Crime
This page can host the conversation about crime in our community. Check back often for updates on crime statistics and reports from the Albuquerque Police Department.
The Orchards @ Anderson Heights Homeowners' Blog
The Official blog of The Orchards @ Anderson Heights – made by homeowners, for homeowners
Albuquerque/Santa Fe News
- Pit sells out for UNM-UNLV rematch February 17, 2012The Pit is expected to be sellout packed Saturday morning when the Lobos take on nationally ranked UNLV on national TV. […]
- Much-wanted burglary suspect captured February 17, 2012Albuquerque police have nabbed a man considered to be one of city's top property crime offenders. […]
- New state director for BLM February 17, 2012Jesse Juen was sworn in Thursday during a special ceremony at the BLM's New Mexico state office in Santa Fe. […]
check out Crimereports.com and see how crime has escalated since the gates have been open. sign up for monthly stats.
What’s also interesting to note is that while crime increased in this area, it seems to have skyrocketed all over this quandrant. Think it’s related to it being summer?
Our gates being open definitely eliminates a deterrent.
We had an attempted break-in on Monday.
Sorry to hear that . Glad they didn’t get far . I’m keeping a very close eye around my area in the day .;)
Does anyone know if homes that have alarm systems have been broken into as well?
yep, one of my neighbors had an alarm – I walked out into my backyard, and the cops had surrounded about 3 homes. Scared me to death. Anyway, she turned out to not be home, and when the guy broke in through the sliding door in the back, it set off the alarm, which in turn called the cops….
By the way, I want to give people a heads up about something else we saw on Sunday afternoon while sitting behind a row of cars. A teen male (maybe 16 or 17, tall, heavy set) walked thru in the in-gates from inside the community. He then walked over to an SUV that was parked on the curb of the out-lane, outside of the gate. He got in the back seat for about 60 seconds then walked back in through the in-gate. By the time we got through the gate to see where he was going, it was gone.
It had all the makings of a drug transaction, which others have observed around the park. So keep your eyes open as you’re traveling in and out and remember that not everyone who lives here cares as much as we all do about preserving our safety and security.
My car was just broken in to right outside in the driveway. I thought we had security here at the orchards. Early Thursday morning sometime between 1am & 6am on the 28 Jan 2010. Now I find real hard to relax.
I’m very sorry to hear that. To my knowledge there is no security roaming the community other than on Halloween night and maybe one other holiday. And in the summer time for the pool.
Dan-
First, let me commiserate with you. I had a radio jacked from my car late last summer. Fortunately, I was going to sell the car anyway, so it wasn’t a huge loss to me, but nevertheless, I understand your anger and frustration.
We normally have security at The Orchards on the Fourth of July and Halloween, plus during the summer months (but only at the pool). The only other security we have is when we believe there is a good reason (like a specific threat, a rash of break-ins, or vandalism) to have it. There is no security patrol at any other time. We actually priced out a 24×7 security service and the cost was staggering – over $100k/year. Adding 24hr security would increase monthly assessments by about $35 – your total monthly assessment would go up to approximatelly $75. We didn’t think many residents would go for that expense.
Also, if you are thinking about the gate, our gate is not really meant for security. It is meant to deter ‘casual crime’ and to help reduce unwanted traffic in the neighborhood. We can’t stop drive-thru criminals from casing the community, but the gate does help a bit. (APD has confirmed this.)
The best solution, recommended by APD, is to start a Neighborhood Watch here. APD can help with guidance if you call them at 242-2677 (242-COPS)…
I hope this answers your questions. Feel free to drop more comments or questions as you get them!
Mark Racicot
Secretary, Board of Directors, The Orchards HOA
We need to put a warning to all thieves that enter our community you will be prosecuted. OR WORSE. I just might catch a Cat. What goes around comes around and it hits thieves the hardest. KARMA. I WILL HARM YOU IF I CATCH YOU…Thanks Mark for the info.
The neighbor behind us catty corner has a home alarm, and his house was broken into in broad daylight. Sad thing is if I had been looking out our back windows I might have been able to call the police.
It would not surprise me if the car break-in was an inside the community job. If you have young adults possibly purchasing narcotics, you’ve got a need for cash.
Melissa, did you happen to recall the make and color of the vehicle the teen got into? Reason I ask is, there have been times my husband and I have witnessed a dark SUV sitting on the opposite side of 118th. The drug transaction crossed my mind since there were people in the vehicle, and they made no attempt to follow through the gate once open.
DLGray-Wurz,
Sad to hear that homes get broken into. If your neighbor had an alarm, didn’t the alarm company call the owner and the police?
I also don’t think we should assume that just because a car is parked somewhere that a drug transaction is going on. If it is what could we do.?
Does anyone know if the police want us to call them and say there is a vehicle parked that looks strange ? I guess that is a good question to ask.
Margo-
From my experience with APD, they are quite willing to take calls on suspicious-looking vehicles and/or people. They may not be able to roll an officer immediately, but they’ll certainly dispatch a unit when they can. One of the basics of police work that an officer friend of mine told me is that hunches may not be admissible in court, but the subconscious should never be ignored. The call you make may be the excuse the officer needs to investigate. :)
Mark Racicot
Secretary, The Orchards HOA
We had a man knock on our door today advertising for “pinnacle security”…I was just wondering if anyone else had the same experience and if anyone knows if the company and/or the people knocking on doors are legitimate. He just made me uncomfortable because of the fact that he was asking many questions about our security system and asked to come inside.
We had them come to our house about a year ago. I’ve also heard of people who have Pinnacle Security as their security system, but I wouldn’t know if that particular person who came to your door was legitimate, and I would be very uncomfortable answering those types of questions too! Not a very good way to sell security systems, IMO. We ended up going with ADT after calling them to come to our home.
HTH,
chris
We had a couple of college age guys come to our house and start asking questions about security in our home: do we have any? where there is coverage and where is it missing? can we monitor activity away from home? I kept thinking that no legitimate company would do business like this and then offer a service for a price that was only available if we wrote them a check right then and there. They wouldn’t even tell us what local company would be servicing the equipment. All very suspicious.
I don’t want to breach my neighbor’s privacy, but I feel the community should know about this. Her house was broken into yesterday (Richardson Way). They attempted to gain access from a side window (can see tool marks), but ended up entering through a back window, then left through the sliding door in the back. The officer seems to think it was younger people, because they left tons of fingerprints behind, and only took what was easy to carry out, and seems to think it could possibly be kids from our own neighborhood.
Please keep an eye out for each other…
That is not good. I would hope my alarm would go off in they tried to come in any window downstairs. We all do need to keep watch out for our community. Thanks for the info.
My family and I are looking to move in, closing date is set for April 28th, How often are break-ins in this neighborhood?
That is a hard ? to answer. I am not aware of a way to get that information just for The Orchards. I can tell you that my family has lived here for almost 3 years and we have had no problems at all. We do have an alarm system installed. :) Welcome to The Orchards.
Last Fall, I had an attempt to break into my house. It was a Saturday afternoon while we were at soccer. They attempted to break in through several of the side windows (the screens were off when I got home). My alarm went off so they did not enter the house and APD was very quick to respond which was great since we were on our way home and right down the street when I got the call. I would have hated myself and two small kids running into the act while it was occuring. My neighbor said that a couple of kids (about 6) ranging from age 8 to ~15 had knocked on his door moments earlier. He went outside and started asking them questions when he heard his dogs barking on the other side of his house (my side). I have an internal siren to my alarm so whether it was him that scared them off or my alarm I will never know but in any case, I was glad I had both that day.
I don’t think we have any more crime than any other neighborhood especially with the times and economy, from what I hear nowadays it seems like it is just a way of life for some people, as I had my purse stolen from my car a couple months earlier in the NE heights while I picked up my kid from daycare, but I would definately suggest some kind of alarm system in any home you purchase. Also knowing your neighbors and just asking them to watch out for suspicious activity may be enough to deter an event.
Just thought I would take the time to share my story and don’t know how I missed this post when it actually happened…
Seferino-
Thanks for purchasing a home here in the Orchards!
I don’t have exact stats on hand, but in a recent discussion with an official at the West Side police sub-station, enTrust was told that crime statistics were measurably down compared not only to last year’s stats, but compared with Albuquerue as a whole. We (the southwest quadrant) are lowest in crime at this time. Again, I don’t know what that translates to in exact crime numbers, and “lowest” may not seem “good” if your house is the one that gets broken into…but it isn’t bad. A good alarm system and a neighborhood watch are always positive things you can do to help protect your family and your new investment.
I look forward to meeting you at our next open Board meeting (date to be announced).
Mark Racicot
President, The Orchards HOA BoD
Thank you for the information that you could post. We’re all moved in and love the area. It’s very nice, kiddos love the park. Nice and quiet neighborhood and very welcoming neighbors. Look forward to attending a meeting when time allows. :)