The Orange County deputies, with a canine, entered the neighbor’s home through the broken window. The youths, still upstairs ransacking the master bedroom, heard them enter and bolted downstairs, breaking another window in the back in a futile attempt to escape. Both were arrested in the January incident, but residents can take little comfort.
Crime on the east side is a burgeoning business. The number of robberies and residential burglaries soared by more than 20 percent last year in East Orlando. “It worries me a lot,” Acosta said of his brush with crime. “I’m a marine so I’m not afraid for myself, but it bothers me that it happened in the middle of the afternoon. [The intruders] were wearing bright clothes; they didn’t even worry about getting caught, no fear.” And nobody, no neighborhood, seems immune from the lawlessness.
The new Firkin & Kegler entertainment complex, which opened last week near Waterford Lakes Town Center, was repeatedly victimized by vandals during construction. Stone Lakes Elementary also has experienced a problem with vandalism. Commercial burglaries, sometimes as many as seven in a single weekend, are also common on the east side.
Even normally placid neighborhoods like Avalon Park no longer stand above the fray. Just recently, helicopters could be seen hovering above Avalon Park on three occasions within eight days, responding to home-burglary calls. “There is a lot of youth crime out here —home and car break-ins. It’s risen dramatically in the last 18 months,” said Avalon Park resident Karla Roarty. “People don’t want to admit there is crime because it might affect property values, but we need to address it, fix it and move on.
Hiding your head in the sand isn’t going to fix the problem.” Crime affects all neighborhoods Facing up to crime is exactly what the Avalon Park community is doing. On Feb. 2 a Neighborhood Watch group was officially formed for parts of the sprawling community, with others to follow.
Brenda Kolbrich is the overall coordinator of the Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch program. Now comprised of 3,500 homes and more than 11,000 residents, Avalon Park has seen a rapid increase in population, which is typically accompanied by a rise in crime.
The same can be said for all of East Orlando. Avalon Lakes and Timber Isles are also in the process of creating Neighborhood Watch groups to ward off crime and bring homeowners — across the entire area — together. “Crime is spilling over across borders so you have to approach this from a community-wide standpoint,” said Kolbrich, who would like to see a coalition of neighborhoods tackle this scourge.
Kolbrich got involved from two distinct vantage points: she is both a concerned homeowner and a real estate agent. “Basically, because I’m a Realtor, I hear a lot of stuff and see a lot of stuff going on,” said Kolbrich, who was also involved in the Neighborhood Watch program and HOA in her former neighborhood, Dr. Phillips, and saw how each can be an effective deterrent. “Criminal activity is a major concern. I
hear about it from all my clients. People don’t want to move into a crime-infested area.” One incident she heard about was a home burglary last month on Golden Rain Tree Boulevard. After a black SUV pulled up to a home, the driver went around back and threw a heavy object through the patio sliding doors. Because the doors were never opened, the breakin did not set off the alarm. The home was cleaned out of all video equipment, jewelry, cash and a plasma TV.
A neighbor who witnessed the offenders gain entry waited 10 minutes before calling police because she was afraid of what might happen to her. At the Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch meeting, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sal Saldano urged all residents to watch out for their neighbors, and to immediately report anything unusual. “It took 10 minutes for a neighbor who saw the break-in to call.
We have two deputies at Timber Creek High School and two helicopters and dogs available right away,” he told the overflow crowd of more than 150 homeowners. “When the Sheriff’s Office responds, we set up a perimeter and it usually works.
We could have caught that person. If anything seems out of place, call, call, call.” Saldano said it’s a dangerous world out there, where rules often do not apply. And, due to rampant drug use and the prevalence of weapons and violence, it’s getting worse.
“Crackheads don’t think. They just go out and hit and hit and they hit,” he said. “Orlando is changing. It’s not like it was before.” Deputy Richard Negron, is the East Orlando coordinator for the OCSO crime prevention unit in Zone 22, which covers 75 square miles.
A decade ago, just one police vehicle was assigned to the area; today there are five patrol cars. Still, more help is needed. “You’re our eyes and ears,” Negron said. “When we come across a crime in progress, that’s an accident. When you call us, that’s action.” A common occurrence that can lead to trouble is when solicitors go from door to door. Police have determined, in many cases, this is a scam.
They suggest people not give any money for a school trip, magazine subscription or anything else. And when solicitors knock, check it out, but never let them into your home. “If you don’t answer the door, they walk around to the back and break through the sliders,” Negron said.
“If you’re home, answer the door. Don’t necessarily open the door, but answer it. If there’s a voice coming out of the house, they don’t want any part of you.”
Forming a Neighborhood
Watch In Avalon Park the need for grassroots help in forming a Neighborhood Watch program is dramatic and on a huge scale. In the Northwest Village alone there are 869 homes; in the South Village another 807. Due to their sheer size, each village must have its own Neighborhood Watch group, with 40 percent participation of residents required.
In Avalon Park, that means one coordinator for each of the 10 villages is needed. These coordinators, in turn, are now recruiting block captains, which typically cover about 10 homes. That’s a lot of participation. In Kolbrich’s Village 2, there was 80 percent participation when a Neighborhood Watch group was designated. Residents receive signs and stickers announcing: “Warning: Neighborhood Watch Area.”
They also communicate through telephone and e-mail networks to keep everyone abreast of recent crime reports. Also online, AvalonParkWatch.org offers a menu that includes updated crime incidents, a list of sex offenders in the area, crime-prevention tips and simple ways to report crime or volunteer to fight it.
Another valuable tool gained through Neighborhood Watch is a Home Safety Survey, which offers recommendations on outside lighting and windows, as well as taking an inventory of everything in the home. Deputies said resident involvement is key to helping them do a better job of policing. Kolbrich concurred that Neighborhood Watch raises residents’ level of awareness, and safety. “It really is all about keeping an eye out for your neighbors,” Kolbrich said.
“It’s really working. We are really connected.” To start up a Neighborhood Watch group in your neighborhood, call the OCSO crime prevention unit at 407-254-7380.
