Neighbors decry rise in crime, nuisance and otherwise
Some of the sprawling, manicured lawns and conservative two-story homes of Bethlehem’s residential developments could serve well as stock images for suburban America. Such streets are not what you associate with words like vandalism, larceny, burglary or trespassing.
But residents of Haswell Farms and The Enclave at Glenmont, two upscale Bethlehem communities, say such crimes in their neighborhoods have made them feel anything but secure, with acts of juvenile troublemaking complemented by two recent burglaries and an arson.
Bethlehem police say incident report numbers are not unusually high for such an area, but they recently met with homeowners to discuss forming a neighborhood watch and policing their communities proactively.
The Spotlight spoke with those living in the area, as well as representatives of the police department, about the crime in this suburban neighborhood and what can be done to prevent it.
Teenage troubles
Haswell Farms will perhaps forever be remembered for the recent arrest of a homeowner who tackled a teen running from a game of ding dong ditch, a prank that involves ringing doorbells or knocking on doors to rouse a homeowner, then fleeing.
That story gained national attention, but residents say such high jinks are the rule, not the exception. They say instances of vandalism and car larcenies are becoming more prevalent, and several homeowners The Spotlight spoke with mentioned an incident last year where dozens of mailboxes throughout the development were destroyed.
Jill Sullivan, who lives on Harvest Ridge Road in the Enclave, said her car has been egged three times in the past six months. Such problems have arrived suddenly, she said.
`I’ve basically felt pretty safe here the last 10 years. We’ve never had any major problems,` she said. `I think people are now starting to take a look at what’s going on around here.`
Others complain of graffiti on utility poles and youths roaming the streets at night or congregating after dark in the nearby Maple Ridge Park.
Lt. Thomas Heffernan of the Bethlehem Police Department, who met recently with concerned homeowners, said a sudden increase in vandalism and other minor crime is not unusual for insulated developments like Haswell and The Enclave.
`What we see is that this is not uncommon with larger developments, and it seems to move from development to development,` he said. `Younger families move into them, and then five, 10 years down the road those kids have grown up and they’ve become your teenagers.`
Heffernan mentioned developments like Elm Estates and Surrey Mall as having had similar growing pains in the past.
Residents take complaints to town
About 40 residents of the two neighborhoods, which are connected by streets, recently met with representatives of the police department and town at a recent mid-morning gathering to discuss the concerns. Other worries included the possibility of drug dealing occurring in Maple Ridge Park, with reports of cars meeting up and flashing headlights late at night. (Heffernan said the police department has not received any such reports.)
What the police department has recorded is a total of 51 `quality of life` calls over the past two years. The majority ` 30 ` of these calls were for criminal mischief, which would include vandalism and the like, but there are also crimes like aggravated harassment, larceny, possession of marijuana and trespassing that have allegedly occurred in the area. Six of these cases remain open.
Police said these figures are not unusually high for an area of the size of Haswell and The Enclave. The figures don’t include calls reporting suspicious persons, which police said have increased as of late.
More than a nuisance
But there have been more serious crimes in the area, as well. While the much-publicized case of the `Delmar Tackler` may have stirred up quality-of-life concerns, just a few weeks later a much more serious incident occurred in the arrest of Benjamin Van Zandt, a 17-year-old accused of burglarizing then setting fire to a house on Hasgate Drive. The case is pending in Albany County Court.
Neither residents nor police think there’s a connection between minor crime and the alleged arson, but some pointed to it as an example of how things are getting out of control in the developments.
`Kid stuff is not burning down a house, destroying 40 or 50 mailboxes and breaking into cars,` said David DeCancio, a resident of Silver Creek Drive and also a member of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
For some, the situation came to a head with two daytime burglaries that occurred just a few days apart in September. Both involved forced entry while the homeowners were away and apparently targeted jewelry.
One Enclave homeowner said his home was burglarized in the space of 15 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, when his wife briefly left home. She locked up behind herself, he said, but there was a cache of valuables in the home. The family emigrated from India, and sometimes had gold and jewelry on hand for traditional wedding gifts, though the homeowner said he usually keeps such items in a safe deposit box. This time, there were plenty of valuables in the house.
`We bought this house in this neighborhood thinking it is one of the safest neighborhoods to live in,` said the homeowner, whose name has been withheld in light of the recent break-in. `People told me not to stay in Troy, not to stay in Schenectady.`
Authorities have recently taken note of several burglary rings that targeted persons with Indian or South Asian sounding names, according to media reports, including a significant operation in northern Virginia. The price of gold has reached new highs in recent months, though it’s not clear if there’s a direct correlation to such crimes.
Heffernan said police are investigating both break-ins, but declined to discuss specifics of the investigation.
`Our detectives are working with some other agencies that have had other burglaries that are similar to this,` he said.
Looking forward, taking steps
Heffernan stressed the police department is tasked with covering a 52-square-mile patrol area, and simply can’t be everywhere at once.
`We really try to emphasize that it’s a partnership with the neighborhood,` he said. `They know who belongs, who doesn’t belong. They’re the eyes and ears for us.`
Still, residents of these neighborhoods said the burglaries have shaken the suburban community deeply and renewed concerns over less serious crimes that occur more often.
`Everybody’s suspicious of each other,` said Angelo Ruperto, who lives on Crescent Creek Way. `I want to go to bed at night and not have to worry about somebody trying to get into my house.`
Some homeowners admitted it’s hard to get a handle on the scope of the problems because of creeping paranoia and an active rumor mill.
`The break-ins really started freaking people out,` said DeCancio. `People don’t want to live like that here.`
Bethlehem police said residents can keep their community safer and curb nuisance-type crimes through the same measures: keeping valuables out of sight and doors locked, knowing ones neighbors, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and reporting it to the police department.
Police have also given residents information on setting up a neighborhood watch, and DeCancio said efforts to follow up with the department and get an organization together will be under way.
Supervisor Sam Messina, who also attended the recent meeting with homeowners, said addressing many of the neighborhood’s less serious crime problems will largely fall on the community itself.
`Parents really have a lot to do with controlling that situation,` he said.
Messina said such community issues may benefit from a bike-mounted officer program, which he and Chief Louis Corsi have been discussing.
`The chief and I believe that it’s time to develop a program … of having some of our officers on bikes in neighborhoods to be closer to the public, and to do what some other communities are doing, getting out of the vehicles and on the ground,` Messina said.
For residents of Haswell and the Enclave, feelings are mixed over how much a community watch would help matters. Most, however, think a wake up call has been heard.
`I have the utmost respect for our police department, I’ve had great dealings with them. But they do not have enough manpower to do this,` Ruperto said. `You have an area that is being targeted by thieves for some reason. I think you have to do something more.`
`We need to take responsibility for ourselves and protect ourselves,` DeCancio said. `We need to address [the problems] before somebody gets hurt.`
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