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SUNDAY'S CHILD
Sunday's Child "Christopher" 2/7/10
Just in time for the Winter Olympics, CBS 7’s Tatum Hubbard hit the ice with a very athletic 15-year-old for a little "speed skating."
Just in time for the Winter Olympics, CBS 7’s Tatum Hubbard hit the ice with a very athletic 15-year-old for a little "speed skating."
Gardendale Residents Demand Deputy from Ector Co. Sheriff's Office to Fight Crime Wave 11/12/09
CBS 7 News
bberman@cbs7.com
November 12, 2009
Gardendale, Texas -
Gardendale residents are working to stop a crime wave in the community that some believe will only stop if a deputy is on site.
Residents packed the community building this evening to here from the Ector County Sheriff’s proposal for a community watch program.
A petition signed by hundreds of Gardendale residents began in September when a crime wave reached it's worst, leading to a visit from Sheriff Mark Donaldson tonight. The crowd was standing room only and feisty.
"Gardendale residents have decided to show up tonight", said Kevin Reed, who started the petition.
The wall-to-wall crowd listened as Sheriff Donaldson proposed a community watch program. Then many started shouting, interrupting the Sheriff and demanding more patrols.
"We feel helpless”, said 11 Year Gardendale resident, Richard Mainka.
He says an informal neighborhood watch is already in place. Now he wants more.
"We need to unify with a deputy who knows the area and they won't do that", said Mainka.
Some in the crowd declared it time to load their rifles and take things into their own hands. That’s something the Sheriff discourages.
"They need to leave law enforcement to us", said Sheriff Donaldson.
The numbers indicate a drop in crime. While September saw five home burglaries, only one was reported in October. But past burglaries and the violent death of a local couple kept the crowd rowdy. Despite the backlash, Sheriff Donaldson's promising to help curb the crime in Gardendale.
"It's gotten better since the month of September, we hope it stays that way. Is crime going to completely stop in Gardendale? No", said Sheriff Donaldson.
Ector County Commissioner Greg Simmons said it could take a combination of ideas to solve the problem.
He said those might include a “live-in deputy” paid for by the community out of pocket, combined with a neighborhood watch group.
Simmons also suggested that if Gardendale continues to grow as it has, it might need to form its own municipality and have its own law enforcement.
