With the holiday season approaching, Captain Claiborne is encouraging residents to be mindful of their surroundings, and use greater care in protecting property and personal belongings. You can help prevent being victimized by taking some simple steps. You should never leave personal property such as cash/spare change, clothing/jackets/sneakers, laptop computers, iPods/cell phones, and handbags/purses in visible areas of your vehicle. From 9/29/09 to 10/12/09, there have been 63 reported incidents of vandalism to motor vehicles, 11 B&E reports, 40 larceny reports and 7 auto theft reports. Can you imagine driving off in your car and all of a sudden you feel a slight tilt and hear a hideous sound, then you get out of your car to take a look and find out that a thief has stolen your rear tire. If you are a landlord you need to be more careful, especially if you want to serve an eviction notice in the cold months. When a Lorne Street landlord gave her tenant an eviction notice on 10/08/09, the tenant was so enraged she decided to teach the landlord a lesson. The tenant entered the basement by unscrewing the screws on the door and broke all the copper pipes, causing a flood in the basement. She wanted her landlord to experience the feeling of having no heat and no water.

Sept. 29, 6:15 a.m. – A 37-year-old female walked into B-3 and told officers at the front desk that an unknown person had slashed seven of the eight tires on her and her husband’s vehicle while it was parked on Drummond Street.

Sept. 28, 1:45 p.m. – Victim walked into District B-3 stating that her motor vehicle had been taken from outside of her residence on Greenwood Street. On Sept. 18, the victim’s home was burglarized and one of the items taken was the key to her vehicle. On Oct. 5, officers observed a gray Audi matching the description of the victim’s vehicle with a broken tail light. Officers stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Park/Millet Street. The suspect was arrested for operating after suspension and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

Sept. 29, 8:00 p.m. – A 75-year-old male reported that he parked his vehicle on Charlotte Street. When he returned to his vehicle at around 9 a.m., he noticed that the driver’s side front window was completely smashed, the interior rummaged through, and $3 was missing.

Oct. 1, 5:30 a.m. – A Boston Police Sergeant Detective parked his Department vehicle on Deering Road, and when he returned to his vehicle he observed the driver’s side rear fly window broken. On 09/27/09, a police officer parked her vehicle on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan Square to be repaired. When she returned to her vehicle, she observed that an unknown person had cut a hole in the convertible sunroof and removed a leather coat valued at $250 and a pair of sneakers valued at $45. A Lowell resident stated that he was visiting the Boston area on Oct. 1 and he parked his vehicle on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan at 9:30 p.m. He returned to his vehicle ten minutes later and discovered that an unknown person had punctured all four tires with an ice pick. A 21-year-old female stated to officers that on Oct. 1 she parked her vehicle on Woodhaven Street at approximately 10:30 p.m. When she returned to her vehicle, the left rear vent window was shattered and an Apple iPod Nano with the UBS cord was missing.

Oct. 3, 7:30 a.m. – An unknown person broke into Apple D’OR Tree Company located on American Legion Highway and stole a file cabinet containing important paperwork. On 10/09/09, officers responded to the same location for a report of vandalism to a dump truck. An unknown person had shattered the windshield with a rock.

Oct. 7, 5:14 p.m. – Officers responded to Woodbole Avenue for a B&E report. The victim told officers that he had purchased a new computer which was delivered to his home on Oct. 6, but he was not home to receive it. He left a note for the deliveryman to leave the computer with his neighbor. Victim further stated that he and his family had left their home around 6:30 a.m., on Oct. 7 and returned at 4 p.m. When he entered his bedroom he noticed that it had been ransacked and two Dell laptop computers were missing. Officer spoke with a neighbor who stated that she observed the victim’s rear window shattered as she was taking out her trash.

The District B-3 Community Meeting held last night at the Mildred Avenue Community Center was Captain Claiborne’s last meeting before his retirement and move to the Harvard University Police Department. Also, next Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., District B-3 will be hosting a Halloween Party featuring a Haunted House at the station rear parking lot off Rhodes Street. The party is open to all children 12 and under. Hot dogs will be served.