Good Morning,

This is an update on the trends we are seeing in the district in regards to Motor Vehicle Thefts and Larcenies from Motor Vehicles.

We are seeing an increase in the number of vehicles that are reported stolen in which the vehicle was left running while the driver went into a business or residence.  Additionally we have reports of vehicles that had spare keys left in the car allowing for the theft. 

Tip: Simply, if you have to run in to a business or residence turn off the car and take the keys with you.  Do not leave spare keys in vehicles.

Over the last month the vast majority of Larceny from Motor Vehicle cases were reported with no forced entry and items left in plain view.  There have been numerous inquiries on the ability of a criminal to utilize an electronic device to unlock vehicles.  In a few of our cases investigators have not been able to determine the method of entry as the complainants have been adamant that the vehicles were locked.  While district investigators have not physically come across such devices during the course of our investigations, it is possible, although not conclusive, that such devices may be in use in the district.   Investigators have seen several surveillance videos from incidents in which it appears that a suspect unlocks a vehicle while approaching it.  Again, investigators have not confirmed the usage of these devices. 

These devices act like repeaters or range extenders for the signals.  While we do not have enough information on this technology, you can take a few simple steps that may be effective. 

Tip: Store key fobs and keyless remotes as far away from the parked vehicle as practically possible.   In older vehicles you could remove the remote batteries and just use the key, in newer models this would be impractical with the advent of keyless ignition.  There are commercially available storage/lock boxes and bags that block radio signals. 

Ultimately, we still stress for all to lock their vehicles and remove items from the interior of the vehicle that can be observed from the outside.  

Items that have been stolen recently include:  laptops, cell phones, purses, wallets, firearms, sports equipment, book bags and loose cash and coins. 

Captain Brian D. Reitz
District 3 Commander
Durham Police Department
(919) 560-4583, ext. 29352
Brian.Reitz@durhamnc.gov

From the Durham Police Dept:

‘We are still experiencing a spike in vehicle break-ins where loaded firearms are being left in the car. In some cases the victim has no idea what the serial number is for the firearm: 

Tip: Please, please secure your firearm before you leave your car. We are also trending with the spare key fobs being left in the cars and the cars are being stolen. A good idea is to keep your spare key fob in an a secure area in your home. And take pictures of your serial numbers and valuable items.’

Be safe,

UE Durham Neighborhood Watch Team

Greetings;

Over the past two weeks we have experienced an uptick in motor vehicle break-ins on the Southeastern area of the district. In the Hope Valley, Highgate, Montclair and Falcon Bridge communities for example.  District 4 has experienced similar crimes. We are currently working with the District 4 Investigators to develop a suspect. We believe that the suspect(s) are either riding a bike or moped or possibly being dropped off by car in to the neighborhood unnoticed.

The modus operandi or criminal method the suspect(s) are using is the same in both districts. The suspect(s) enter the neighborhood under the cover of darkness often after midnight and walk against the tree line or the foliage undetected. And after the suspect(s) are reasonably sure that they are not discovered they perpetrate the crimes by looking for unlocked vehicles and ransack them by going through glove compartments and under the seats. In some cases the suspect(s) will throw a rock through the windows especially those with valuables in plain sight. But there is a more dangerous problem, people are still storing loaded firearms (2 more so far this week) in these vehicles which makes for adverse consequences for the good guys. Right now we have no suspect or suspect vehicle information.

With that said, over 97% of these cars were unlocked.

Tip: So two things, please call 911 when you see any suspicious vehicles or people in your neighborhoods. Secondly, please do not leave any items of value in your car and take your firearm in the house when you leave your car for the evening.

Finally, people are still leaving their garage doors open during the night with their spare keys located inside their cars. We have cases where the suspect(s) entered the garage and then the residence before stealing the victim’s car. Put your garage door down when you are home and especially before going to bed and don’t leave any spare keys in the car.

That’s all for now…stay safe and practice good crime prevention.

If you need me, call or email me.

Until next time,

Keith

Sargeant K.L. Johnson
Durham Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division
District 3
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707
919-560-4583 ext 29359 (Office)
919-907-9810 (City Cell)

Hello All,

During the past two weeks, there has been a rise in vehicle break-ins in the Highgate/Hope Valley communities. In the majority of these cases the vehicles were unlocked with items of value in plain sight. With that said, we have also noted and tracked at least two cases where the garages were left open and unsecure at night and the thieves gained entry to unlocked vehicles which had spare keys in the console. In both cases the vehicles were stolen and in one case the thieves made entry into the residence before stealing the car. Right now, we have no suspect descriptions. The vehicles were recovered..

Finally, there have been two catalytic convertor thefts in the 900 block of Constitution. The thefts seem to have been committed with a dull saw blade. There is no suspect vehicle description.

The weather is changing and of course, these types of crimes are on the rise. You can help us catch these guys by reporting all suspicious persons, vehicles and activities in your communities. We have investigated at least 2 burglaries where 2 to 3 black males were seen walking out of the woods adjacent to a house where a break-in had occurred and they were holding items  (possibly from the break in) but the police were not called.

You will never know how much your calls help us to solve crimes.

[Side note to all neighbors: The police would rather check out something that does not look right and they encourage us to call 911 at the time you are observing/experiencing something. DO NOT EVER CONFRONT anyone you believe is suspicious, just call the police.]

Tips:

1) Secure your valuables and lock your cars. Close your garages when you turn in for the night.

2) Please call the police. If it doesn’t look normal or just does not look right…at 911. 

2) One last thing, do not leave loaded firearms in unlocked vehicles. I don’t have to tell you when the good guys come up against a stolen loaded firearm in the middle of the night.. Take it in the house and lock your car.

That’s all for now…until next time…be safe and don’t be an easy target…secure your stuff.

Keith
Sergeant K.L.. Johnson
Durham Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division
District 3
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707
919-560-4583 ext 29359 (Office)
919-907-9810 (City Cell)

Correction: Street was Oxford not Cornwallis.

It was reported by a neighbor that a suspicious man today lightly knocked at their residence on Oxford but on the side door and stood there for quite some time assumingly to see if anyone was home.

One of the residents was present and stood still while the person stood at the side door. They didn’t get a great look at the person but thought it was an older white male.

It was not anyone the residents knew or was familiar with.

A report via the non-emergency phone number was made to the police. If someone matching this description and activity is observed please report to 911.

Thank you.

Hello all,

We have noticed a trend of armed robberies taking place in the Nation Av, Bedford Street, Hope Valley Road and Meadow Run communities. The suspects (3 black males) usually approach the unsuspecting victim(s) from behind in dark parking lots and brandish firearms and rob the victims of money and cellphones. The cellphones are usually recovered. Right now the offenses are occurring between the hours of 9:00 pm and 1:00 am and the suspects are described as three black males wearing hoodies travelling in a dark colored SUV or a dark colored car. We think that they are getting out of their car and walking through the neighborhood and selecting their victims. We would really like to catch up with these guys so if you see any suspicious persons or activities in your neighborhood, please DO NOT attempt to APPROACH or DETAIN them or even FOLLOW them. These guys are to be considered armed and very dangerous. If you see something, call 911 immediately and tell us what you saw. I will send more information as I get it. You will see high visibility patrols in the area until we catch them.

 TIP’S***Please park in well-lit areas, look around the parking lot before getting out of your car. Keep your key in your hand on that red button until you get to your door.

Well, until next time, be safe and call me if you need me.

Keith,
Sergeant K.L. Johnson
Durham Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division
District 3
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707
919-560-4583 ext 29359 (Office)

Hello neighbors,

At approximately 12:30 this past Friday three African American men entered an open house on the corner or WaWa and Huron of our adjacent Lakewood neighborhood.

They put a gun to the stomach of the man working in the house, took his phone, car keys and $10 cash and fled on foot toward CityWell. Nobody was injured. There may have been a burgundy SUV involved, it had been seen parked on WaWa shortly before the event with similar men. The men were wearing a red hoodie and two black sweatshirts.

Police were on the scene within 15min of the event and are still investigating.

Please be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior and call 911. Then notify your area captain. Your area captain contacts are on the contacts page of this website.

Tips:

In this day and age, it is recommended that during the day, even when you are home, that you keep your front, back and side doors locked where easily accessed from a street, backyard or driveway/garage.

Keep your garage door closed when you are home as garages offer quicker access to the house when attached.

If budget allows consider installing a security camera at main entrances of your home. 

Greetings;

 District 3 Investigators obtained warrants on Kyjuan Rubio Carrington 10-25-2001 

Carrington, Solomon and 3 juveniles were charged with 1 count each Common Law Robbery,  Assault Inflicting Serious Injury, Financial Card Theft, Obtaining Property By False Pretenses and Felony Conspiracy. For a Common Law Robbery that took place on 1-23-2018 in Garrett Road Park across the street from Jordan High School. The victim in this case received some very serious injuries. Carrington received a $25,000.00 unsecure bond and Solomon received a $10,000.00 secure bond.

We are still seeing break-ins to Motor Vehicles. However, for the last few weeks they have been concentrated on the west end of the district. In one break-in a victim came out of their residence and saw a suspect in their car. The suspect fled on a bike. He was described as an older black male. These break-ins are occurring on Morehead, Lakewood, House Av and Chapel Hill Road and between the hours of 11:00 pm and 2:00 am. For this reason we have stepped up high visibility patrols in the area. 90% of these vehicles had valuables in plain sight of the offender.

District 3 Investigators obtained warrants on Chrishandra Williams charging her with the Possession of Motor Vehicle and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle. Ms. Williams was arrested and is still incarcerated in the Durham County Jail.

For the next few weeks my detectives will be riding through the district engaging the community and doing directed patrols. If you see them please don’t be alarmed. They should be getting out of their cars and speaking with residents. They will be driving unmarked police cars (Chevy Impala’s and Dodge Chargers) and wearing business attire. Let me know how they are doing.

Finally, please be cognizant of any suspicious activity and suspicious persons in your communities and call us, let us check it out. It may be nothing or…it may be something important.

Well, that’s all for now.

Until next time…be careful and stay safe.

Keith

Sergeant K.L. Johnson
Durham Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division
District 3
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707
919-560-4583 ext 29359 (Office)
919-907-9810 (City Cell)

Greetings

 Recently, we have experienced some purse snatchings in District 3. The crimes have occurred within the last two days in our shopping areas on Chapel Hill Road. and at Southpoint Mall.

In the case at Old Chapel Hill Road, the victim was in the laundry mat when a black male (No further description) walked up behind the victim assaulted her and then made off with her purse in an unknown direction.

At Southpoint Mall, the victims were sitting outside of a coffee shop when two young black males (No further description) snatched the victim’s purse and cell phones off of the table and fled to a waiting automobile which was dark in color. Although we believe that these are two isolated instances we still want you to practice good crime prevention concepts by being cognizant of your surroundings and keeping your purses close to you and not on the table and don’t leave your purse or laptops unattended while in coffee shops or restaurant’s. These investigations are ongoing and we are working hard to identify these guys and put them in jail.

My detectives and District 3 Patrol Officers are doing some work in the Surrey Lane and Chapel Hill Road communities. You will see increased directed patrols in that area with marked and unmarked cars. Call 911 if you see any suspicious persons or activities and keep your neighborhood safe. Please call me or email me if you have questions.

 Well, that’s all for now…take care and be safe.

 Keith

 Sergeant K.L. Johnson
Durham Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division
District 3
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707
919-560-4583 ext 29359 (Office)
919-907-9810 (City Cell)

Greetings

I hope everyone had a very happy new year.

My investigators will be riding in the residential areas of District 3 looking for open garage doors. Last year, we experienced some burglaries where entry was made through the garage after the victim left the house or turned in for the night. When my guys locate an open garage they will walk up to the residence and offer a friendly reminder shut the door and other crime prevention tips. Let me know how they are doing.

Tip: Please don’t put television or computer boxes in front of your houses for trash day. When thieves ride through the area, they often target those homes for burglaries. Try to break them down and place them inside the trash can.

Tip: When we recover property sometimes it is difficult to return the items when there is no way to identify them. So, here’s a suggestion. Take a picture of ALL of your valuables, jewelry…etc…(when you take a picture of your television and computer make sure you take a picture of the serial number) then email it to yourself, the cloud or even to a relative.

Please continue to report any suspicious persons or activities.

Finally, if you need me or have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me @ 919-560-4583 ext 29359 or just send an email to keith.johnson@durhamnc.gov and I will reply immediately.

Until next time, be safe, lock your cars and please DON”T leave firearms in your cars!!!

Keith

Sergeant K.L. Johnson
Durham Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division District 3
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707 9
19-560-4583 ext 29359 (Office) 9
19-907-9810 (City Cell)