Crime of the Week Map

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Search for Crimes in Our Neighborhood

A new online map tracks crime trends in El Paso and helps you to search for crimes in any area of the city.  Multi-colored dots mark the location of crimes from vandalism to murder in a new online Crime Map that El Paso police officials hope will raise awareness about crime trends. 


The Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff's Office went live recently with the new map that is the latest development in using the Internet to keep residents informed. The map uses technology that a generation ago was more the stuff of science fiction than something accessible to anyone with a home computer or a smartphone." The system will alert you whenever a crime occurs within (the pre-set) vicinity." Furr said the online map is part of the Police Department's effort to inform people through social media. "Society has migrated to social media," Furr said. "We have a (Police Department) Facebook page and a Twitter page. It seems to be the way we keep in touch nowadays." 


Tina Gianes, president of the Neighborhood Watch Association of El Paso, said the interactive crime map was "badly needed" and will help residents know what is going on in their neighborhoods. "I think it's awesome," Gianes said. "I think it's great. We can find out where problems are in our neighborhoods. "Sometimes things happen that you don't hear about," she said. "This way we can find out very quickly. (It was something that was) badly needed. A lot of times when people get together to start a Neighborhood Watch, they have no idea what is going on in their neighborhood until they talk to people."


Be sure to visit and like the EPPD Facebook page.

Signs of Stash Houses

The West Texas HIDTA (High Density Drug Trafficing Areas) Stash House unit would like to remind the public of possible indicators of a stash house:

1)    Rental homes

2)    Attached garages

3)     Unkept Yards

4)     Little or no furniture

5)    Occupants keep to themselves (not visible on a daily basis)

6)    Occupants will not hold a normal pattern of lifestyle

7)    Different vehicles (especially vans and pickup trucks) entering and exiting the garage

8)    Vehicles arriving at the stash house will have different out of state plates (Texas, New Mexico, Mexico, and paper “buyer” or “dealer”)

9)    Sudden activity in the home after days or weeks of not seeing anyone at the home

10) Accumulation of advertisements on the front door

11) Occupants do not usually put their trash out for regular collection, but instead prefer to dump it at another location themselves.

These again are some of the typical indicators of a stash house, and these indicators alone do not necessarily mean that the occupants of the home are running a stash house.  As a general rule, if residents believe there is suspicious activity in a home in their area, they should call the West Texas Stash House Unit at 629-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 566-8477(TIPS).  

Our contact at the El Paso Police Central Command is Officer Henry Slack, 915-838-8013.

Winter and Holiday Safety Tips

EPPD Officer Henry Slack gives some great tips for safety during the winter and holiday season:

EL PASO, TEXAS – The El Paso Police Department wants everyone to have a safe Winter and upcoming Holiday Season. As a reminder here are some safety tips to keep in mind.

At Home:

• NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN ALONE
• Be sure to lock your doors and windows when you leave your home.
• Do not display holiday gifts where they can be seen from a window or doorway.
• Leave some lights on.
• Leave a radio on.
• Leave drapes/curtains in a normal position.
• Mark your valuables with your driver’s license number.
• Pickup mail and newspapers.
• Never give information about your home over the telephone.
• Always call police to report any suspicious activity.

While Shopping:

• Always keep your children close to you.
• Do not shop alone.
• Never take more money than you need to make your purchases.
• Do not flash your money when paying for items.
• Pay with a check card or credit card.
• Be aware of you surroundings.
• Do not leave any purchases or purses unattended.
• Do not overburden yourself with packages.
• Carry your purse close to your body.

Your car:

• Lock your vehicle.
• Use any antitheft devices.
• Do not leave any packages or valuables inside the vehicle.
• Approach your vehicle with your keys out and ready.
• Park in well lighted areas.
• Keep your vehicle in proper working order.
• If something seems wrong, get help from security or call the police.

Outside Activities:

• Dress appropriate to weather conditions and type of activity.
• If Walking, Running, or Riding a Bike, wear reflective of light colored clothing.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Obey all traffic laws.
• Don’t let yourself become distracted.
• Hiking – notify individuals of intended route, estimated length of trip and expected return time.
• Be prepared for inclement weather.
• Be aware of individuals walking, running, and biking during the cooler weather
• Don’t drink and drive.
• Be aware of your surroundings.

Don't Be Conned

Here's a message from Officer Henry Slack:

Greetings,

If it’s too good to be true, most likely it is. If it’s too sad to be true, it usually is.

Folks be weary of con-artists. They prey on our human instincts to be good and try to help our fellow man. Most recently in the area of Manhattan Heights (Memorial Park area) a group of con-artists attempted to separate good people from their money. Here is the con: your door bell rings and a well-groomed, polite young man is at your door. He tells you that his grandmother has locked her self out, and neither her or him have cash to pay for a locksmith. He mentions some of your neighbors' last names (probably through mail rummaging), and how they gave him a few dollars, and that he is ten dollars short. (Some good people gave into his con and gave him some money!)

Things to do:

• Tell the person that you belong to a Neighborhood Association/Watch and that you WILL call police, to further assist him/them.

• Take notes, jot down a good description - head to toe.

• See where he/they go next. Is a vehicle being used? Get a description of that vehicle.

• Tell them you don’t trust anyone ask to see an ID.

Start a Neighborhood Watch!

Not to do:

• Open your door.

• Give them your information.

• Give them your hard earned money.

• Give them a ride.

• Provide any other information about yourself or neighbor.

There are many cons out there. All prey on our basic instinct to help.

Stay safe.

Officer H. Slack #2106, CPO

314 S. Leon

915-838-8013

Also, there have been reports about people coming to the door in the wee hours of the morning: 1 a.m., 2 a.m. Don't open the door. Call the police.

Crime Down in Central El Paso

Here's a News Release from Officer Henry Slack of Central Police Command that was sent at the end of October:

BURGLARY OF VEHICLES DOWN ACROSS THE CITY WITH CENTRAL, PEBBLE HILLS & MISSION VALLEY LEADING THE WAY

Date/Time: Saturday, October 23, 2010

Location: Various

El Paso, Texas – El Paso, an All-America City for 2010 continues to see a decrease in overall crime. Through Saturday, October 23, 2010 overall crime is still down 1%, compared to this time last year. The crime categories with the largest decreases across the city are Murders, which are down 80% (10 in 2009 compared to 2 in 2010) compared to this time last year, Burglary of Vehicle’s are down 23% (2,670 in 2009, compared to 2,049 in 2010) and Vehicle Thefts are down 14% (1,486 in 2009, compared to 1,283 in 2010).

By Police Region the Central area has a decrease in overall crime by 5%, Northeast area is down 3%, Mission Valley area has no change 0%, Pebble Hills area is up 3%, and Westside area is down 3%.

Murder is down 80% with 2 reported for 2010, Robbery is up 7%, Assaults are up 5%, Burglary down 6%, Larceny down 4%, Vehicle Thefts down 14%, and Burglary of Vehicle down 23%.

Burglary of Vehicles are down in the Central area by 33%, down in Pebble Hills by 25%, down in Mission Valley by 24%, down in Westside by 17% and down in Northeast by 11%.

Crime Is Down in Central El Paso

Officer Henry Stack just sent these statistics. Looks like crime in the central El Paso is really down in 2010 from 2009 especially burglaries.

Central
Offense	2009	2010	% Change
Murder	1	1	0%
Sexual Aslt	30	29	-3%
Robbery	107	101	-6%
Aslt	1,610	1,506	-6%
Burglary	269	223	-17%
Larceny	1,763	1,662	-6%
Veh Theft	293	295	1%
*Burg Vehicle	414	273	-34%
Total:	4,073	3,817	-6%

*Burglary of Vehicle included in the "Total" (As a component of Larceny)

UCR Guidelines implemented to measure crime

Help End Auto Theft - Here's How

Click to enlarge image

By registering your car in the H.E.A.T. program, you authorize police to stop your vehicle if it is seen being driven late at night or early in the morning. Police will stop the car and make sure that the driver is the owner or someone authorized to drive the vehicle.

Officer Slack told Nemanistas at a recent meeting that most cars "go south". In addition, he sent these statistics about the make and model of cars most frequently stolen:

*TOP 5 STOLEN VEHICLES
#	Make	Model
40	CHEVROLET	SILVERADO 1500
30	FORD	F250
28	FORD	F150
27	DODGE	RAM 1500
19	HONDA	ACCORD

Newman Park Residents Share Concerns with Police

EP Police Neighborhood Relations Coordinator Leslie Canada makes a point as Commander Austin (center) and Officer Slack listen

Newman Park neighbors met yesterday with Central Commander Mark Austin, Officer Henry Slack and Leslie Canada, the Neighborhood Relations Coordinator with the police department. Residents discussed their concerns about recent vandalism, a case of arson, and new graffiti in the area.

Ms. Canada informed the group that the City is about to launch a new anti-graffiti awareness program and that the police will be doing anti-tagging education with 6 to 12 year olds.

The police trio recommended several actions neighbors can take now:

• Report tagging immediately even if it isn't on your property.
• Report suspicious activity - a youth with a backpack late at night, for example.
• Work with the Neighborhood Coalition and get ideas from other Associations.
• Report code violations.
• Report paper plates on cars that have been there for a long time.
• Ask the police to do a safety inspection of your home. You can get up to 20% off your house insurance this way.
• Take part in the HEAT program. You register your vehicle and ask police to stop and check it after a certain time at night.
• If you suspect that there is a stash house near you, report it.

Neighbors expressed their gratitude to Freeda Westmoreland who hosted the meeting in her home.

Newman Park Picked for First Police Shift Meeting

The City of El Paso is planning year-round shift meetings in each of the different districts. Central Command picked the 56th District which includes Newman Park as its first meeting for the year. That meeting was held this morning at 10 a.m. at the park.

Police officers and code officers met with neighbors. There were six of us which was great given the short notice that we received. (Officer Slack promised that they would be doing another such meeting in the summer and that he would be giving us more notice first.)

Officer Slack addressed several important issues including auto theft, Operation ID and the Border Star program which stops cars before they cross the border so that ownership can be verified. (There are two main reasons for stealing cars: for the parts as they can be sold for a lot more money; or, especially in the case of 4x4 trucks, to be used to smuggle drugs back into the U.S. across desert terrain.)

Slack said that the team assembled today would be going up and down the streets in the area principally looking for quality of life/code compliance violations.

Judy Gutierrez from Representative Susie Byrd's office was there. She stated that quality of life issues are very important to the Mayor Pro-Tem.

Crystal Meth in El Paso

Our Community Police Officer, Officer Henry Slack warns us about this dangerous crime trend:

"Our Border City is preparing yet another blow, this time is in the form of
Crystal Meth.

Crystal Methamphetamine is the most potent and dangerous drug on the streets and often Addictive after the first use. This drug has many names and they change often. For your familiarity: Speed, Chalk, Batu, Blade, Cristy, Crystal Glass, Hanyak, Hiropan, Hot ice, Kaksonjae, L.A. Glass, ice, quartz, shabu, shards, stove top, super ice, tina, and ventana, just to name a few. The smokeable form of Meth is called ice or crystal because of its appearance. If your children or love ones use these names, know they are talking about Crystal Meth.

What does Crystal Meth look like?
Crystal Meth is typically odorless, and in small crystal like fragments of glass or shinny blue-white “rocks’ of various sizes. Color is often added for marketing appeal.

How is it used?
Crystal Meth can be taken different ways. Orally, snorted, injection, smoking or inhalation. The quickest means to reaching the potency of the drug is through injection, followed by smoking or inhaling the vapors, then by snorting the drug. When used orally (pill form), Meth is often taken with a mixed flavored drink.

Time Sequence for the effect of
Meth:
Injection: = Instant high
Smoking = Rapid high
Snorting = 2 -5 minutes for high to take effect
Orally = 30-60 minutes for high to take effect

Crystal Meth, is fast becoming an epidemic which we (as a community) must be able to recognize, and deal with accordingly. The Central Regional Command is offering training on this topic, if you are interested contact our office at 838-8013."