CRIME RUNNING RAMPANT IN “NEW” WEST DELRAY, WEST BOCA COMMUNITIES.
BOARDS IGNORING. HOMEOWNERS LEAVING FOBS IN CARS. POLICE ANNOYED.
“CRIME PROBLEM AND COMMON SENSE PROBLEM.”
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
DELRAY BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Another car theft Sunday in the West Delray Beach community of Seven Bridges is leading law enforcement sources to express extreme frustration to BocaNewsNow.com. At issue: homeowners who inexplicably leave key fobs in their cars, and community leaders who refuse to let the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office routinely enter the community to enforce traffic laws.
Seven Bridges, Louts, and Boca Bridges all sit within yards of each other on Lyons Road between Clint Moore and Atlantic. All three have been hit repeatedly by car thieves over the past several weeks. None of these communities have a “traffic enforcement agreement” in place with PBSO which means police are not routinely in the communities. TEA’s permit police to issue tickets on the roads of a private neighborhood in Palm Beach County. The ability to issue tickets tends to result in an increased police presence — and a reduction in speeding, stop sign running, golf cart abuse by kids, and a dramatic reduction in crime.
“These communities are hurting themselves,” said a law enforcement source. “It’s like they’re trying to protect the criminals. Deputies tend to spend time where they can issue citations and make a difference. Without a traffic enforcement agreement, we end up responding far more than we are patrolling.”
In almost all recent car theft cases, the homeowner left a key fob in their unlocked car, making it simple for a thief to enter and drive off. Car thieves look for un-retracted mirrors which signal a newer model car is unlocked. They jump in and speed off. The problem is so bad in South Florida that the Boca Raton Police Department — which is not responsible for the communities on Clint Moore Road — crafted the “WTF” campaign. “Where’s The Fob?!”
“These homeowners think the gates to their communities make a difference, so they act in a carefree way,” said a law enforcement source. “Gates may detract, but they do not stop. To believe that an hourly guard in a community of 500 or 800 homes is going to prevent crime is laughable. To think you can leave your key fob in your car without consequences is absurd.”
At least one affected community is considering arming its guards, something police do not generally support.
“Call the police,” said the law enforcement source. “Not your hourly security guard. These communities need to stop pretending that their security guards are police. They don’t need guns. These Boards of Directors need to tell homeowners that your first call is to 911 if you are a victim of crime. Not your cop-wannabe security officer. This is elementary school stuff.”
As BocaNewsNow.com reported last week, a homeowner in Seven Bridges — upon allegedly finding a masked man in their garage, next to their Rolls Royce, called security as the man fled, instead of police.
“It seems like we don’t just have a crime problem,” said our law enforcement source, “we have a common sense problem.”
