Roy Flannagan writes about local crime: Problems of petty theft, grand larceny and muggings
Roy Flannagan writes about local crime:
Problems of petty theft, grand larceny and muggings
Picture this: not long ago, an elderly man in the Northwest Quadrant saw an adolescent take a bike from his front porch and start peddling down the street. The elderly gent, quite fit, gave chase. The kid on the bike had some trouble with the drive chain on the bike and had to stop to fix it. Meanwhile, three or four other kids came out of their houses to make fun of the spectacle of the older man running towards the thief as the thief tried to fix the chain. The thief gave up and started pushing the bike down the street under his own power. The other kids remained, mocking the older man chasing their friend.
Finally, a middle-aged mother of one of the kids came out of her house. “You stop it, this minute,” she said, “and you tell him who took his bike.” The kids told the elderly gent the name of the kid who took his bike, and the gent eventually went to the kid’s house and got the bike back.
This story illustrates the kind of thing that happens every day in the Northwest Quadrant–an area that the Historic Beaufort Foundation and the City of Beaufort is trying to make into a model of a restored neighborhood–what is called “adaptive re-use” of older structures.
I live in the Northwest Quadrant. I know from having an old but good Giant bicycle, a Stihl chain saw, and a Snapper mower stolen from the hidden portion of my yard or in storage sheds–all on separate occasions–that personal property is not safe in this part of Beaufort, even on the edge of the Northwest Quadrant.
When the homeowner reports the theft, a report is filed, but nothing happens. No member of the police that I know of does the obvious: no one checks local pawnshops, no one seems to look for chop shops or re-sale outlets for, say, bicycles; no one checks for other thefts nearby. The police may be under-staffed, but when citizens of downtown Beaufort lose their property, time after time, the quality of life here goes down. The police may come and make out a report, but nothing ever happens. I know of some residents of this area who have had a bicycle stolen in the morning, put the word out on the criminal circuit that they would pay $50 no questions asked to have it back, and had it delivered on the afternoon after it had been stolen. If criminals can be that well organized, why can’t the police?
The problems of petty theft and even grand larceny have become so bad that ministers at local churches have to warn the congregation that they should be securing valuables and locking their cars during the services–this in broad daylight on Sundays!
Not long ago a man was mugged on Newcastle Street at night but not too late for ordinary people to be out. Two men beat him badly, so that he had to go to the Emergency Room, and they stole his wallet and immediately tried to use his credit and debit cards, with some success. There was no report of this major crime in any of the local media.
No doubt, the buying and selling of drugs is related to crimes in the Northwest Quadrant. I am sure that the local police know where the crack dealers who operate in the neighborhood live, and the police could act to shut them down, but they don’t, which leads to suspicion of collusion. I imagine that crack victims account for much of the petty theft locally, or robberies of places unique to the Quadrant like Pruitt’s Grocery.
Evan Thompson, who helped build the resources and raise funding for the Historic Beaufort Foundation and has recently left Beaufort for a preservationist post in Charleston, describes the Northwest Quadrant as one of the great successes of downtown Beaufort. He said recently that “the NWQ project [he helped to initiate] was so important because historic preservation is such an integral part of keeping the neighborhood intact as a livable place but also in shaping the direction it needs to go.”
Mayor Billy Keyserling, City Council, and Police Chief Clancy
need to demand increased police patrol in the Northwest Quadrant, to help stamp out petty crime and grand larceny; and
*neighborhoods need to form crime-watch organizations;
*anyone who is robbed needs to report the robbery to the police and inform the local media;
*the entire NW Quadrant needs to clean up any literal or figurative dirt–drive out the drug-dealers and take pride in neat landscaping around well-kept-up handsome older houses.
Meanwhile, the Mayor and City Council, together with the Police Chief, need to pay closer attention to a neighborhood that helps to make Beaufort the unique historic landmark it is.
Related posts:
- Rash of muggings and a robbery in Bay Street commercial area of downtown Beaufort
- Hilton Head teenager wanted for burglary and grand larceny, co-suspect arrested
- Beaufort Police Department issues semi-annual crime statistics, crime way down
- More info on Northwest Quadrant cleanup day
- Police Chief Matthew Clancy responds: Start a crime watch group
Comments
4 Responses to “Roy Flannagan writes about local crime: Problems of petty theft, grand larceny and muggings”
Crime is everywhere and, yes, drugs play a major part. But the problem does not lie with in our police department; it is our justice system.
Even if said bicycle thief were caught he would have been arrested and released with only a slap on the wrist. Check out Mug Faces.com. Each day it highlights the person who has been arrested the most, which is normally around 20-30 times. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? Shouldn’t you be locked down forever if you have been arrested 30 times!!!!
I live in the Grays Hill community and crime seems to be on the rise (I have had property stolen from my yard twice in the last 6 months) so our neighborhood will host its first Neighborhood Watch Meeting at the Grays Hill Community Center Tues, Aug 31 at 6 pm.
Since this is our first I invite anybody with experience in neighborhood crime fighting to attend. We have invited a local law enforcer to give us tips on how to handle situations.
Let’s try to be proactive to these crimes so we are less likely to become victims.
I respond to a letter by Mr. Roy Flanagan, and I thought a long time about doing so. I finally decided that some things need to be pointed out.
Mr. Flanagan states he lives in the Northwest Quadrant. He does not. The Historic Preservation Plan shows the NWQ has a southern boundary at about Duke Street. This name (NWQ) is one that has sprouted in recent years. We use to call the entire NWQ Dixonville or Dixon Village. The Plan now shows this neighborhood further west.
Last Sunday, after 8:00 church, I saw a car window was broken out. The car was parked after I went in to church. The owner may have left a cell phone or other valuable item on the seat. Mr. Flanangan reports thefts of items in hidden areas.
The answer is not always to blame the police. Lock your cars and sheds. Locking your house is a no brainer. Criminals are gong to steal from “targets of opportunity.” Folks can prevent some thefts by being more cautious.
George O’Kelley
I take issue with comments such as Roy Flannagan’s concerning the police being in “collusion” with drug dealers. To make a statement such as this without coming forward to report the officers that he thinks are in “collusion” indicates a fabricated story.
His letter also reports robberies at Pruitt’s Store. No robberies have been reported at Pruitt’s Store and if he has proof, please come forward!
I worked at the police department for 32 years and I am very familiar with the crime index. After reading Flannagan’s letter of false issues, I inquired if Mr. Pruitt had been robbed and the facts are that HE HAS NOT!
But then I realize Flannagan probably has not been here that long and does not remember Mr. Pruitt being on Ribaut Road. The bicycle case he refered to I am familiar with the victim and the next day after Flannagan’s letter was published, this same victim left his bicycle on the city sidewalk unsecure.
Crime prevention takes citizen involvement and working with your police department instead of publishing false issues. The men and woman of your police department take their positions very serious and do an outstanding job for the city. Chief Clancy is a leader and his officers are professional. Call him if you have a problem. He is very accessible and will respond to your issues.
I stress again, your police department is not in collusion with drug dealers, shame on you Flannagan, you owe each and every one of them an apology.
Jeff Dowling
Retired Beaufort Chief of Police
This article just wants me to remind everyone of something I heard on the local news a few years ago.
Our county chief of police said on our local news that the biggest problem in our county is speeders and that they have to take care of that problem.
I used to drive to hhi every day for work and saw a particular color car pulled over on a given day, usually two to four of the same color at different points between the two towns.
I was told about fifteen years ago that Bft. county had about 125 police cars on the road. I was astonished at this number.
Of course with that many cars on the road neighborhood crime should be almost non-existent right?
Speeders seem to be the easiest target and the most likely to get the police dept. the most money.
I have never heard of a speeder causing an accident solely because of speed, trying to make a turn at excessive speed maybe or just stupidity in running a red light. speeding through heavy traffic, but all that is not the speed but what the driver is doing with it.
Keep our neighborhoods safe so we can walk in the pm. if we want to don’t just send them out to the local speed traps.