http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110413/NEWS02/704139879
Published April 13, 2011 in the Rutland Herald
Springfield chief urges residents to be alert, but cautious
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — Witnesses and business owners should not try to intervene with any would-be armed robber, said Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston.
“I will caution people, he’s got a gun and people should not be going after them,” the chief said, briefing the Springfield Select Board Monday on efforts to solve a string of armed robberies in downtown Springfield. “Stay out of the way.”
Johnston said people should be alert and observant if they are witnesses to a crime, but when it came to trying to deter a robber, he said the safest thing to do is to give the robbers what they want.
Johnston said that the four armed robberies in Springfield in the past month — two at the Rite-Aid Pharmacy in the Springfield Shopping Plaza, and two in a week at Jasinski’s Park Street Market — are under active investigation.
Johnston said that a Springfield resident had already given police a valuable clue into the Rite-Aid Pharmacy. That person had seen a man matching the robber’s description put on a disguise on the Springfield Shopping Plaza footbridge shortly before the afternoon heist.
It was too bad that the person didn’t alert police when they saw the suspicious behavior, the chief said.
People shouldn’t hesitate to call police with that kind of information, he said, and his officers will check it out.
At Jasinski’s Park Street Market, owner John Jasinski said Tuesday that he had some suspicions who the robber might be, and that he was working with the police. “Am I sure? No,” he said.
He said his store might be considered “an easy target” because the cash register is at the front of the store near the door. He said the store is in the middle of a dark neighborhood, “and there are a lot of places to hide.”
Jasinski said he expected the money stolen from his store on April 3 and April 8 was to buy drugs.
The police chief said a “community effort,” with people calling in tips and being observant of suspicious behavior would help deter crime.
Witnesses should try and immediately write down a description of the person and other things they observed.
“That helps us out a lot,” he said.
Johnston had also advised businesses to not follow a set routine or schedule for making bank deposits, and to keep less cash on hand.
He said the police department was available to businesses to consult about installing alarms. He said the Rite-Aid Pharmacy does have an alarm system, and a “panic” button, but that the robber was in and out too quickly.
He said that the pharmacy’s camera system did show the robber come into the building Saturday afternoon, but that the person was well aware of the cameras and made sure not to show his face on camera.
Rite-Aid spokesman Eric Harkreader said that the company was offering a $5,000 reward through the police for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the armed robber or robbers.
After Johnston’s discussion of the armed robberies, members of the Select Board gave mixed reports on whether the robberies are making Springfield residents nervous.
What bothers people, said Select Board member Michael Knoras, was that most of the robberies had occurred in the broad daylight.
“There is a fear level out there. We have a lot of elderly residents,” said Board Chairman Kristi Morris. “They are concerned. We do need citizens to step up and report suspicious activity.”
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