Topic: Cars vandalized at Herd game

[HaveUherd]

http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Cars-vandalized-and-ransacked-during-Marshall-football-game-445492933.html

[ThunderValley]

I wonder where did they park?

[diamante]

I think it was the big field behind the softball facility.

[Big City]

HPD to busy to respond... that's disappointing

[svherd]

HPD to busy to respond... that's disappointing

Too busy dealing with the druggies. The damn drug addicts have it made and running the asylum.

[banker]

Need to get 4-5 guys to hide over there with baseball bats.

[MUther]

It's a protected lot, yes?  Like permit or pay to park there?  If people spent money to park there it should be understood they expect some form of security within the lot.  I think they would have a legitimate claim against the property owner.  Not sure exactly where we're talking about so I'm not sure if it's attended or not.

[herdorbust]

Its straight up 20th st to the tracks. I parked there the miami game. Glad i wasnt at that game because that is where i always park. Gonna have to reconsider. Not going to take a chance getting my vehicle destroyed over a game.

[coalherd]

Umm, sounds as if the crime hotspot in Huntington has moved from the Hal Greer-8th to 10th Avenue area over to the perimeter around MU's campus.  Too bad that with the almost annual budget cuts the last several years the University has probably cut its security staff to the bare bones. And as for the Huntington PD, well . . . . .

[2xBison]

It's a protected lot, yes?  Like permit or pay to park there?  If people spent money to park there it should be understood they expect some form of security within the lot.  I think they would have a legitimate claim against the property owner.  Not sure exactly where we're talking about so I'm not sure if it's attended or not.

paid parking or free...I don't think you would have any recourse against the property owner.

[QuickStrike]

Crime is running rampant in this country.  Nobody fears breaking the law anymore.  Criminal drug induced street zombies everywhere.  Then again, it's easy enough to not have anything valuable in your vehicle.  I've had a vandal break a truck window.  Pisses you off.

[parshall2marshall]

Sometime between 2009-2012 I was living in an apartment over what used to be ( 1960's & 1970's ) the old mom & pop corner grocery at 6 1/2 alley and John Marshall Drive ( nee Elm Street ). I had this old '94 Acura Integra that the driver side window didn't roll up all the way. But for some reason a previous owner had installed a round metal nodule thru the glass ( maybe for a reason to follow ). I had a shim and was trying to lift the window up by pushing on that nodule when someone rolled to the intersection going W on 6 1/2 alley and saw me. I looked at them and continued on about my business.  They must have called the cops.

Salient point being no less than 7 police cars appeared. An officer in a short-sleeve shirt in the dead of winter knocked on my door and asked me about the break-in." I told him, "That's my car." and shortly thereafter they all left.

Times must have changed in Huntington judging by the response described.

p2m

[Big City]

Crime is running rampant in this country.  Nobody fears breaking the law anymore.  Criminal drug induced street zombies everywhere.  Then again, it's easy enough to not have anything valuable in your vehicle.  I've had a vandal break a truck window.  Pisses you off.

2 seasons ago the bottom tray to my smoker was stolen and most likely sold for scrap so someone could get their fix. It was a nasty tray that holds the charcoal and wood and also catches a lot of grease. Nasty. People will stoop to any level and do just about anything for drugs. Looks to me like you catch these individuals and follow the trail but HPD must of had bigger things to do directing traffic and blocking intersections as the "24k" left the Joan.

[Pinkerton99]

This has been an ongoing issue for decades at the various MU lots during basketball/football and even during normal daytime operations.  It is dissappointing MUPD/HPD isn't more proactive and can't set up some sort of sting or video surveilance.

[Apollo]

Well when the mayor cuts first responders in half to pay for more Narcan and needles....and he wants to run for congress???

[marshallmark]

Well when the mayor cuts first responders in half to pay for more Narcan and needles....and he wants to run for congress???

Fake news.  He's done no such thing.  He had to cut 5 police officers b/c of state requirements regarding retirement payments that were not expected, but those 5 positions have been re-filled.  EMS workers are county employees. 

[puma]

Is it by the railroad tracks on 6th? I used to park there until a few years back when they started ticketing. I recall occasionally seeing smashed out windows from cars that we're broken into. The area is really secluded and dark during the game and I was always paranoid about my car getting broken into.

And from personal experience, HPD doesn't ever send anyone out for car break ins. They used to take reports over the phone but I believe it's done online now.

[Apollo]

Fake news.  He's done no such thing.  He had to cut 5 police officers b/c of state requirements regarding retirement payments that were not expected, but those 5 positions have been re-filled.  EMS workers are county employees.

http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Huntington-Police-Fire-departments--411215365.html

[marshallmark]

http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Huntington-Police-Fire-departments--411215365.html

Go look at staffing levels now.  Those drastic cuts never took place - they were able to reduce costs in other areas, except those 5 police officers I noted before.

[Pinkerton99]

Well when the mayor cuts first responders in half to pay for more Narcan and needles....and he wants to run for congress???

They could save a lot of money by not rolling out firetrucks for every call in order to pad numbers.

[Apollo]

Go look at staffing levels now.  Those drastic cuts never took place - they were able to reduce costs in other areas, except those 5 police officers I noted before.

I hope thats the case, but I can't find anything to support your claim.

[wasbarryb]

Well when the mayor cuts first responders in half to pay for more Narcan and needles....and he wants to run for congress???

http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Huntington-Police-Fire-departments--411215365.html

I haven’t lived in or spent a lot of time in Huntington for 45 years, so I really don’t have a dog in this fight, but you’re making yourself look pretty silly and ridiculous when you post

Well when the mayor cuts first responders in half to pay for more Narcan and needles....

And then try to support that claim with an article that reports he is cutting a force of 111 by 17. That is barely 15%, not half. You're making yourself look ridiculous. You’re welcome to your opinion, but if you want to convince others of your viewpoint, I’d suggest you try to look a little more reasonable
.

[marshallmark]

I hope thats the case, but I can't find anything to support your claim.

That's b/c you are not trying, and just want to offer unsubstantiated claims that are not even close to the truth.

From the article you cite:

The layoffs from both departments mainly affect officers and firefighters hired within the past few months and will drop the police force to 99 officers....

From the HPD's current website:

The Huntington Police Department is a dynamic, full-service police organization comprised of 111 sworn officers and 13 civilian support personnel.

[marshallmark]

And, I'll say this and probably get skewered for it -- The HPD and HFD are made up of incredibly dedicated individuals that risk their lives daily to protect all of us that work/live/play in Huntington.  However, they created a lot of their own problems by (1) not understanding that the City cannot afford to pay PEIA premiums AND most of the co-pays/deductibles for HPD/HFD employees like it has for most of the past 25 years and (2) jacking up OT pay to soon-to-be retirees to help to jack up those retirees' benefits.  There were a lot of examples in the '80s, when I was close to the situation, where retirees from the HPD were actually making MORE in retirement benefits than they were in salary right before retirement -- retirements are based on pay, not on salary (although that's changed for younger officers). 

At at time when the City has unprecedented strain on its resources b/c of crumbling infrastructure, the drug epidemic, etc., -- and with reduced sources of income, employee and retiree costs are way more expensive for Huntington than similar sized cities around the country. 

Mayor Wms isn't perfect, and he's made some decisions I don't agree with, but at least he's trying.  And, he's the best cheerleader our city has ever had. 

[Apollo]

I haven’t lived in or spent a lot of time in Huntington for 45 years, so I really don’t have a dog in this fight, but you’re making yourself look pretty silly and ridiculous when you post And then try to support that claim with an article that reports he is cutting a force of 111 by 17. That is barely 15%, not half. You're making yourself look ridiculous. You’re welcome to your opinion, but if you want to convince others of your viewpoint, I’d suggest you try to look a little more reasonable
.

Lol, yes, because no one ever uses sarcasm or exaggeration to make a point. Please. When drugs and crime are becoming more and more of an issue, cutting the police force is about as dumb a move as can be made, regardless of how many it actually was. That was my point.

That's b/c you are not trying, and just want to offer unsubstantiated claims that are not even close to the truth.

From the article you cite:

The layoffs from both departments mainly affect officers and firefighters hired within the past few months and will drop the police force to 99 officers....

From the HPD's current website:

The Huntington Police Department is a dynamic, full-service police organization comprised of 111 sworn officers and 13 civilian support personnel.

And no I'm not going to do a thesis on it, but you're the one who made those claims and did so without any proof of that either so I don't think the pot should be calling the kettle black. As I said, regardless of how much cuts to the police force should not be happening with all the problems in Huntington. Just one more reason people keep leaving the area.

I'm not knocking the police force at all, they're understaffed terribly to deal with these problems but everything you mention points to the biggest problem Huntington has had and continues to have is inept leadership. Williams has done a few good things sure but for the most part he's just status quo. No one in Huntington's leadership has done much of anything to make a dent in the crime and drug problems and its just gotten worse. I've seen nothing to convince me Williams is doing anything but adding more fees and taxes on the citizens. I apologize for making this thread a political one and getting it so far off topic.