Recently in Trends Category

I've had a busy night so I'm just going to paste my story on this right in here.

Perfect example of what we're talking about when I report how often police say they need help from residents to really stop crime.

By Joyce Tsai
and Robert Mills
Sun Staff
TEWKSBURY -- The call went out late last week -- break-ins are on the rise in Tewksbury, with about a half-dozen reported recently, and police need help from the public to stop the thieves working in town.
Yesterday, police got the help they wanted and it landed two men behind bars.
Deputy Chief John Voto said a resident of Rogers Street called police about 9:30 a.m. to report that she saw two men acting suspiciously in front of her neighbor's home.
The woman said she had seen a newspaper report last week about police asking residents to be on the alert.
Two officers went to 105 Rogers St. They immediately realized the home had been broken into, and contacted the neighbor who had called.
"This neighbor was able to give a great description of the suspects and the vehicle," complete with the car's license plate," Voto said in a written statement.
Police soon spotted the black Honda on East Street, and with help from state police tracked it onto Interstate 93 and Interstate 495 north.
A state police spokesman, Sgt. Sean Murphy, said troopers in unmarked cruisers were involved in tracking the car, until Lawrence police found it parked near 205 Broadway St., and located its occupants inside a jewelry store.
Tewksbury police believe the men were trying to pawn items they had just stolen from the Tewksbury home.

Jeffrey Beaulieu, 26, of Salem, N.H., and Michael Wightman, 24, of Methuen, were both charged with breaking and entering in the daytime, larceny over $250 and two counts of attempting to commit a crime.
As to whether the two suspects could be linked to earlier break-ins -- several of which were also committed in broad daylight over the past week -- Voto said police are investigating diligently, but that he can not comment on anything else since those investigations remain ongoing.
This case also still remains under investigation, and more charges could follow, he said.
The tip from a neighbor was a perfect example of the sort of help police from Tewksbury, Lowell, and other towns in the area often request from residents, especially in a poor economy when break ins tend to increase.
In Tewksbury, police contacted the media to spread the request last week. Chief Timothy Sheehan ordered reverse 911 calls made to ask residents to lock their doors, secure their belongings, and keep an eye on their neighbor's homes in an effort to stop the thieves.
"If you see someone suspicious, whether major or minor, call the police and let us determine if its something that needs to be looked into," Voto told The Sun last week. "The police and the community need to work together to solve these crimes."
Police did not identify the woman who called them yesterday, but thanked her for defending her town.
"The Tewksbury Police Department would like to thank and commend this citizen for helping to protect the Town of Tewksbury," Voto said yesterday.
Anyone with information on a crime or who spots suspicious activity is asked to call Tewksbury police at 978-851-7373. Anonymous tips can be phoned in at 978-851-0175.

Got a release from Nashua Police this afternoon saying they've arrested a door to door magazine salesman this week.

I've written plenty about these people before, and even a bit earlier this year when someone warned me that they were in the area.

On Tuesday, David Parker, 21, of Duquesne, PA was arrested by Nashua Police and charged with Burglary.

Police say he worked for a company called Pacific Coast Clearing Services, of 5775 Soundview Drive, Gig Harbor, Washington. Police say that company has has several aliases, which is obviously a hallmark of a legitimate business.

Police were called about 6 p.m., for a report of a burglary at the home of a woman who had spoken to a door to door magazine salesman while in her yard.
When she went back into her home she realized her wallet was missing from her purse.

She gave police a detailed description of the suspect, and Parker was taken into custody a short time later nearby, police said.

Nashua Police say any door to door salesman in New Hampshire requires a permit from the state, and in Nashua it requires a permit from Nashua as well.
Police confirmed Pacific Coast Clearing Services has no permits.

Police encourage anyone who believes door to door salesman are suspicious to call police, and local police departments here in Massachusetts have long done the same.

Permits are also required in Massachusetts.

I've been writing about this for over two years now. It's an easy thing to stop and an easy way to get ripped off. Do me a favor and don't fall for this or let your friends fall for it.

This is very unfortunate, but interestingly it comes just as we've been debating the need to give vision and road tests to elderly drivers here in Massachusetts.

Making it even more interesting, is the fact that New Hampshire already requires road tests for driver's over 75. The debate here in Massachusetts has been looking at 85 as the age where road tests are required.

Thoughts?

It turns out there is at least a tiny bit of a local flavor to the good news the FBI released yesterday when they announced that violent crime was down 2.5 percent and property crime was down 1.6 percent nationwide in 2008.
The Northeast was the only region of the country where property crimes, such as burglary and theft, were up in 2008. They were up 1.6 percent here.

Lowell saw increases in both categories of crime in 2008, but during the first three months of this year robbery and murder are both down. Burglary is up, but only slightly.

Superintendent Lavallee just forwarded me the numbers this afternoon. They're limited, but if you want to take a look at the excel spreadsheet just click this link.

Pelham, NH Police Chief Joe Roark sent out a message this afternoon asking for help in spreading the word that a receipt may no longer be unassailable proof that a person has made a legitimate purchase at a local store.
Roark said police have identified a website that allows users to print out receipts from various stores that even, purportedly at least, contain a scannable bar code.

Though the website claims to be for "novelty" purposes Roark said the criminal possibilities are numerous.
Shoplifters could steal high-end merchandise, print a receipt and then return it for cash, employees could generate fake receipts for expense reports, and thieves could generate fake receipts to give themselves credibility while trying to sell items on eBay or Craigslist to name a few.
The shoplifting scam in particular seems troublesome, as I've read about many cases of shoplifters returning stuff for cash instead of just taking what they need recently. (There just aren't many locals stores where you can shoplift heroin).

Roark says local stores should pay close attention to receipts, and call police right away if they think they have a bogus one. Pelham Police can be reached at (603) 635-2411.

Roark didn't share the website's url, but a quick google turned up a few such sites. I'm not going to be the one to share, though.

I'm mostly amused by the website's claims that they're for novelty purposes only.
Is there seriously a segment of the population that sits around printing receipts to get their kicks? Am I missing out on all the fun here?

A quiet few spring days and nights is apparently exactly the climate in which this one (or more?) pickup truck /Jeep stalker(s) in the Burlington Mall area likes to operate.

As he/they cruises around at all hours day and night, looking to pick off catalytic converters from the exhaust system in the vulnerable underbelly of higher wheel-base vehicles that have been left unattended.

Even in the Sears parking lot at the mall in daylight!

Here's the full story on a rash of catalytic converter thefts this week, with much thanks to Burlington Police officers John Lynch and Dan Hanafin:

By John Collins
jcollins@lowellsun.com
BURLINGTON -- Four thefts of catalytic converters in two days from three pickup trucks and a Jeep has prompted Burlington police to advise local owners of vehicles with high wheel-bases to be wary of suspicious activity surrounding their parked vehicle, Officer John Lynch told The Sun.

A catalytic converter is a loaf of bread-sized section of the exhaust system that is accessible from underneath a vehicle. It contains the precious metal platinum, which thieves often try to sell to scrap metal dealers. On Thursday, the closing market price for platinum was $1,147, according to platinumprice.org.

"We heard news that the Midwest has really been getting hit hard recently with this type of theft, and now it appears to be happening here," Lynch said.

The victims of the four catalytic converter thefts in Burlington this week include the owners of two 2009 Toyota Tacomas, a 1996 Toyota pickup, and a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The thefts occurred both during the day and overnight while the vehicles were parked outside the Sears store at the Burlington Mall, in an office park on Wayside Road, and in the parking lot of 6 New England Executive Park, off Burlington Mall Road, where two vehicles were hit a day apart, police say.

In each case, the thief apparently used a battery operated saw to hack off the catalytic converter, probably needing only in a few minutes to complete the job. "With cars, you'd have to jack it up to get to it, but pickups and SUVs, they just roll under it," Lynch said.

Besides the several hundred dollar-cost of replacing the catalytic converter, the part's hasty removal often causes damage to the vehicle's computer wiring or fuel line, mechanics say.

# #

In other words folks, if you happen to spot somebody laying on their back under a car using what sounds like a battery-operated saw (or even a hacksaw maybe?) in the mall parking lot, or at the commuter lot in Tyngsboro, don't automatically assume that person is working on their OWN vehicle.

You could be seeing a CC/platinum thief in action!

- JC

Dracut made a nice arrest on a house break Saturday, but it took me a bit to track the story down. It's still worth a mention I think.

They got a call Sunday about 8 p.m., after a resident of 85 Wheeler Road had a guy break into his front door and go running up the steps of his home. The resident yelled at the burglar, who must have thought no one was home.
He promptly ran back down the steps and out the door.

The homeowner had earlier noticed a man come to the door, and then leave in a black Volkswagen with a broken tail light in back. He saw the same car as the burglar fled.

The homeowner, who was unharmed, told police about the Volkswagen, and Sgt. Robert Richard spotted it on Pelczar Road a short distance from the scene.
Both the driver and passenger in the car had arrest warrants, and both were later charged with breaking and entering at night.

The driver was Patrick Donovan, 32, of Dracut. The passenger was Shawn Keefe, 28, of Tyngsboro, who had a couple warrants for other breaks in Lowell and Billerica.

Good thing the resident was attentive enough to notice the vehicle, and that Sgt. Richard was alert enough to spot it.
Police are still investigating whether Keefe and Donovan may have been involved in other recent breaks as well.

Burglaries have been up in Lowell and most towns around the region, although they were down in Dracut between 2007 and 2008. Nice arrests like this could help continue that trend.