Neighbors Witness Crime, Don't Call 911

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by Fox Charlotte

Story Created: Oct 4, 2011 at 1:07 AM EDT

Story Updated: Oct 4, 2011 at 1:20 AM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - "If I see it, I'm gonna call someone," says west Charlotte resident Kenneth Patterson.  Unfortunately some of his neighbors didn't feel the same way when they recently watched burglars break into a brick home and steal air conditioning units and a stove.  

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sergeant Brian Sanders says, "(They) witnessed the entire event almost from start to finish and didn't call."

The suspects slipped away easily.  A couple miles down the road there is another neighborhood where neighbors recently watched a burglary go down and did nothing. In that case, the woman's door was busted down and her TV was stolen.

Sanders says, "It's frustrating and it's gotta be somewhat disheartening for the victim as well."  He says often, people don't call 911 because they don't want to get involved.  But officers rely on those calls, which can be made anonymously.  Sanders says, "Us actually seeing a burglary in progress is very rare and that's why we rely on the neighbors."

The good news is that burglaries are down year to date in the Freedom Division from 5,210 to 4,577.  Sanders would like to see it continue trending down and wants residents to feel comfortable passing on information about suspicious activity to the police.  He says, "We don't necessarily want them to approach people. That's what we're for."
 
Christian Ashford is visiting his grandparents at their west Charlotte home and urges neighbors to be on the lookout.  "Yes, I would want them to call the police," he says.
 
For Patterson, it's simple: treat your neighbors the way you'd want to be treated.  "Call 'em. Call the police. You wouldn't want nobody come (sic) into your house and take it and nobody call them."

Police believe suspects in one of the burglaries may be tied to several other crimes across Charlotte.  Had someone called 911, the cops could have caught them and perhaps closed several cases.

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