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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Burglars Hit Store of Crime Activist

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    Harlan Lawson, who received an award for his attempts to curb crime in Edgewood, was recently a victim of a burglary.
    In fact, his store was hit twice Feb. 24. Lawson was in the store during the second attempt and chased the would-be thief off.
    Although the burglars didn't get away with much, the damage to his shop, a NAPA auto parts store in Edgewood, comes to about $1,000. He said that is less than his insurance deductible.
    He said the New Mexico State Police were on the scene within a few minutes and collected some evidence that might identify the thief. In spite of that, Lawson said he suspects whoever did it won't likely be caught.
    "It gets very frustrating for a guy who is working his tail off to make a living," Lawson said.
    He's taken to sleeping in his store with a loaded 9 mm pistol.
    "I was kind of hoping (the robber) would come back this week," Lawson said. "He'd have a warm welcome."
    He said he is planning to have a professional alarm company come out to talk about security options. Local business owners and residents are invited to attend, he said.
    There will also be a graffiti-painting day in April.
    It was those kinds of efforts that won Lawson a COW (Community on the Way) award last month.
    COW awards are given for service to the town of Edgewood. Lawson was honored for creating a business watch program to keep an eye on local businesses at night.
    With 32 people signed up for the first few patrols in June 2007, there was a good deal of interest in the program from the start, and patrols have continued ever since.
    Now, Edgewood is on the verge of having its own police force. Lawson said that anticipation of a professional force may have caused a slight lag.
    He added that Edgewood's new Police Chief, Paul Welch, doesn't think patrols will be necessary after a police force has been put together in Edgewood, a process that might take some time.
    "The decision is really theirs," Welch said. "I know (patrolling) is a drain in the individuals that are involved ... it takes away from family time and sleep time."
    Welch said he feels the role of the business watch will be filled by police patrols, but added that patrols can continue if people still feel the need.
    "They've put together a great program," he said. "If they want to continue, that will be great."