Well, it's just after 2:00am and the Parkside Whistlers are back in full swing. Off and on, all night long tonight, their song has pierced the night air. The first time I heard it was just after 8:00pm when, ironically, the piercing notes made their way into the Parkside Neighborhood Association meeting held this evening, during which this and other issues were discussed. One local resident observed that one of the Whistlers this time appears to be a Hispanic male, who has been identified by some residents as the same one who accompanied the original Whistler and her female teammate. This same male approached another resident and offered to sell him drugs.
While Channel 13 sent a cameraman to the meeting, and Channel 6 News reported on it, no one bothered to mention that the peculiar problem of the Whistlers had started up again. I heard them at 9:50pm, 11:00pm, 11:15pm, and then into the morning I have been woken up by them at 1:20am, 1:40am, and 2:00am. They seem to be sticking mostly to the Mellen Street end of Sherman and especially Grant Street, if I'm hearing their direction correctly.
So, once again, if you hear them, please do help the police track their location by calling PPD Dispatch (207)874-8575. Although activity elsewhere in the city may prevent a lightning-fast arrival, they have been doing their utmost to respond as fast as possible, often doing so immediately. We are their eyes and ears on the ground. Take photos if it is safe to do so, but DO NOT take unnecessary risks. If you notice suspicious activity in your area, please e-mail neighborhood police liaison Michelle Lauture at lauturem@portlandmaine.gov, or fill out an online anonymous tip form. The Parkside Community Policing Center is at 85 Grant Street. Their phone number is (207)756-8137.
Thank you to the folks in blue for their continuing efforts, especially in light of the recent budget cuts to their resources.
For original coverage of the Whistlers, see our posts elsewhere on the blog, and also check out Bill Nemitz's Press Herald article about the events.
Police clipart from http://oceanwisher.tripod.com/police.html
2 comments:
Thanks for your whistler coverage. I live in the Parkside and hear the whistling. I also see and hear something suspicious or outright criminal most early mornings getting to and warming up my vehicle or biking. There is also always a prostitute working somewhere between park ave. up mellon and congress.
The suggestion I would like to contribute to this problem is to have a proactive police presence. .Have the police take a car (not an obvious undercover crown-vic) . Park the car ,turn the radio off,roll down the windows and listen. You could make a big difference in short time.
I don't see how the police receiving a call that hopefully makes the priority of response time; then it's only after the fact and things tend to get a little blurry when the suspect is approached.An officer when things are a little quiet could do this when time allows. Eye ball the activity ,make an arrest.
You really can't be in the hood for long without coming across something like the whistler and sometimes worse. Listen.
Hi Victor-- Your suggestion is a very good a practical one. It really does come down to just paying attention. With that will come a recognition of patterns, of modus operandi, that will make for good fodder for an efficient sting operation. I can only imagine, in my optimistic mind, that the police are doing their best with limited budget resources, and will come as close to this as they can. Especially if we can help them! Keeping an activity log of descriptions of persons and any available automobile activity (including license plate numbers) and the dates and times they are active, and submitting a copy of it to the Parkside Community Policing Liaison, Michelle Lauture, should pay off in the end, if enough eyes are watching at different times of the day.
With a solid effort, we should see results before long.
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