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Crime In Our Community on the Upswing?
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Invaded Space
By Andrew Yawger, President of the Concerned Citizens of Exeter Township
A little girl who lives in a quiet development in Exeter feels grown up when mom leaves to get some coffee from the local café. The girl feels...independent! Well, at least for 15 minutes, she is. A nice community and a good place to raise a family, that’s Exeter. However, reality has its less than friendly side and can sometimes be terrifying.
The little girl and her family had a nice vacation at the beach. They were all happy to get back to their comfy home in the suburbs. Of course, they happened to arrive home at the peak of a horrendous storm. There was a mad dash for the safety of the house without stopping to lock the car doors. Why should that be necessary? It was about 11 pm and this was Exeter.
Flash forward to 4:30 am. Dad has to get to work early that morning, still wishing they were at the beach. He goes to the car and finds things in disarray. The glove compartment is open. The CDs are missing from the console. The wallet that had been left in the center compartment with the credit cards, money and pictures is gone! He’s asking himself why he didn’t just stand in the rain for a few more seconds in order to lock the doors. He re-enters the house and phones the police to report the robbery.
Later that morning, after talking to the officers and arranging to have the cards cancelled and hoping that their accounts haven’t been raided, the family is confronted with the feelings of violation and fear that they are not even safe in their own home. Life must go on but now the world seems a bit colder.
The little girl lost some of her own treasures to the thieves. There was a bag that she’d made with her own two hands in Girl Scouts. She loved that bag. It made her feel good that she could take pieces of material and make such a useful item that she could keep forever. The bag was another item taken by those who could not respect the property of others. Inside that bag was a new IPod and a game. They were gifts for her birthday.
It’s good to be 11! The world is bright and you don’t think about the harsh realities in a nice place like Exeter. Now the girl is afraid. She has nightmares about people breaking into her home. When mom goes out for her morning coffee, the girl clings to her mother and gets in the car for the short ride to the café. It’s only 15 minutes, but her view of Exeter, and the world, is shattered by the thoughtless criminals who violated the sanctity of her home… her life.
No, this is not a fictional account. This is one of many recent robberies in our community. Some have happened on quiet cul-de-sacs in broad daylight. The thieves have monitored the activities of the occupants and hit the places when the owners are at work. 10:30 am seems to be a good time for them to do their dirty work. There have also been other car invasions, mostly with those that have unlocked doors for easy access.
One of the boldest set of criminals decided that they’d take all of the copper piping out of a vacant home that was up for sale. A concerned neighbor saw the truck in the driveway and noticed that lights were on in the early morning hours when the team of husband and wife and another man were finishing their plumbing project. He alerted the police who caught the trio from Reading as they were leaving the property. They had removed the piping and hadn’t even had the decency to turn off the water. The place was flooded by the time the police arrived.
As part of a concerned citizens group, I’ve heard these and other accounts of recent thefts. The newspaper ran an article recently highlighting the upswing in crime in Reading. These are tough times and many are suffering. It seems that there are always those who turn to the darker side of human nature when times are tough. They would rather take what someone else has than try harder to make something for themselves or to seek assistance from others. Most of the folks who have been burglarized are decent and caring and would have gladly helped someone in need if they were asked.
A township supervisor was contacted by me for the numerous residents who have been concerned about the crime activity that they’ve surmised is on the rise in Exeter. She was very helpful and took action right away to discuss the matter with the Chief of Police. The Chief is on top of the burglaries and provided advice for the residents. Do NOT leave your doors unlocked. This includes car doors and doors to your homes. Also, ensure that you lock the door that allows entry from your garage to the main house. A favorite tactic is to break into a car and use the garage door opener in the car to gain easy access to homes. The Chief also said that the speed with which you contact the police is very important. In some cases, the police have not been informed of the burglaries until a day or two later and that makes it almost impossible to track the criminals at that point.
Band together as neighbors and spread the word about these events. Let everyone know to be on the lookout for strangers and strange activity. If something doesn’t look right, it’s better to be cautious and to call the police than to have to pick up the pieces of shattered beliefs that all is well in the world. Help to keep our community safe.
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• Exeter Township/Borough of Birdsboro -- $2 million requested to replace the bridge on Route 345 (formerly Route 82) over the Schuylkill River. This is a primary river crossing in southern Berks County.
• Exeter Township -- $2 million requested to construct eastbound jug handle on Route 422 at its intersection with Shelbourne Road, including new structure over Antietam Creek to reduce congestion on a major regional artery in the National Highway System.
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Proposed Cuts to Library Service:
School AND Public Libraries Will Be Effected
(Senate Bill 850)
The proposed budget passed by the Pennsylvania State Senate on Wednesday, May 6th, cuts library funding by 50% and two very important services will lose funding completely. This will greatly effect education of our children and the continued flow of information. Please, do NOT let this go. Contact your elected officials and let them know that it is unacceptable to pass a budget that will have such a detrimental effect on the citizens of Pennsylvania.
Read the whole article to the right for more information and a link to contact your state officials.
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School AND Public Libraries Losing Funds from State |
What's New in our Community?
Visit the News Page to see information about the topics to the right.
| NEW Supervisors' Chairwoman Explains Change in Public Comment Portion of Board of Supervisors Meetings
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NEW April 27th 2009 Board of Supervisors Meeting News
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NEW Yet another large tax increase planned by the Exeter Township School Board!
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“Without civic morality communities perish; without personal morality their survival has no value.”
— Bertrand Russell, British mathematician and philosopher (1872-1970)
“Ethics is a code of values which guide our choices and actions and determine the purpose and course of our lives.”
— Ayn Rand, Russian-American novelist and philosopher (1905-1982)
“I don't like people who are in politics for themselves and not for others. You want that, you can go into show business.''
— Elvis Presley, American rock 'n' roll icon (1935-1977)
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