Downtown business owners in Morgan Hill are concerned, and they
are ready to do something about it.
Downtown business owners in Morgan Hill are concerned, and they are ready to do something about it.
In recent months, an escalating number of commercial burglaries throughout the city has touched the downtown, and owners have inc-reasing concerns about the security of their businesses.
“What can we do proactively?” asked Morgan Hill Downtown Association’s Executive Director Dan Craig.
Morgan Hill Police Lt. Joe Sampson and Community Service Officer Frank McLaughlin met with concerned business owners Thursday morning at Rosy’s at the Beach in a seminar organized by Craig and MHPD.
Fifteen merchants showed up to ask questions of Sampson and listen to McLaughlin’s ideas for making their property more burglar-proof.
They also heard Sampson attribute much of the rise in crime to the use of amphetamine or speed. The burglars often use proceeds from the break-ins to finance their drug habit.
The “three L’s” can make a big difference for a business, McLaughlin said. They are: lights, landscaping and locks.
First of all, he told business owners, some locks are flimsy and easy to open. Installing a sturdier lock, perhaps a deadbolt also, on all doors, will make a difference right away. Windows should have locks as well.
Lights are important, McLaughlin said, adding that even inexpensive outdoor lights around door and window areas can cause criminals to think twice about breaking in.
Landscaping can work for or against crime prevention. Tall bushes blocking windows, for example, can hamper the ability of police or concerned neighbors to see inside, hiding a criminal who may have broken in, he said. Some plants have thorns that, when they are close to windows, can deter a criminal from attempting to break in.
The prevention tips would be helpful at a business anywhere in the city, McLaughlin said. He offers many of the same tips when conducting a Neighborhood Watch presentation in a residential neighborhood.
McLaughlin cautioned that the crime prevention tips are no guarantee against becoming a victim.
“These tips are to assist in deterring criminal activity and will assist us in apprehending those responsible,” he added.
Sampson said the city averaged 20-25 burglaries of businesses in the period from January 1 to the end of April; this year, he said, there have been approximately 50 during that time period, double the normal amount.
“This is a significant amount for this city,” Sampson said.
Morgan Hill tends to be high on property crime compared to other cities, Sampson said. The reasons for this he believes are two main factors: demographics and drug use.
“We have a lot of people in the 18-25 age group,” he said, “and narcotic use and sales are up. We have a lot more people with knowledge of how to take common items and cook up methamphetamine. These people are looking for money, so they are looking for crimes of opportunity. The dope trade is driving the burglary trade.”
As a result of the increase in burglaries, Sampson said the police department has been stepping up its efforts to make arrests.
“Within the last couple of days, we have made eight arrests downtown,” he said Thursday morning. “Some of them have had dope in their pocket, some have had burglary tools, such as night vision goggles, pry bars and other burglary tools.”
Sampson said the department uses a technique called “flooding the area;” officials will plan for officer overtime, possibly also calling on other agencies who have officers to “loan” the department, and focus on a particular area, such as the downtown, for a week or two.
“But we don’t have the manpower or the budget to maintain that for long,” Sampson said, “and the officers we ‘borrow’ have to return to their own agencies. So we flood an are for a time, then take a break.”
Downtown business leaders wanted to know what, in addition to the “three L’s,” they could do to protect their businesses.
Million Dollar Realty’s Kate O’Neil asked about help for the officers.
“What about volunteers?” she asked. “Would that help you at all?” Sampson said volunteers would and told the group their are models other communities have used to set up programs of this type. But, he cautioned, they haven’t had the manpower on the force to designate someone to set up a program and coordinate it.
Craig and other business owners brought up the idea later in the meeting, saying they would be in favor of looking into a program in the future. Sampson agreed but also cautioned that any volunteers would be more “eyes and ears” for the department than involved in any physical apprehension of criminals.
“That’s our job,” he said. “That’s what we are trained for, that’s what you pay us for.”
McLaughlin said he works with community members in Neighborhood Watch programs, and perhaps he could work with the Downtown Association to put together a “Downtown Watch” program.
McLaughlin and Craig agreed to set up a future meeting to discuss the possibilities.
McLaughlin also offered to visit downtown businesses who requested it and perform an “inspection,” offering the business owner specific ways he or she could improve the safety of their business.
For more on the police department’s crime prevention efforts: contact Frank McLaughlin at 779-2101.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@mo*************.com or phoning (408) 779-4106, ext. 202.
