October 2014
Greetings,
Welcome to the October 2014 Steele Creek Division Response Area 1 monthly community newsletter.
You are receiving this issue because we have you on our community coordinator’s email distribution list
or you signed up for “notify me” for the Steele Creek Division. Please check the Steele Creek Response
Area 1 map on page 2 to confirm you live or work in this area. If interested in another division or area,
you can link to them or sign up for their newsletters via www.cmpd.org.
I send this letter monthly by email to residents and businesses in the Steele Creek Division RA 1. Ask your
neighbors to contact me – [email protected], their Lieutenant or the Steele Creek Division office at
704.336.7800, if they want to get on board.
For those of you who have not met me, let me introduce myself to you. I have been in command of Steele
Creek Response Area 1 since September 2008 when Chief Monroe introduced his crime fighting strategy. I
have been with CMPD for 16.5 years and graduated with the 126th Recruit Class in May 1998. My first
assignment was in the Central Division and I have been in the Steele Creek Division since January 2006. I am
originally from eastern PA and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill (BA) and UNC-Charlotte (MS). I have lived in
the Charlotte area since 1996.
I look forward to getting to know more of you as we partner together to fight crime in our neighborhoods.
Best regards,
Lieutenant Mark Santaniello
Response Area 1 Neighborhoods
Your Community Coordinators:
Officer Alec LaFontaine
[email protected]
CMPD Steele Creek Division: Response Area 1 Newsletter
Officer Adam DeGeorge
[email protected]
October 2014
Crime Stats for the month of September:
Above you see two distinct measures. Every 28 days I must present to Chief Monroe and his command
staff the crime stats for the previous 28 days and the Quarter to Date in an accountability meeting. During
this meeting, I present emerging trends, what proactive measures have been taken, and how we plan to
proceed for the next 28 days. The 28-day comparison on the left shows the most recent stats in relation to
the same 28-day period in 2013. Similarly, the column on the right compares stats for Quarter to Date
2014 versus Quarter to Date 2013.
The Response Area had good results in September. Overall violent crime was down as well as Part I and
Property crimes. Commercial Burglaries, Shopliftings, and LFA’s were the primary categories to show
increases. Geographic trends for September will be discussed in the next section.
A vital part of Chief Monroe’s crime reduction strategy is an intense focus on specific crimes. Each
Lieutenant must identify two or more major “Focus Crimes” and set reduction goals for every quarter. For
Response Area 1 for the Third Quarter of 2014 I selected Larceny from Auto or “LFA” (10% reduction goal),
Robbery (20% reduction goal), and Residential Burglary (10% reduction goal). We met our goal for Robbery
and Residential Burglary.
CMPD Steele Creek Division: Response Area 1 Newsletter
October 2014
Crime Trends in RA 1
During early September, we saw increases in LFA’s. Most of those were either at hotels or residential
locations. A citywide LFA ring was arrested and we found them to be responsible for several of our
hotel LFA’s. Since then we have not seen commensurate increases. Commercial burglaries were up,
mainly in the S. Tryon/Arrowood commercial area. Similarly, the shopliftings occurred in the S.
Tryon/Arrowood area. There were no other geographic trends of note.
Partnerships and Crime Prevention
If you currently manage a business, a residential property, or live in a neighborhood without an
organized HOA; we challenge to get involved in being a proactive partner in crime prevention. “How
do I do that,” you might ask. The easiest way is to contact one of my community coordinators (Alec
LaFontaine or Adam DeGeorge) to set up a crime reduction seminar or establish a prevention program.
We are always looking for new and creative ways to form new relationships and get you, the public, to
take an active role in personal/community safety.
Nextdoor.com
We are making a large effort to increase our participation in the Nexdoor.com neighborhood social
networking site. As of now, we have 164 households in our area from nine neighborhoods (Tree Top,
Tyvola, Eagle Lake, Olde Whitehall, Courtney Oaks, McDowell Farms, Timberstone Commons, Coffey
Creek, and Archdale). This tool gives your neighborhood the ability to communicate with each other
about any and all types of issues. We in the CMPD do not see your day to day activity but can post
crime alerts and answer specific questions from the community. Some more detailed information on
this program is included at the end of this newsletter. Please check it out and encourage your
neighbors to join!
Crime Prevention Tips
Fall is in the air and that means Halloween is right around the corner. Here are some common-sense
tips to have a fun and safe Halloween:
 If going Trick-or-Treating, always accompany your children and visit only houses you know
 Make sure you have at least one article of reflective clothing and a flashlight
 Inspect any candy before allowing your children to consume it
 If you do not wish to participate, turn your porch light off and do not answer the door
 Do not hesitate to call 911 in reference to any suspicious activity in your neighborhood
 Also consider a Fall Festival or carnival instead of Trick-or-Treating as a family alternative
Another good tip is to secure your household Wi-Fi network. We had several instances lately where
subjects with criminal histories were hanging out in apartment breezeways and common areas. Upon
further questioning, we found out they would troll these areas to look for open Wi-Fi networks where
they could use their mobile devices. Securing your network not only makes the community safer but
helps you be less of a potential victim of identity theft.
As I mention every month in my crime prevention tips, “Operation ID” can be very important.
“Operation ID” is one of the ways for officers to positively identify stolen items by make, model and
serial number. If you purchased a new item like a computer, GPS, iPod or Flat Screen TV, write down
the make, model and serial number of these items and any other item of value and keep that list in
safe place. If practicable, engrave your NC driver’s license # on the item. For example, I record my
serial numbers in a file on my computer for convenience, but I also keep a copy in my records just in
CMPD Steele Creek Division: Response Area 1 Newsletter
October 2014
case my computer is stolen. It isn't important where or how you record your serial numbers, it is
important that you do record them and have them accessible should you need to provide them to
police. Should you be the unfortunate victim of a theft, this increases the chances of recovering your
items.
Steele Creek RA 1 Community Meetings and Events –October 2014 (to have your community event
advertised here; please send me the information prior to the 1rst of the month).
**Confirm with the organizer prior to meeting because they can sometimes be subject to change
 None currently scheduled…
Helpful Links
 www.cmpd.org – Please browse our website to obtain information about our department,
news, services available, crime mapping, and events in your community.
 www.charmeck.org/Departments/mcso/home.htm?header=www%2emecksheriff%2ecom Visit the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office site to view arrest photos, see who has been
arrested for a crime, who is in custody, or to check and see if someone has an arrest warrant.
 www.ncregistry.ncsbi.gov –(Link to the NC Sex Offenders Registry)
 www.charmeck.org –Visit this site for a wealth of information on government services in
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
 www.optoutprescreen.com – Opt out of pre-screened credit and insurance solicitations
CMPD Steele Creek Division: Response Area 1 Newsletter
October 2014