From the Desk of Chief Ray Schultz, 

Holiday Season Safety Tip of the Week. This is the time of the year when we ask everyone to inventory their wallets and purses. Specifically, we are suggesting that people remove any extra credit and debit cards. This will help in the event cards are lost or stolen. Should you lose your purse or wallet you will be spending a lot of time cancelling cards and freezing accounts. The less cards you have to deal with the better.  Not to mention if the wrong person finds your lost or missing purse or wallet, they can do a lot of damage in a short period of time. We suggest that you limit your credit cards to just one or two and only carry the cards you are using while shopping. We also ask that you activate the usage/charge notification option. This will result in you receiving a text message after any usage over a specific limit that you set.  I have my cards set at either $50 or $100 dollar depending which card it is.  This way anytime I use it, I receive confirmation the charge went through, as well as being able to verify the amount charged is correct and was not increased by an unscrupulous clerk or server. The credit cards that you are carrying should be recorded and kept password protected on your phone, along with the phone number of the bank/institution, so should it be lost or otherwise compromised, you can quickly freeze the card.   

Of course, purse and wallet protection are also very important. During the shopping season smaller cross body purses are safer and easier to manage. Purses should never be left in shopping carts or set somewhere out of sight. Wallets should be kept in pockets or in your hands. Be extra observant if you set your wallet down on a sales counter while checking out, signing receipts, inspecting items etc… Especially, be aware of the distraction criminal trying to get your attention so they, or an accomplice can take your wallet or a credit card. And most important, never leave purses or wallets unattended in dressing rooms. 

And finally, when using credit cards always be on the lookout for skimmers, small surveillance cameras, or for people looking over your shoulder trying to watch you enter pin numbers. Because of the huge increase in credit card usage during the holidays, criminals try and take advantage of the season.  We usually see a return of skimmers at gas stations and other credit card usage locations and ATM’s. Look over the machine and the surrounding area. If the machine looks suspicious, tampered with, has lose covers/shields over the card slots, or other added pamphlet holders or “stuck on” advertisements, pen holders, etc… be cautious. Gas stations, specifically, have seals on the gas pump doors that should be intact. We also recommend checking your accounts online regularly for suspicious activity, especially online activity/purchases.  And, be sure to get and retain receipts for all purchases.  We want everyone to have a stress-free and safe holiday season and we hope these safety tips will help.  

Upcoming community events include, Saturday December 2, 2023, from 3pm – 6pm, Chapelwood United Holiday Methodist Church will be hosting their annual Christmas Festival. There will be fun and games for the whole family along with a Hayride escorted by the MVPD.   

Also on December 2, 2023, and at 3 pm, the Christ the King Luther Church will be hosting a community “Christmas Ornament” making event.  Materials will be provided along with music and refreshments.  

On Friday December 1, 2023, from 11am – 1 pm the “WOW Houston Circle of Hope Market” will return to the area, this year being held at the Memorial Forest Club. Beautiful, limited-edition products made by Guatemalan artisans will be available for sale. Refreshments will also be served.  

The Black Friday Holiday shopping deals have already started and while I do not often make recommendations, I have received notice that one of the best deals this year are “Ring Doorbells”. The 2023 Ring Battery Doorbell/Head to Toe HD+ Video. Motion detection, alerts and two-way talk has been reduced 33%.  If you want the traditional wired model, it is 45% off. Both can be found on Amazon and can make a significant difference in protecting your property. The Villages have one of the highest concentrations of video doorbells in the country. We here at the PD would like to see even more.  Video doorbells are very helpful in assisting us with investigations.  Everything from solicitors, scammers, mail thieves to would-be burglars. Layering video doorbells with our robust Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program greatly improves our ability to solve cases and hold criminals accountable. Of course, we also want to register your video doorbell on your VLINC registration so in case of an event nearby, we know who has video doorbells that may have captured images to help us investigate the incident.    

On Thursday afternoon we had a young resident stop by the MVPD to share his birthday cupcakes with officers. Out thanks to the young man and his mother for sharing with us.  See attached picture. 

Eye in the Sky! This past week several of you have noticed the MVPD drone flying night missions. Officer Boggus, who is our primary drone pilot has been performing advanced testing with the MVPD drone by flying night missions. We have seen great results over the past 2 weeks, especially during the evening rush hour times, when the drone has been able to beat our officers to the location several times. The night vision capabilities have been working flawlessly allowing Officer Boggus to access the incident and provide critical information to our responders.  The MVPD Drone program continues to be one of the best in the country thanks to Officer Boggus. 

It is expected to be a great weekend so get out and enjoy the 80-degree weather and remember the next 5 weekends will be full of crazy shoppers, so this may be the last relaxing one for a while.  If you are out and about at dusk, swing by the MVPD and check out our growing Holiday decorations display.  The Memorial Villages Police Foundation has been busy setting up the colorful display of lights. It is a great place to take some holiday pictures too.   Chief Ray Schultz rschultz@mvpdtx.org  

Weekly Crime Report

Bunker Hill 

11/10/23 at 2130 Hours. 11900 Block of Arbordale. Burglary of a Habitation. The victim returned home to find that unknown person(s) had entered his home by removing a windowpane from the rear of the house.  Once inside the suspect ransacked the entire home. The alarm at the home was not turned on at the time of the burglary.  Items taken include collectable coins/currency and jewelry.  Detectives were notified and responded to the location and processed the home for evidence.  Detectives are checking the area for video surveillance footage.  The investigation is on-going.  

11/14/23 at 0745 Hours. 11700 Block of Wendover. Fraud. The victim reported that he received notice of a credit account being opened by an unknown person who had utilized the victim’s personal information to purchase furniture. Information about the account was obtained and provided to detectives who have taken over the investigation.   

Piney Point 

11/15/23 at 0030 Hours. 11400 Block of Walden. Eluding an Officer/Possession of Marijuana.  Officers attempted to stop a vehicle after observing a traffic violation. As the officer made a U-turn, the suspect vehicle made several turns and turned off its headlights to try to elude officers.  The vehicle proceeded down a dead-end street and attempted to hide behind trees and bushes by a traffic circle. Officers contacted the vehicle's occupants who admitted to throwing marijuana out the window as they eluded officers.  Officers were able to locate the drugs on Radney Road.  The 38-year-old male and 20-year-old female were taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail.  The vehicle was towed.  

11/15/23 at 1000 Hours. 2200 Block of Piney Point. Fraudulent Use of License Plate. Officers were alerted to a vehicle entering the villages displaying a stolen/wanted license plate.  Officers located and stopped the vehicle on Piney Point Road.  Through investigation officers found that the license plate had been fraudulently produced.  The driver was issued multiple citations and the vehicle towed.