As scary as it gets around here
Get a good look, then look again. This is a composite sketch of a man Flower Mound police are looking for. An 8-year-old girl told her mother and then police that a man who looks like this tried to kidnap her August 10 (a week ago) on Stanford Drive. This is just a couple of blocks away from Old Settlers Elementary. He's approx 6-2, 200, about 40, short hair. His pickup truck with unknown lettering on the sides and red flames in the back.
FOX 4 had live coverage on this story Monday night and Tuesday morning, but that was four days after the report came in. Don't know why FMPD didn't get word to local media before then. I got my first tip on this Sunday night from a Flower Mound Road reader.
Be careful out there, and watch those kids.
posted by Chip Mahaney @ 11:26 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I was surprised to see so many children walking ALONE to and from Old Settlers Elementary this past week; walking RIGHT PAST this street, too! I wonder if the administration at OSE was / is aware of this issue and if they sent out an alert letter to the parents. Seems to me the FMPD should have at least alerted OSE and MMS next door.
We're lucky to live in a city this safe, but no city is crime-free. I feel uneasy when I see a child or children walking or playing in a city park without older supervision. There is a false sense of security that sheer numbers (buddy system, etc.) or the light of day will deter predators or otherwise prevent abductions.
Hopefully this 'failed' event will serve as the wakeup call, rather than a 'successful' one.
I was in contact with the FMPD, two local stations, a former FM official, and a local paper after this story broke Monday, 5 days after the attempted abduction on the 10th.
The FMPD told me that they put the story out to local media hours after the event happened, and indeed it seems that at least one HOA was notified according to the former public official - And the official news release forwarded to me from Channel 5 was dated August 11 - However the email containing it was dated Tuesday the 15th, not the 11th. So who do you believe???
But I could NOT find any mention of it on any of the local internet news sites at all (Channel 5 and the Flower Mound Leader appears to have been the first to post it, on the 15th).
Last time I checked, the Dallas Morning News and Star-Telegram did not have the news release posted that I could see - However they have not returned my emails.
One TV station reported only getting the news release Monday, and the other TV station (Channel 5) said they didn't get it till Tuesday the 15th (5 days after the incident happened). They sent me a copy of the email from the FMPD dated the 15th.
Furthermore, Channel 5 said that they decided NOT to air the story on their 10pm news, because Channels 4 and 8 beat them to the punch (Channel 5 only aired it in the mornings and at 5pm) - But that did not keep Channel 5 from wasting airtime on eye wrinkle treatment, makeup, diet, and spa reports in the meantime.
I found the Channel 5 Managing Editor, Shannon Hammel, to at first be cooperative but stubborn and defensive when I insisted that they air the report at 10pm, when they have a larger audience.
I encourage everyone to write Channel 5 and get the Truck description on the air at 10pm - The truck is so unique (gold color with red flames), that even if it's hidden now, SOMEONE may remember it.
LantanaLinks.com posted the story on Tuesday, 8/15. We were told by the FM police that the person who sends out the info was on vacation when the incident occurred. Max
Yes, I FINALLY got an answer from the FMPD a few minutes ago that makes sense - but it was like pulling hen's teeth and involved making both the Chief and the main PIO mad at me... But nothing new about that.
Here's the deal:
The PIO says that the substitute Public Info Officer sent the faxes to the print media but not to the TV news media. When I inquired about it Wendsday, he had blammed it on the terrorists distracting the news media, but now they admit it was a flub on their part.
That explains why the Dallas Morning News got notified on the 11th, but does not explain why neither the News Connection nor the FM Leader were faxed, but oh well.
Furthermore, the FMPD Chief and PIO said that they would not respond to any more of my "crusades" on this issue or any others. So I guess next time I'll just go directly to the politicians and editorial pages without asking them anything.
They did seem to like my ideas however of establishing a cell phone text messaging/email list, so people can be notified immediately of major crimes and BOLO reports in Flower Mound. Hopefully someone will see the scumbag's vehicle and dial 911 to report the location, if such a system ever comes into fruition.
But of course even though I'm a programmer by trade, they will not consult me for my advice about such a system, because I'm now pigeon-holed...
But this has made me more determined to continue my efforts to form a volunteer patrol. I already have a corportaion formed, but I'm still considering training & selection issues, since the FMPD will not help me with that, either. I am willing to follow their rules and stipulations, but they will not even advise me (due to vicarious liability, the Town Attorney says).
By the way, there is a specific section in Texas law that qualifies neighborhood volunteer patrol orgs to be considered a charity nonprofit - So the State of Texas believes in the concept, even though Chief Brooker is extremely hostile to it - Mostly because he's afraid of reckless behavior.
But if he's really that afraid of reckless behavior, maybe he'd be wise to also scorn HOA's and Neighborhood watch groups which also do patrols, both on foot and in cars, formally and informally - and you will never see us confront anyone or "play cop", unless we're physically attacked ourselves. But there's no convincing Brooker of that. Believe me, I have tried.
Charlie Barrett
Volunteer Patrols of Flower Mound, Inc
Well, I submitted the following Letter to the Editor this weekend...
The Flower Mound Chief's answer to my editorial when I sent it to him to review for inaccuracies was:
"...Your opinions are yours and are not shared by members of this agency...":
Oh really - Prompt notification of the public of a child abduction even when the PIO is on vacation, and involvement of citizens in fighting crime in their own neighborhoods are not goals of the FMPD? Give me a break!!!
TO: Letters to the Editor
RE: Delays in reporting the August 10th Attempted Child Abduction in Flower Mound
I was surprised by a delayed August 14th TV news report of an attempted child abduction in Flower Mound that had occurred four days earlier, so I contacted the FMPD and several news outlets to inquire why the description of the uniquely-painted pickup truck involved was so late in being broadcast, and was not posted on any of the local news sites I checked.
Most told me that they had not received the news release from the FMPD until August 14th or later. One local paper hadn’t received it at all. Another one first heard it on Channel 4 news. Channel 4 first heard it from a citizen on August 13th. Channel 5 didn’t hear about it until August 15th. Only the Dallas Morning News said they received it on August 11th.
I trust that Chief Brooker will assign people to follow up with the news media on critical news releases in the future, whether the PIO is available or not. The Chief should also put his speculative liability fears in a bucket, and start actively enlisting the aid of citizen volunteers, neighborhood watch organizations, and neighborhood patrol groups - that includes paging volunteers’ cell phones to fan out and look for wanted vehicles within minutes of a serious crime like this, not hours or days later – Especially when the description of the vehicle is as unique as it was in this case.
Sincerely,
Charlie Barrett
Flower Mound
When was the last time "Volunteer Patrols of Flower Mound Inc" actually conducted a patrol?
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