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Jan 7, 2009 9:38 pm US/Central
FWPD Stepping Up Patrols To Keep Elderly Safe
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Fort Worth police say they're seeing a significant increase in crimes against senior citizens. They say the trend has been growing for the past couple of months.
Some of the victims have been followed home from grocery stores and then attacked in their own garages. Others were shocked out of their sleep by the sound of someone breaking into their safe haven.
More victims have been confronted in public parking lots; their purses torn off their shoulders. Or they have arrived home to find thieves inside their homes, clearing out all of their valuables.
"I think that the city and the city council office and the Fort Worth Police Department and neighborhood associations should jump on this," said Suzette Watkins, a Fort Worth business owner.
Watkins owns a kennel and lives in the Meadowbrook neighborhood where many of the elderly crimes are concentrated. She believes the problem has been swept under the carpet.
"There's people in our neighborhood right now that say, 'Please don't do any more. We don't need this light shone on our neighborhood. We have houses to rent over here. We have this...' I say let the truth shine," said Watkins.
"We are aware and it is concerning for us, but we are working on the problem," said FWPD spokesperson Lt. Paul Henderson.
Investigators say they have surveillance video related to some of the crimes. They're not releasing that video, but they say they're using it along with other leads to identify suspects.
"I think we're dealing with multiple suspects that are not really connected to each other," said Lt. Henderson.
Police say patrol officers are also being told to pay extra attention to shopping centers, looking out for possible victims.
They're also asking the community to get involved, keeping an eye on elderly neighbors and warning them about the danger.
Police say if you think someone is following you in your car, call 911 if you have a cell phone. Otherwise, drive directly to a police station.
Police say they hope soon no other senior citizen will be attacked.
If you would like to learn how to help some of the victims, contact the Fort Worth Police Victim's Assistance Coordinator at 817-392-4390.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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