HARLINGEN - Crime is on the move in Harlingen. Several abandoned homes were demolished last month. Youths up to no good and drug users were known to hang out at those homes.
A lot is empty on the corner of B and Grant. An abandoned house sat there for two years. Now the only thing left is the front steps. People used to come drink there. Neighbors say they don't hang around anymore. But where are the hoodlums that used to hang out there?
Harlingen police officer Joe Gonzalez makes a few clicks to find the answer.
“This area here is what the police department has deemed the 68 district, which runs around Victor Park,” says Gonzalez.
Consider the six abandoned homes in this area the nightmare of the neighborhood. We track the crime before they came down.
“This is actually a date range from July 1 to Aug. 31,” says Gonzalez.
Burglaries and theft were everywhere.
“We demolished some houses right here in this area here,” says Gonzalez. “Now what you're doing is forcing them to move to a different area or stay at their own residence.”
Beatrice Dominguez is glad the youths up to no good are gone.
“That's why I kept my doors locked,” says Dominguez.
She worried about the children walking home from Bowie Elementary. They had to pass the abandoned house. It was a magnet for druggies and gangs.
“It makes me feel very happy to know that our plans are working in the areas, that we're able to effectively help to reduce crime,” says Gonzalez.
Crime just doesn't disappear. Gonzalez and his team are busy tracking criminal movement.
“It could jump to just about any part of the city,” says Gonzalez.
He says the bad guys are scoping the city for new hideouts. Officers are logging the scene of every crime.
“The type of tools being used, the type of scene that's being left behind, things like that let us know of a similar pattern. It could possibly be the same person that's moving from district to district,” says Gonzalez.
Dominguez wants to keep to her self. She says even if she spots a criminal uptick she won't call the cops.
But authorities say residents should report everything they see to police. That's the only way they can track the crime trends.
A lot is empty on the corner of B and Grant. An abandoned house sat there for two years. Now the only thing left is the front steps. People used to come drink there. Neighbors say they don't hang around anymore. But where are the hoodlums that used to hang out there?
Harlingen police officer Joe Gonzalez makes a few clicks to find the answer.
“This area here is what the police department has deemed the 68 district, which runs around Victor Park,” says Gonzalez.
Consider the six abandoned homes in this area the nightmare of the neighborhood. We track the crime before they came down.
“This is actually a date range from July 1 to Aug. 31,” says Gonzalez.
Burglaries and theft were everywhere.
“We demolished some houses right here in this area here,” says Gonzalez. “Now what you're doing is forcing them to move to a different area or stay at their own residence.”
Beatrice Dominguez is glad the youths up to no good are gone.
“That's why I kept my doors locked,” says Dominguez.
She worried about the children walking home from Bowie Elementary. They had to pass the abandoned house. It was a magnet for druggies and gangs.
“It makes me feel very happy to know that our plans are working in the areas, that we're able to effectively help to reduce crime,” says Gonzalez.
Crime just doesn't disappear. Gonzalez and his team are busy tracking criminal movement.
“It could jump to just about any part of the city,” says Gonzalez.
He says the bad guys are scoping the city for new hideouts. Officers are logging the scene of every crime.
“The type of tools being used, the type of scene that's being left behind, things like that let us know of a similar pattern. It could possibly be the same person that's moving from district to district,” says Gonzalez.
Dominguez wants to keep to her self. She says even if she spots a criminal uptick she won't call the cops.
But authorities say residents should report everything they see to police. That's the only way they can track the crime trends.
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