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The Safety Committee met at 8:00 PM on February 8, 2000 to continue the discussion of the armed robberies at and near the Bellevue Ave. CVS store:
· three in the store and three in the street last year;
· two in the store the year before;
· in addition, the shooting last year outside the Belle B surely looks like a robbery gone bad.
Former President for Life Chuck Epes again chaired the meeting. We had a fine turnout of neighbors. Also present were representatives from the Ginter Park, Rosedale, and Hermitage Road associations, as well as Turk Sties of the Near West Teams. Lt. James and Officer Hartnett from RPD attended. Jeff Swanson of CVS brought along his boss, Regional Manager Lester Dillow (who supervises all the CVS stores in Virginia and eastern West Virginia), as well as Doug Roberts (who does loss prevention for CVS), and Woody Eisen (phonetic spelling) (Manager of the Bellevue CVS store).
Officer Hartnett is writing up and obtaining the approvals on his CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) survey of the 1200 block. He reported that the major problem is lighting, which we all know to be poor indeed. He also recommended that we look at "No Trespassing" signs for the parking lot and the back property, and consider privatizing the alley as preventive measures.
We will not attempt to repeat the details of Officer Hartnett’s observations here; look for his report on the Web when it is finished.
Mr. Swanson reported that CVS has installed a large "closed" sign that is easily visible from the street (I have several emails from neighbors who testify to the visibility of the sign), and they will be placing signs at the cash registers to notify folks of the limited cash on hand (they have a drop safe system). They also will "lower some profiles" near the doorway (we think this refers to one of the tall displays on the left as you enter the store; stay tuned). They have not made a decision about a reward for the December robber; Swanson said that if they do offer a reward it would be through the Crimestoppers program. Swanson and Dillow said CVS will "work with recommendations" from the police about in-store security.
After some of the spirited discussion that is typical of this bunch, Chuck and Chairman John appointed some work groups to report back to the next meeting, early in April:
· Joe Stankus and Libby Clark will look at lighting, in the lot, on the street, and on the alley side.
· Woody of CVS will lead a group including Joe and the Rich sisters to organize an association of the merchants on Bellevue and MacArthur. Lester Dillow offered to fund decals to go in the merchants’ windows.
· CVS will repair its existing lights, notably those out back.
· Joe Stankus and Ed Parks will work with Jeff Swanson and the RPD on a recommendation about in-store security.
· Pam Wiegardt and John Butcher will look at the no-trespassing issues in the parking lot and alley.
· Libby Clark will arrange space – in the lovely Westbrook Room if possible – for an early April meeting to continue these discussions.
Comments:
Dillow’s commitment to "work with recommendations" from the police is less than it first appears. The CVS people already have been in contact with Officer Hartnett who is following the official police line: No armed people, anywhere, except for the police.
That position is profoundly self-serving from the police point of view: If nobody but the police is armed then nobody can shoot at the police. That approach is entirely unsatisfactory from the standpoint of a citizen who does not have a cop to follow him about all day. Moreover, in light of the armed, off-duty police officers who provide in-store security at Ukrops Carytown and at other businesses in Richmond, the police position is fundamentally hypocritical.
Nonetheless, it may well be that armed security is a bad idea in this case. We will have to weigh the deterrent effect of an armed person in the store against the increased chance that a robbery will lead to shooting if someone besides the robber is armed.
My own preference, as you probably have inferred, is to not unilaterally disarm.
In any event, Dillow seems to understand the fundamental principle: CVA cannot dodge the responsibility for bringing robbers into our neighborhood. We are two years and at least five robberies into this but CVS has only reacted when the neighborhood demanded it (Albeit we did not get into gear with the very first robbery, as we should have done). Let us hope, along with CVS, that our delay in fixing this situation does not get somebody shot in the store.
There is some Good News here:
· The level of support from the neighborhood and the neighboring civic associations has empowered the Committee to deal with this problem. If we don’t get results it will be our own fault, not something we can blame on lack of support.
· Mr. Dillow is a step up in the CVS corporate structure. He plainly has the authority and the inclination to make decisions. His presence contributed to a positive and productive meeting.
· Lt. James and the RPD continue to be helpful and responsive.
We will see about the outcome of all this. In the meantime, the process and the attitudes of the people involved are excellent.
Note: We have the minutes to the Previous (1/12/01) meeting.
Last updated 02/24/02
Please send questions or comments to John
Butcher