By Alan Kenny, KRTN
A special meeting entitled Stop Vandalism Now – sponsored by GrowRaton! and the City of Raton – was held on Tuesday, December 14th at International Bank. It is recognized by all parties involved that in order to stop the wave of vandalism that has been afflicting local businesses and residents, it is time for the public to get involved and set up a Crime Stoppers Reward Fund.
Addressing an estimated crowd of over 100 concerned citizens, Paul Jenkins of GrowRaton! opened the meeting by stating, “We have a real problem. One of the solutions needed to address this problem is to organize a local Crime Stoppers Program which has been successful in other communities.” Jenkins informed the crowd that over $1600 had been collected. Then, Jenkins introduced International Bank President Ron Schmeits who presented a check for $500 on behalf of International Bank.
Charles Duran, President of High Country Crime Stoppers, gave words of encouragement to those in attendance and handed Paul Jenkins a check from High Country Crime Stoppers in the amount of $2000. Duran stated that High Country Crime Stoppers will stand shoulder-to-shoulder, with this newly formed, local Crime Stoppers Group. Paul Jenkins then announced the need for a Board of Directors in order to form a 501c3 and be allowed to operate under corporate provisions – allowing tax deduction status.
Raton City Manager Scott Berry addressed the audience with an overview of city basic services which are running at maximum capacity. Berry explained that any additional help from the Police or Fire Department would require additional sources of funding. Berry concurred that a local Crime Stoppers Group could help alleviate some of the vandalism problems.
Raton Chief of Police John Garcia suggested, “The more eyes, the more arrests.” During the question-and-answer period, many people raised concerns that the present police cameras were not functioning well enough to capture photos of suspects. This, in theory, was agreed upon by both the Police Chief and City Manager. It was mentioned that, due to changes in technology, Raton needed new updated cameras and that the City was moving in that direction to remedy this problem.
Meanwhile, Chief Garcia repeatedly stated the importance of surveillance equipment and deemed it a necessity for all businesses.
It was also clearly stated that the time for community policing is at hand – it is time to partner up with the community to help the Police Department by reporting any suspicious activity immediately and using surveillance equipment whenever possible.
Chief Garcia informed the audience, “We are knocking on doors, trying to resolve this vandalism problem, but we need community involvement.” Chief Garcia specified that there were 45 calls reporting vandalism this November versus seven calls last November.
During audience discussion, a recurring concern was that many suspects that were caught were released over and over again by the court system. District Court Judge Emilio Chavez stressed the importance of discussing with judges any circumstance that a citizen wants brought before the court – as the Court only sees want is presented to it.
During this meeting, an audience member shared that there seem to be many juveniles who have no mentoring or guidance which tends to lead to crimes being committed. At this point, Seth Ward introduced himself as the local Big Brother/Big Sister representative, an organization that mentors children and provides on-going guidance at no charge. Seth Ward was well- received by a concerned audience looking for a solution to the pressing vandalism occurring in Raton.
It was observed that – with the night’s extra donation – the local Crime Stoppers Fund is now up to $5,000. It was also acknowledged that the usual reward for a Crime Stoppers tip is $1,000, so it is encouraged that the public keep the funding coming in.
The contact number for donations to the local Crime Stoppers Fund is 245-Grow (4769).
