TRI In The News

Police to End 'Wake-Up Calls' Effort

April 27, 2012

From The Richmond-Times Dispatch

One day after a civil liberties group blasted the Richmond Police Department for knocking on doors late at night to tell residents they are at risk of car break-ins, the department said it's ending the practice next week.

"The initiative will end, as planned, Tuesday, May 1," police spokesman Gene Lepley wrote in an email Thursday.

John W. Whitehead, president of the Charlottesville-based Rutherford Institute, hailed Lepley's announcement as a "victory for the Fourth Amendment and the privacy and property rights of homeowners."

"This is also a good example of how democratic government can and should work," Whitehead said in a statement Thursday. "As Patrick Henry reminded us, 'The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.' "

Also Thursday, Lepley corrected earlier information that Richmond police had released. He said the door-knock program is in place in the North Richmond neighborhoods of Carver, Bellevue and Ginter Park, but not in Northern Barton Heights, as police had said.

Lepley added that officers have conducted 18 "wake-up calls" since they started the initiative April 7 in those three neighborhoods. So far this month, police said they have received reports of three thefts from vehicles in the targeted neighborhoods, compared with 14 thefts in all of March.

Citywide, 465 car break-ins were reported from Jan. 1 through April 11, a 66 percent increase from the 280 reported during the same period last year, according to police statistics.

Lepley said Lt. Brian Corrigan implemented the program in the three North Richmond neighborhoods because of spikes in those areas.

Under the initiative, midnight shift officers knock on doors from about 11 p.m. to as late as about 4 a.m. to let residents know they have left valuables in plain view in their parked cars, which can entice thieves to break in.

During the relatively slow overnight hours, officers scan the inside of parked cars looking for valuables, run the license plates and pay a visit to the home of the vehicles' owners to warn them that they are tempting someone to steal from their car.

The Rutherford Institute criticized the police strategy on Wednesday as a misguided effort that will alienate residents and infringe on their rights to privacy and freedom from unreasonable police intrusions.

Whitehead wrote in a Wednesday letter to Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood that the late-night knocks could alarm residents and make them fear a criminal intruder is outside. Whitehead said that could lead to a misunderstanding that could pose safety risks to residents and officers alike.

Lepley said the department has received Whitehead's letter and that it is being reviewed.

David Lydiard, president of the Bellevue Civic Association, said after the police announced the initiative earlier this month that it was innovative and that several residents have said it is a good idea. A minority of residents, he said, seemed opposed to the program, based on postings on an online neighborhood user group.

Lydiard said he goes running at night and has seen people around 10 or 11 p.m. walking down the street trying car doors to see if they're unlocked.

"I can't imagine anyone would be upset if a policeman knocks on your door and says you left your thousand-dollar MacBook on your front seat with your door unlocked," he said.