A Riverside business owner came to the board of aldermen last week in search of assistance from the city.
Jeff Goodwin of Complete Home Concepts spoke to the board at the Monday, April 5 meeting about recent problems with vehicle theft. He said a truck had been stolen from his business in the middle of the day. It was the second vehicle stolen within 18 months, he said, along with a trailer and several catalytic converters.
“This is beyond ridiculous – we have never seen police drive around,” Goodwin said.
He said one of his employees who arrives in the early morning hours has been followed by officers several times, but during the day they rarely see police.
Goodwin outlined several instances of vehicles entering the property, circling the building and stealing things. Individuals have jumped the fence and stolen things as well.
“I don’t know the answer, but something has got to change,” he said, noting the business had spent $20,000 in security cameras and while they’ve picked up the criminals several times, they never see police patrols.
The thefts are not limited to his business, he said, with incidents reported all around the Horizons area.
City officials said they would work with Goodwin to see if the private security system could alert the police of suspicious activity.
Later, a Riverside police representative said the department was aware of the rash of thefts – particularly of catalytic converters - and were working to address the concerns.
Mayor Kathy Rose said she wanted to look into ways the city could potentially address the problem through its community improvement districts, as the idea of people unable to simply park vehicles outdoors for fear of theft was concerning.
Also at the meeting, members of the board and mayor disagreed on signage funded in part through a Platte County Parks and Recreation Outreach grant. The application called for wayfinder signage not only in parks, but also along main thoroughfares such as Vivion Road and Gateway Drive.
Rose said park signage was understandable, but she doesn’t wish to clutter the roadsides with additional signage. On a split vote, the board agreed to pursue park signage first and, if funding allows, to investigate options for other signs.