APB: LA CHISQUIADA ROSE GOWEN'S CHISCAS RIPPED OFF: CHIEF ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ PUTS P.D. ON THE CASE

By Juan Montoya
The adage of the squeaking wheel getting the grease could be altered to say that in the case of city commissioner Rose Gowen, it was the theft of six bicycles (count 'em, six) from her front yard that got Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez back-pedaling to hold a meeting to address this most serious issue.
Did Gowen use a different bike for every day of the week except for the Sabbath?

The outbreak of burglaries in the posh Rio Viejo Subdivision has neighbors of this silk-stocking area starting a "neighborhood chat" to alert each other of potential miscreants that might be victimizing the neighborhood.
And to add muscle the to the event, the local daily sent in a crack reporter and photog to document the fine example of civic engagement.

This drew some rebukes from local Facebook denizens who wanted to know what was newsworthy about six stolen bikes, why the city's top cop personally attended the event to soothe the commish's frayed nerves and to give his best elementary school lecture on how to prevent burglaries.


Since Gowen left the bikes out in the open in the front yard, it could have been just about anyone who passed by who could have taken them.
Gowen said she approached Rodriguez, who delivered a presentation along with community affairs officer Mike Tovar regarding community safety.

The daily said that  according to Rodriguez, they covered safety tips such as not leaving valuables in plain sight, leaving cars locked, neighborhood lighting and alarm systems.
As a result of the meeting, Gowen says neighbors feel more informed and therefore secure all-the-more.

Marsletta Knapp questioned the importance given the issue and wondered why the theft of bicycles warranted a front-page story and a visit by the chief to the neighborhood to impart gems of wisdom in the continuous fight against crime.
Now, that sounds like pretty basic stuff. But when you bring down the police chief after your bikes get stolen, it lends a certain importance to those burglaries.
The event was held at the St. Joseph Academy, the traditional bastion of the well-heeled in the city.

City commissioner Ricardo Longoria also questioned the participation of Rodriguez and said that in the Southmost area they do things a bit differently.
There, Longoria said, "we did recon" and had them back in four hours.

Does this mean that they took matters into their own hands and confronted the thieves, something that police tell you never to do to prevent potential violence.
"Don't have time to be waiting for a report to be filed and investigated. They'll be sold and
gone forever," he wrote.

As far as Gowen was concerned, though, the meeting was  a la Trump – a HUGE success
“It really raised awareness in everyone’s mind. There were a lot of people who answered on the chat,” Gowen said. “That they thought the meeting was productive … they learned something from it.”

Zeke Silva, who has had his share of burglaries, also questioned the importance of the heisted bikes.

"Talk about a double standard," he opined. "One commissioner gets burglarized and she gets the BPD Chief of police to do a presentation while making the front page...We have a commissioner that gets bicycles stolen and the city is put on alert."

Longoria took the opportunity to give himself a few pats on the back for his quiet  – but he says efficient – style of public service.

"Some people like being in a newspaper, yet some of prefer to go on with our responsibilities in a more quiet manner.

"Unfortunately, for the people I do help, I forget to bring the Brownsville Herald and the department head to write a front-page story."