.m.: An annoying acquaintance used an electronic device on Oct. 26 to harass a man at a home in the 6200 block of Stichter Avenue.
Oct. 30
Reported at 4:19 a.m.: An elusive and irresponsible motorist sped away without sharing information after a wreck in the
5500 block of the “B J” service
road. Did the naughty driver also take the “L” from the front of the road’s name?
Oct. 31
Burglarized before 11:47 a.m.: a woman’s vehicle at a home in the 6100 block of Stefani Drive.
Nov. 1
Reported at 1:36 p.m.: the
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sound of silence. A thief snatched a leaf blower from the yard in the 4800 block of Ridgeside Drive.
After a business alarm went off for apartments in the 6800 block of Bandera Avenue at 8:19 p.m., officers issued a criminal trespassing warning to the unwelcome person found there.
Nov. 3
Reported at 2:47 p.m.: an incompetent would-be car thief. e crook on Nov. 2 damaged the ignition switch on a woman’s vehicle at a home in the 5600 block of Del Roy Drive.
Nov. 4
Stolen before 8:16 a.m., a man’s vehicle and tools from a home in the 7200 block of Lakehurst Avenue.
Nov. 5
One or more vandals broke windows at Preston Center. The first incident prompted an alarm to sound at 4:37 a.m. The second, involving a financial institution, occurred before 6:55 a.m.
Reported at 7:02 p.m.: A thief on Nov. 2 took the front license plate off a vehicle parked at W. T. White High School on Ridgeside Drive.
Nov. 6
Reported at 11:12 a.m., the Nov. 4 theft of a man’s vehicle from a home in the 7300 block of Woodthrush Drive.
Nov. 7
Before 11:07 p.m., a prowler removed contents from a man’s vehicle at NorthPark Center.
SKULDUGGERY of the MONTH: ROAD HOG
Reported at 1:25 p.m. Nov. 1: Inconsiderate parking disrupts business. A trucker “abandoned” an 18-wheeler in the fire lane in the 7900
block of Menier Street block of Menier Street
beside Advance ER.
(PHOTO: PIXABAY.COM, ILLUSTRATION: MELANIE THORNTON)
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As I reflect on our 40th anniversary and my journey here at People Newspapers, what comes to mind are the many people I have had the good fortune to work with and meet. I’ve worked for People Newspapers and D Magazine (our parent company) all together for 26 years; I guess you could say I grew up here. I’m grateful for the experiences and the gift of working with some very talented individuals.
It’s not a secret that folks in newspapering, especially community newspapers, don’t make a lot of money. Most stay in this profession because they love what they do and are committed to the excellence we strive for.
In 1993 my mentor and friend Kay Moran, then the paper’s owner, entrusted me to run it when I had no journalistic experience and was just 30 years old. I had enough sense to hire people that knew what they were doing, and I was fortunate that there were already dedicated, talented employees on staff.
I started a few months earlier as a parttime special projects manager (a madeup title) while learning the business and figuring out who did what. In that role, we launched a customized TV guide for the Park Cities, which had their own cable provider at the time.
Along the way, I’ve developed a good eye for page layout, and I’m halfway decent at spotting needed edits.
What I love about my job is having a product valued by the community we serve and working with the talented individuals who make that happen. Perusing our archives to jog my memory, I’ve come across names I had forgotten and folks I will never forget. ank you to these former co-workers who have made me so proud, and in one way or another, helped me to grow: Suzy Williford, Dorothy Wood, Maureen O’Donnell, Guy Griffin, Ray Wilkerson, Tom Boone, Glenda Vosburgh, Carolyn Tillery, Nikol Dittman, Molly Nolan, Lynn Timm, Jake Dean, David Westapher, Agness Robertson, Don Hancock, Steve PAT MARTIN Lansdale, Chris McGathey, Alma Ritter, Bernadette Ramirez, Kate Martin, Elizabeth Ygartua, Amy Curry, Jeremy Chesnut, Chuck Cox, and Dan Koller. I’ll never forget the late Tom Robertson, Ken Henze, and Geraldine Galentree. And that brings me to our current staff that continues our long tradition of serving our readers with national award-winning community newspapers: editor William Taylor, digital editor Bethany Erickson, deputy editor Rachel Snyder, sports editor, Todd Jorgenson, art and production director Melanie ornton, digital and production assistant Mia Carrera, distribution manager Mike Reinboldt, distribution consultant Don Hancock, client relations & marketing coordinator Maddie Spera, advertising account executive, Tana Hunter, Quita Johnson, and Evelyn Wolff, and last but not least senior account executive Kim Hurmis, who was here when I started. What’s kept Kim here for 39 years? “I have always taken pride in the newspapers we publish and the communities that we serve,” she told me. “I love the sales process, and relationships that I have built with my advertisers over the years are a bonus.”
By Bethany Erickson
bethany.erickson@peoplenewspapers.com
Reporting on crime in Preston Hollow and elsewhere looks a little different since the Dallas Police Department removed previously available data from the portal that provides police reports.
According to a Nov. 5 memo, city staff revealed they had redacted some victim information from crime reports and were recommending further redaction and a delay in reporting active incidents.
These changes follow a decision in 2014 to quit publishing the narrative portions that described the offenses.
How do these new changes impact the way crime is reported to readers? In many cases, the important things — where the crime happened, for instance, and what it was, will still be available.
Where it gets dicier is say, for instance, when several people are involved in an incident, or ascertaining when a crime wave targeting specific items or people (thefts of equipment from repair vehicles or landscapers, for example).
Texas law requires certain basic information about an arrested person or crime be available to the public. In a 1975 court ruling, “basic in-
formation” was defined as what appears on the front page of a police report, and that complainant information cannot be withheld unless the crime involved sex offenses, minors, or if the complainant is an informant. At a Nov. 8 public safety committee meeting, Brita Andercheck, director of the Office of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence said that during efforts to revamp the city portal, staff raised concerns about the victim data published. After reviewing the data portals for other departments across the country, they began redacting on Oct. 14. Andercheck told the committee she felt the changes will bring the Dallas portal more in line with “national standards.” “This is in line with our crime reduction plan, because it’s hopefully encouragBrita Andercheck, director of the Office of ing people to make Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, a report about someexplains changes to the crime portal to the thing that has hapDallas City Council Public Safety Committee. pened or speak with(SCREENGRAB: BETHANY ERICKSON) out concern that their home address and other information might be available.” Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn was skeptical. “You’re talking about something that is sort of fundamental about openness and government,” she said. “We talk very often about making more information available, not less, and making things more transparent, not less.”
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Snider Plaza Redevelopment Project Proceeding ‘With Caution’
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
After weeks of legal maneuvering, developer Jim Strode was still proceeding “with caution” on the redevelopment of the southeast corner of Snider Plaza where Peggy Sue BBQ used to be, his lawyer said.
But no permits had been issued as of press time in mid-November.
“While there’s no specific timeline (for the project), it’s going to proceed with caution, but proceed nonetheless,” said attorney Jay Madrid, who represented Strode in the lawsuit challenging the project. “We want to be cautious, as you might guess, but nonetheless, there is no restriction right now.”
In early October, Dallas County District Court Judge Aiesha Redmond granted a temporary restraining order, putting the issuance of permits on hold. e Snider Plaza Alliance, a neighborhood group opposed to the potential impact of the development on parking and traffic in Snider Plaza, had requested the delay.
“ e City of University Park passed a zoning change on false pretenses and without proper notice, allowing the developer to avoid
having to comply with zoning that would require dozens of additional parking spaces for a development of this size,” the group alleged in early court filings. But, in mid-November, Dallas County District Court Judge Sheryl McFarlin ruled that the Snider Plaza Alliance didn’t “have standing” to bring its lawsuit. Opponents could appeal McFarlin’s decision, and an alliance representative said members were still weighing their options as of Nov. 9. Strode’s plan for the site, approved by the City Council on Sept. 21, calls In September, the University Park City Council approved developer Jim Strode’s plan to redevelop part of Snider Plaza. (RENDERING: OMNIPLAN, CITY OF UP) for taking down the existing structures to make way for a new three-story building to house retail, restaurant, and office space. e plan also calls for a two-level underground parking garage with 48 spaces accessed from Daniel Avenue. The plan was about 13 parking spaces short of the number of off-street parking spaces required per the city’s zoning ordinance. “ e City Council had existing authority under the zoning ordinance to reduce the required parking in approving the detailed site plan,” lawyers representing city officials argued in court filings.
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