The Victim: Ralph Hamm
The Crime: Burglary
Date: Wednesday, June 8
Time: Between June 8 (8:30 a.m.) and June 12 (8 p.m.)
Location: 5700 block of Watson

Ralph Hamm and his wife enjoy playing golf together. They enjoy the competition and time outdoors at some of the nice golf courses in the area.

Unfortunately, a thief recently grabbed some of the Hamms’ clubs as part of their loot — and took their car, too.

“I walked in and saw that some guys had broken in,” Hamm says. “They didn’t tear anything up, but they headed straight for the TVs. They also took the car.”

The burglar broke a rear patio door to enter the house while the Hamms had been out of town. Hamm says it was quite a shock to come home to a burglary.

“It’s very disruptive, disturbing and intrusive,” he says.

The burglar took in quite a haul, including computer equipment, three big-screen televisions, crystal decanters, jewelry, a toaster, leather jacket, several bottles of liquor and two sets of golf clubs, including a backup set of Hamm’s and his wife’s set. Luckily, Hamm says his best set of clubs wasn’t taken and that the burglar left behind other valuables, so it could have been worse. The burglar also made off with the family’s 2008 Infiniti.

The Hamms have lived in their home since 1998, and this is their first brush with crime. One positive was that the car was recovered the next day without any damage. The total property lost was valued at more than $13,000.

Dallas Police Lt. Richard Dwyer of the North Central Patrol Division advises residents to always notify their neighbors when they leave town, and also hold newspaper and mail delivery so as not to tip off thieves. In this case, things turned out well with police catching a suspect.

“North Central patrol officers spotted the car at a motel off Central Expressway and LBJ,” Dwyer says. “They arrested the subject and recovered some of the stolen property.”

$30,000

Value of the 2005 black Hummer stolen from a public parking lot in the 8500 block of Edgemere while the owner was at work

21

Number of offenses that occurred at NorthPark Center in one week, including 17 thefts or attempted thefts

07.02

Date when a visitor’s jewelry was stolen from her hotel room in the 3800 block of West Northwest Highway with no signs of forced entry

Know your NPO (neighborhood police officer)

Each month, the Advocate will profile a neighborhood police officer from the North Central Division to help residents get to know the cops who cover their block.

 

photo by Madeline Stevens

Name: Mark Lutz

Years on the force: 20

My neighborhood: My primary sector is the 650s, which contain four beats south of Forest Lane, west to Inwood Road, east to Central Expressway and north of Northwest Highway. The area includes small businesses as well as the robust NorthPark Center. Crime is statistically and consistently lower than many other areas of Dallas due to the strong partnership between the citizens and police.

Q: Home burglaries have jumped 7 percent this year. What’s the criminals’ most common point of entry?

A: Rear doors and windows. And in many cases, these are left unlocked.

Contact the North Central Police Station at 214.670.7253.