Violent crimes down from '08 in west Mesa

Mesa police Cmdr. Mark Wesselman, who oversees the department’s Dobson district, admitted to a group of residents during a recent community forum that the west side of the city is likely to see more serious crimes than other parts of Mesa.

But during that talk in front of about 50 people at Powell Junior High, Wesselman gave some positive news and made a bold prediction: “I’m predicting a 20 percent (crime) reduction for the year,” he said. “Let’s see what we can do. I bet we can do it.”

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In the city’s most recent compilation of crime statistics, during a 28-day period from May 25-June 21, the Dobson district experienced 345 serious crimes. During the same time last year, the area had 461 serious crimes, which include homicides, sexual assaults, aggravated assaults and robberies.

Covering 13.6 square miles and serving nearly 90,000 residents, the district is bordered by Broadway to the north, one block south of Guadalupe Road to the south, Horne Avenue to the east and roughly Loop 101 to the west.

From last year to this year, property crimes have dropped from 336 to 281 in the Dobson district.

The department’s targeting of repeat offenders and deploying resources in areas that are harder hit by crimes are part of the reason for the reduction in incidents, Wesselman said.

“Some people would say it has something to do with the economy,” Wesselman said. “People are possibly staying at home more often, cutting down the chances of them being victims of burglaries.”

Of all serious crimes, auto thefts have seen the biggest drop in a year’s time — down by 38 percent, according to Wesselman.

From Jan. 1 to June 21, 2008, there were 240 auto thefts. This year, there have been 148 in the same amount of time.

Three of the city’s six homicides this year, have been committed in the Dobson District, Wesselman said. Last year at this time, four homicides had been committed in the Dobson District, Wesselman said.

However, residential burglaries have increased 11 percent from last year, the only serious crime that has seen an increase. In the 28-day period, there were 38 residential burglaries — 12 more than the same period of time last year.

But police have netted 27 burglary arrests in that time, and made one arrest of a burglary suspect believed responsible for as many as 34 burglaries, according to Wesselman.

Jerry Quarles, crime prevention officer for Mesa police, also told the crowd of residents that 10 percent of the criminals commit 90 percent of the crimes, and he was quick to remind residents that cost-effective deterrents include having consistent lighting around your home and keeping all doors and gates locked.

“Denying access is delaying access,” Quarles said.

Keeping inventory of items in sheds also is helpful in the event of a property crime.

Many of the longtime residents in attendance at the forum believed in the old-fashioned deterrents: getting to know your neighbor and watching out for each other.

“We like to keep informed,” said Don Williams, who has lived with his wife, Nina, in the Marlborough neighborhood near Alma School and Guadalupe roads since 1982.

The couple said there have been some recent car burglaries and, about six weeks ago, someone poured gasoline in a neighbor’s front yard that burned profanity into the grass, and that concerned them.

“We’ve got a nice neighborhood, and we’d like to keep it that way,” Don Williams said. “We watch out for each other, and that’s why we keep our crime rate down.”

Jim and Cheryl Hertzler, who have lived in the Hunters Ridge neighborhood on Extension Road between Baseline and Guadalupe roads for 29 years, both serve on the Mesa Police Department’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee and are Neighborhood Block Watch captains. The Hertzlers e-mail everybody in their neighborhood when there is a crime or something suspicious occurs.

“If new people moving into the neighborhood don’t want to get involved, at least get to know your neighbor on each side of you,” Jim Hertzler said.