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Gulfport forms crime watch along corridor
By ANGEL BEDINGHAUS ZENT GULFPORT -- When a customer came to Laminations Plus a few months ago to check on his order, he left his white Impala running. Minutes later, when a large man who nearly filled up the doorway stepped in to inquire about business cards, his accomplice got into the Impala and drove away, according to police reports. Laminations Plus owner Judy Landin lost a customer that day: "He doesn't want to come down here." She and her husband have been laminating posters, menus and other items for seven years at their shop on 49th Street, an area the city now is targeting for redevelopment. Two public brainstorming sessions with a consultant are scheduled this month. Police Chief G. Curt Willocks is getting a head start on the neighborhood revitalization by establishing a crime watch along the corridor that Gulfport shares with St. Petersburg. "I like the idea of any crime watch," Willocks said. He thinks it helps the department run more economically but also helps cut down on crimes such as burglaries, which are difficult for police to solve. Then, Willocks said, police can concentrate on problems they can control, such as narcotics. Police Lt. Patrick Patterson will oversee and organize the monthly meetings. He will bring in guest speakers, and business owners will learn how to make their properties more secure and less appealing to burglars and how to watch for suspicious activity. They will be updated on safety issues and crime problems. The Police Department met with 49th Street neighbors and merchants Thursday to determine interest in a crime watch. About eight to 10 merchants were represented. One owner said the alcove behind his business becomes the neighborhood party place at night. Pat Kirke, who makes custom cabinets, said he finds mattresses, beer cans and used needles in the morning. But Matt Reed, owner of M&M Marine Service, 1017 49th St. S, thinks the police are doing a fine job and that crime has decreased since he opened his business 11 years ago. From Jan. 1 to April 15 last year, there were 60 burglaries citywide. During the same period this year, that has dropped to 48. The 2000 census counted 12,527 residents in Gulfport. Judy Landin thinks neighborhood crime is getting worse, though the statistics may not support her. She keeps a dog on the property. The curtains are drawn across the front windows, and she has a concealed-weapons permit. "I'm doing the most I can," she said. The coming redevelopment is wonderful, "but if you don't lower the crime, it doesn't matter how pretty."
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