How safe are local Park and Ride lots?

Monday, October 02, 2006

Gene Apodaca
More: Bio, abc13.com News Team, E-mail

(10/02/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- METRO says it wants to spend millions of dollars to set up surveillance cameras at all of their Park and Ride locations as an effort to curb crime. So exactly how much crime are we talking about? We put our exclusive Eyewitness News Crime Tracker to the task.

METRO reports some 119 crimes occurred since the start of the year. The good news is that most of the crime we found was non-violent. The bad news is it's happening more and more.

When Pamela Boone gets dropped off at the Spring Park and Ride, her husband never leaves until the bus does.

"I won't leave her here by herself," said Lucky Boone. "Not at all, not for no reason."

Like many here, he's heard the stories about crime and even witnessed a case himself.

"He had a brand new Escalade and four tires were gone," he told us. "He was sitting up on blocks."

We put our exclusive Crime Tracker to work to find out the type of crime being committed at Park and Rides with the most incidents. Looking at January to August of this year at the West Belfort site, we found there have been six break-ins of a motor vehicle, one auto theft, a resisting arrest, and a minor assault.

Over to the Bay Area Park and Ride, there were three car break-ins, five auto thefts, and a vandalism.

Kuykendahl Park and Ride saw a total of five break-ins, six auto thefts, and two vandalisms.

North Shepherd had 13 car break-ins, one vandalism, and one narcotics arrest.

In Spring, the site with the most crime, there were 24 car break-ins and one auto theft.

"Any crime is unacceptable," said METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert. "The fact of the matter is we have seen increases in crime on our Park and Rides."

METRO police are hoping their new 20 million camera and security system will help curb the numbers. All 25 of their Park and Rides sites should be outfitted by 2007. Kuykendahl already has them, but some wonder if cameras and call boxes are the real solution.

"I wish they had the security guard back out here," said driver Pamela Boone. "That way, you can feel a little safer, too."

Chief Lambert tells us METRO has used security guards in the past, but it was cost prohibitive.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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