Crime on Ruskin Street

Monday night's neighborhood association meeting had a full agenda and a packed house. I was glad to see so much interest in what's going on! There are a few things to talk about, but I wanted to start off with this since it hits close to home...

Over the past couple of weeks there have been some concerning incidents in our neighborhood. First, my kitty-corner neighbor observed a large sedan park in front of his house. Four young men with flashlights got out of the car and began casing Manley Street; two of them spent quite a bit of time in the backyard across the way. The observer watched them for about four hours before they left. Now, I know what you're thinking: Why didn't he call the police? Apparently, he called the North District public reception desk, which is only open during business hours. When he got the recording he hung up and waited until the next morning.

A few nights later, my next-door neighbors had their street side kitchen window screen cut. Fortunately, no one broke in, but they didn't find out until the next morning when the perpetrators were long gone. This is a nice couple with a young baby and the mother was naturally quite upset.

Since then my neighbors and I have been "on alert" and there haven't been any more incidents. Monday evening, folks from other parts of the neighborhood shared similar stories from the past year or two.

Over the long term, this is one of those issues where Madison's policy isn't keeping up with Madison's reality. Existing police districts do not reflect the situation on the ground. Residents and alders on the southwest side are demanding a new station in next year's budget. The long-discussed northeast station should move forward as well.

For now, the best thing we can do as neighbors is watch out for each other. If you observe this kind of suspicious or dangerous behavior, don't wait for morning and don't just sit and watch. Take down as many useful details as you can (descriptions, car make/model and license plate) and call the police:

• Emergency -- especially intruders into a yard or house: 911
  
• Non-emergency -- such as suspicious persons: 266-4948