FROM THE DESK OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
Now that winter is officially over people will emerge from their homes to find the beauty of spring has arrived and the trash of winter is still lingering. As spring is a yearly cycle of renewal it is time for us all to pay close attention to our homes and propery. Take a moment to pick up the winter leftover litter and dispose of it properly. The same goes for inoperable and unregistered motor vehicles on and around your property. Town Code prohibits, in most cases, the storage of these types of vehicles. By making our neighborhoods clean and healthy, people will want to live here. We have all seen the vast number of vacant and unsold houses in Town. Vacant houses attract criminals who will steal the fixtures for their scrap value. Trash then begins to accumulate around them and before you know it the house is in such poor condition that it cannot be sold.
Also, with the coming of spring come some rather common scams that appear from year to year. One is the driveway re-surfacing scam where they apply a cheap sealcoat to the pavement instead of asphalt then walk or drive off with your money. The same goes with the roof repair scam. Never give full payment up front for any home repair job. Always ask for their business or contractor's license and insist on references. If you are not sure, check with the Better Business Bureau before signing anything.
The Town of Fairmount Heights is a wonderful location to live and raise a family. The Town is closely located to so many wonderful venues in the Washington Metropolitan region, including shopping, transit, professional sports, medical facilities and major highways. There are a number of fine, old historic homes located here. The Town is rich with history that needs to be preserved and that requires effort on everybody's part.
Unfortunately, just as I have noted the upside to life here, the downside is we live in one of the most congested regions in the U.S. The Mid-Atlantic region which stretches from Northern Virginia to the Boston region is home to more than 11 million people. With that, comes the inevitable crime. Fairmouint Heights is no exception. This past winter, for example, there was the tragic shooting death of a cab driver on Balsamtree Drive. There have been some assaults and a few residential break-ins. While the ultimate goal of any police department is to eliminate crime and the fear of crime, it is just not possible. We can deter it. We may even to some extent control it, but we will never completely eliminate it. The most practical thing we can do is to make the Town as safe and crime free as we possibly can. This will take some effort on everyone's part. There are always those who want what the other person has and will do whatever they want to get it. Let's not become victims.