Good news: Crime light this week

After a series of recent residential burglaries and vandalism reports, this week's Brentwood crime report only lists one residential attempted burglarly and luckily for the Plantation Drive resident, nothing was taken.
In fact, the entire report, released this afternoon by Capt. Jeff Hughes, was light -- which is good news to report.
In general thefts, a GPS device and two flash drives were taken Monday from a room at the Residence Inn in Maryland Farms but the property was returned. A couple are suspected of shoplifting Coca-Colas from the Moore's Lane Mapco on Monday; and a utility trailer was taken from a Maryland Farms business on Harpeth Drive between Monday and Tuesday.
Two incidences of vandalism were investigated. The first involved a spray-painted stop sign on Gracelawn Drive in Hillview Estates; the second was a keyed vehicle on Heritage Drive in Brent Meade sometime on Wednesday.
A driver's side window was broken and a laptop, satellite radio and GPS were taken from a car in the Synergy Complex off Franklin Road on Thursday.
If you have information on any of these crimes, please contact the Brentwood Police Department at 371-0160.

Next RAD course starts Aug. 3
Have a friend or daughter headed off to college next month? Consider signing her and her friends up for the Brentwood Police Department's next Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class which begins in early August.
The three-night, nine-hour course is free for women ages 13 and over. It runs 6-9 p.m. Aug. 3-6 at Safety Center East, 1300 Sunset Road (just across from the Governor's Club).
To register or for further information, call Officer Mark Wood at 615-371-2267 or e-mail woodm@brentwood-tn.org

DARE you to eat pancakes Saturday!

As always, it's a big weekend in Brentwood.

And to get your carbs for all the energy you'll need, may I suggest you start the weekend at O'Charleys bright and early Saturday morning.You see, the Maryland Farms' restaurant is hosting a pancake breakfast to raise funds for the Brentwood Police Department's D.A.R.E. program.

Now, the good news is that I'm pretty sure O'Charleys staff and not Brentwood D.A.R.E. Officers Sam Bady and Mark Wood doing the cooking. The great news is that Bady and Williams will be there to share the good news about the program which gives kids the life skills they need to avoid involvement with drugs, gangs, and violence.

So set your alarm early: The breakfast opens at 6 a.m. and only runs to 9, so if you snooze you lose. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased from Officer Wood or Officer Bady. Call 371-2267 or email woodm@brentwood-tn.org for more info.

Community Band at Crockett

The Summer Concert Series returns Sunday with a change of pace from the past few weeks. The Williamson County Community Band performs in the Eddy Arnold Amphitheater this week, beginning at 7 p.m.

Sunday's forecast calls for a high of 94 degrees and only a 10% chance of rain so unlike the Nashville Symphony a few weeks ago, I have no doubt our own symphony of sorts will play a concert worth remembering.

Southern Summer Jam

With the line between Brentwood and Nolensville blurring more and more these days (not to mention the "Brentwood" portion of Metro Nashville where the "east Brentwood" Kroger and Publix are), I'd be remiss for not mentioning the weekend's Southern Summer Jam festival held at the Winters family farm at 829 Vernon Road just outside Nolensville. Hosts Lynda Winters swears to Williamson A.M.'s Bonnie Burch that this will be the last year for popular gathering. Read all about it in Bonnie's story: http://tinyurl.com/l5matj

Few crimes to report this week

Brentwood Police Department's Cpt. Jeff Hughes just sent the weekly crime wrapup. There's good news and bad.
First the good: It's been a quiet week in ol' Brentwood. The bad? Many of the crimes reported might have been prevented.

• On May 18, a wallet and its contents were reported stole from an unlocked locker at the Maryland Farms YMCA.
• Also on May 18, a woman's purse and wallet were stolen from her locked car at Civitan Park off Concord after someone broke out the passenger side window.
• On May 17, a pressure washer was reportedly stolen from a home on Post Oak Circle in McGavock Farms.

Among the crime prevention tips you'll find on the city's website are these:

• Most car burglars act on impulse. Keep your belongings with you or out of sight. Car floorboards, dashboards, and seats ARE NOT good places to leave items such as purses and wallets; laptop computer bags, briefcases, and backpacks; shopping bags and cell phones and MP3 players. According to Hughes and Officer Mark Wood, GPS devices have become one of the hottest targets. Remember: If you cannot take your items with you, hide them out of sight in your trunk or other concealable area.
• Leaving your keys anywhere in your vehicle is an invitation to a car burglar. Keep in mind that if you think you have a great hiding place for a spare key, a thief has probably thought of that hiding place as well.
• And remember that most car burglaries in Brentwood occur at people's homes. The police urge everyone to "Lock your car doors. Keep your valuables in the trunk or inside the house. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN THE IGNITION even when your car is in the garage or your driveway. Lock your garage walk-in door and keep the garage bay door shut."

For more tips, visit www.brentwood-tn.org/index.aspx?page=479. If you see a crime being committed or need to report a non-emergency crime, please call the Brentwood Police Department at 371-0160. For emergencies, call 911.

Let's hope there's nothing to report from next week's crime log!