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On January 12, 2001 the Safety Committee met at Westbrook-Canterbury (Thanks, Libby Clark, for borrowing the room!) with Jeff Swanson, the District Manager for CVS drug stores. Mr. Swanson said he manages seventeen CVS stores in his district.
Also attending were neighbors from Ginter Park Residents Association, Rosedale Civic Association, Hermitage Road Historic District Civic Association, and Near West District Teams, along with Lt. James of the Richmond Police Department.
Dr. McCue of the Police Department had furnished the list of robberies in the 1200 block for 2000:
OFFENSE
LOCATION
DATE
TIME
PREMISE
ROBBERY AGAINST BUSINESS
1205 BELLEVUE AV
1/13/2000
1955
DRUG/STORE
ROBBERY AGAINST BUSINESS
1205 BELLEVUE AV
11/30/2000
1830
DRUG/STORE
ROBBERY AGAINST BUSINESS
1205 BELLEVUE AV
12/26/2000
1825
DRUG/STORE
ROBBERY AGAINST PERSON
1200 BELLEVUE AV
4/7/2000
2325
HIGHWAY/ROAD/ALLEY
ROBBERY AGAINST PERSON
1200 BELLEVUE AV
7/12/2000
30
HIGHWAY/ROAD/ALLEY
ROBBERY AGAINST PERSON
1200 BELLEVUE AV
12/17/2000
1950
PARKING LOT/GARAGE
The Dec. 17 robbery involved a woman driving down Brook Road who stopped, thinking the store was open. It was closed. The robber took her wallet just outside the CVS front door.
The committee told Mr. Swanson that the CVS seems to be turning into a crime magnet that imperils the safety of neighbors, customers, and employees.
Mr. Swanson told us that up to about fourteen months ago the store had been burglarized frequently for cigarettes. In response, CVS began locking up the cigarettes and leaving the store lights on at night, both as a deterrent and to aid the police in the event the alarm is triggered.
In response to the robberies, the store has installed further in-store security, including the TV monitor just inside the front door and the sign saying that the entire store is under surveillance. The store manager now is more visible. Mr. Swanson said that CVS “has addressed” the security of the video camera tapes in response to the earlier robbery when the robber took the tapes.
Following a spirited discussion, we reached consensus on the following items:
· CVS will install a large “Closed” sign for use when the store is closed.
· Officers Wacker and Hartnett (phonetic spelling), who are trained to perform CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) surveys will survey the exterior of the building to evaluate security issues.
· The Safety Committee will meet with Mr. Swanson in mid-February to consider the CPTED survey and to continue our discussion.
The following matters remain unresolved:
· CVS will consider offering a reward for the December robber.
· CVS will consider signs, similar to those in the 7-Eleven, announcing the limited cash available at the registers.
· CVS is not currently willing to provide uniformed security or to change the displays that block much of the front window.
We have seen the uniformed officers in the Walgreen’s at Brook and Azalea and the CVS at Boulevard and Broad. We all hope that kind of security will not be necessary in Bellevue.
The in-store changes are major improvements. We all hope that those changes, in conjunction with other improvements that may result from our discussions, will resolve this problem. If not, the Committee may demand uniformed, in-store security.
Note: We have the minutes to the February meeting.
Last updated 02/24/02
Please send questions or comments to John Butcher