European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 15,1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 thefts in . Housing May be linked by Craig Martin staff writer several series of daytime thefts in . Government leased housing areas through out Germany May be linked according to . And German investigators. Thefts from quarters in Ansbach Griesheim a suburb of Darmstadt and the Wurzburg area generally have shown no signs of forced entry. According to a statement released by Wurzburg police investigators believe the thieves Are working in several areas with High concentrations of . Military families. Police suspect the thieves will try to sell the items to other americans. Items taken include Brand name jeans jewelry silk sheets wrapped Christmas presents handmade Teddy bears Cologne and collectibles popular with americans such As Hummel figurines and David Winter cottages. The thieves also took appliances but Only those with 220-Volt currents which can be used with euro Sites of robberies Pean electrical outlets. In Ansbach 10 thefts occurred in government leased housing during a gust said Leo Swicke Pflug a spokes Man for the . Community there. He did not give a value of the items stolen. In Griesheim the thieves struck in june August september and december during weekday duty hours in storage rooms and apartments occupied by Cou Ples who both work according to Resi dents. Estimated value of the stolen goods was nearly $6,000, according to a letter signed by an army criminal investigation come official in Darmstadt and distributed to Griesheim housing area residents. Wiir Burg police said in a press re lease that about 40 thefts involving about $94,000 Worth of goods have occurred in Wiir Burg and kit Zingen since septem Ber. They occurred exclusively in . Families Homes Between 11 . And 1 ., mostly on fridays Wurzburg police believe those crimes also arc related to thefts in nearby Tauber Bischofsheim and Wortheim. German police in Wiir Burg say the thieves used credit cards to enter apart ments through doors that had not been double locked or on which deadbolts had not been locked. In other cases of poorly secured doors police said the thieves used crowbars. Army criminal investigation come of victims Fea Rhu i of their safety a by Craig Martin and Dave Melancon staff writers residents in a government leased hous ing area in Griesheim Germany that has been plagued with burglaries arc concerned for their safety and believe local officials Aren t helping enough. Officials in Wurzburg Germany a Community with similar burglaries Are urging people to form neighbourhood watch pro Grams. In Ansbach Germany where still More burglaries have taken place military police say they re working More informally wit residents to prevent More crimes. How can i feel Safe someone has been in my Home said a Griesheim victim who asked for anonymity out of fear of repercussions. It s not my Home  there have been about 40 thefts in Wurzburg nearby kit Zingen and Wurzburg neighbourhoods of Lincoln Hau Chelhot Ottendorf gab Runn holdings Feld Muckenhausen Sulzdorf and Ingol Stadt since september. Five have occurred in an area in Griesheim West of Darm Stadt Between june and december. We be had the same problem said sgt.1st class Francis Melton noncommissioned officer for the Community Provost Marshall s office in Ansbach. Military and local German police Are investigating 10 thefts that have occurred there. In All cases there have been no signs of forced entry and police officials think the crimes Are related. The thefts in Griesheim occurred during Normal weekday duty hours at Homes where both the husband and wife work. The thefts in Wurzburg occurred mostly on fridays Between 11 . And 1  The Griesheim victim who requested anonymity said she was told by an investigator that the Darmstadt housing office would look into getting the door locks changed. We can t change the locks ourselves. Only the Haus Meister building manager can do it she said. Mai. John Satterwhite 233rd base sup port in spokesman in Darmstadt said monday that no work orders have been submitted by residents of Griesheim since last june requesting that locks be changed or added. Satterwhite said that since the victims live in government leased housing the installation of another lock would be at the occupant s expense. The door and door Jamb would have to be restored to its Origi Nal condition when the residents move out. Lisa Hartman another Griesheim Resi Dent praised a local criminal investigation come agent who wrote residents a letter detailing information about the Griesheim crimes. He used his off duty time to write the letter. He used his off duty time to Dis tribute the letter. He s the Only one who cares Hartman said. Satterwhite said maps have increased patrols in the Griesheim area but declined to give the number of patrols. To combat the Wurzburg thefts the pro Vost marshal is encouraging residents to Start neighbourhood watch programs. Watching each other s Homes and their stuff would help cure some of this crime and would give us some leads said capt. Thomas Hebert 417th base support in Provost marshal. A lot of people Are Al ready doing that  there Are several Levels of neighbourhood watch programs Hebert said. They Range from informal Levels where neighbors Check in on one another s Homes to More Complex programs that could include walk ing or driving patrols of neighbourhoods. Adding to the victims dilemma is that they must wait until maps finish their report before filing claims for reimbursement then it will take up to six weeks for Legal officials to process the claim. A claimant who submits a claim form for a theft but docs not submit an my or Crimi Nal investigation come report will have a difficult time getting reimbursed Satter White said. The reports arc considered finished when those agencies feel they have taken All possible measures to investigate i facials who arc investigating the grips him thefts would not provide details about the crimes because the investigation is continuing said maj. John Satterwhite ,233rd base support in spokes Man in Darmstadt. Residents of the Griesheim housing say building managers and cleaning Crews have keys to the units there who  s doing it has a key because there s been no sign of forced entry said Lisa Hartman a resident of the  housing area in Griesheim it just worries me that someone has a  they re run like a condominium com plex Satler White said. A building of 10 units could be owned by 10 people or five people or two  Satterwhite also said that if the amount of a theft is below $1,000, the maps have jurisdiction. Criminal investigation come has jurisdiction for amounts greater than$1,000. Staff writer Dave Melancon contributed to this report anti theft tips Here Are some tips from a criminal investigation come Otlo to avoid being victimized by burglaries. Double lock doors. Leave the keys in the door at night. Know your neighbors. Be aware of strangers especially those who go up the stairs empty handed and come Down with packages. Lock the building Entrance door. Keep basement and garage doors locked. Don t loan your keys. Record the serial number of All valuables. Take pictures or videotapes of your collectibles and record the collector number or other identification. Store the pictures and video somewhere other than the apartment. Lock valuable jewelry in a Box. Is  Booher the thefts. However there acc things the victim can do to get the claim settled. If the final report is taking a Long time an adjudicator will Call the investigators directly and record their information and observations in the claim file and process the claim on that basis Satterwhite said. . Consulate in Stuttgart closes Federal benefits unit Stuttgart Germany the . Consul ate general in Stuttgart no longer accepts applications for social Security veterans benefits or other . Government benefits. The consulate s Federal benefits unit was Dis banded feb. 1. Residents of Baden i Ittem Berg whose postal codes Are Between 6800 and 7199 should Contact the Federal benefits unit at the american consulate general at Wiesmayer Strasse 21 in Frankfurt or Call within Germany 069-7535-2440 or 2441. People whose postal codes Are Between 7200 and 7999 should Contact the Federal benefits of fice at the . Consulate general at Donigen Strasse 5 in Munich or Call within Germany 089-2888-729. The passport and citizenship and special con sular services sections of the Stuttgart consulate will continue operations until at least mid april before transferring their duties to the consulate in Frankfurt. After transferring these functions the Stuttgart consular general and the amerika Haus will remain open to promote . Contacts with Baden Vii Ottemberg. Credit Union office cutting services by Kay kovy Dan Washington Bureau Washington Weed with a customer base that has dried up officials at the Pentagon Federal cred it Union have curtailed operations at their office serv ing the Bremer Haven and Karlstedt areas in Northern Germany. Telephone service has been terminated at the office on Bremerhaven s Carl Schurz Cavern but officials said employees will continue to serve walk in custom ers. The office is open weekdays from 10 . To 2  A few Hundred americans associated with the . Military remain in the Bremerhaven area. Army officials estimate that virtually All army troops will leave the area by oct. 1. Pentagon Federal credit Union is one of four such . Institutions offering Loans and other financial serv ices to military customers in Germany. The four function under an agreement that sets aside specific Geo graphic areas in Germany for each credit Union so that no More than one credit Union operates on any military installation. Pentagon Federal has other european offices at Lajes Field azores and at Torrejon and Zaragoza air bases in Spain. Our piece of the pie has shrunk said George Mitchell an executive at the organization s Alexandria va., Headquarters. Our potential customers in North Ern German there Are Only about a tenth of what we had. Our potential Market has dried up. We have 400,000 members around the world and everyone would like to have a Branch in their Back Yard but we just can t do  Pentagon Federal will depend on overseas mail Tele phones and faxes to communicate with its remaining customers in Northern Germany Mitchell said. Individual accounts Are Good for life said Gordon Levine a Pentagon Federal spokesman. We offer toll free service from anywhere in the . And from Many places  about half the credit Union s estimated 41,000 customers in Europe were in Northern Germany before the draw Down began Levine said. Pentagon Federal is setting up an office in in Ciurlik a Turkey. With a staff of three the office will not offer computer based service that Many american banking customers Are accustomed to. That s a pretty Tough environment and Well be operating on a shoestring with just phone fax and telex support Mitchell said. There Are no plans to link the in Ciurlik office with the credit s Union main computer system he said