The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

October 21, 2008

What time is it in Tarboro, Edgecombe?

M.H. Barber

Do you have any idea what time it is in Tarboro and Edgecombe County?

It is time for us to open our eyes and ears to what is happening around us all. It is the start of a new season, with some of the same old problems.

The weather is changing from warm to cold, from calm to windy. The hunters are out, trees are are changing color and shedding their leaves, the geese are migrating, the grass is turning brown, baseball is winding down, football is here and farmers are harvesting their crops. This all signals the start of fall. What can we expect during this change in the seasons? Let’s see?

There are the allegeries, head colds, stuff noses, and the migration of the traveling thieves, the Irish Travelers and other groups.

Who are these groups you may ask? They travel up and down the eastern seaboard and normally pass through the Edgecombe County/ Tarboro area on the way back from up north in the first part of October. They pose a threat to the community as they are notorious for breaking into homes and stealing the family silver and jewelry. The crime goes unnoticed for several months and then when you look for the silver, it is gone. They sell equipment lifts and other mechanical items. They do home repair, driveway resurfacing, cut trees and can sing a song of pity and sadness that will make a grown man cry like a newborn baby. They seem to be of European descent and have olive type skin and may even look to be Hispanic. They travel in groups and the groups consist of children, women and men more often are in a separate group. The women are just as involved and maybe more so in the home burglaries than the men.

You can find more info on this group and others like them at: www.fraudtech.bizland.com/travelers.htm.

We need to be aware of the people in our neighborhoods as we go about our day to day activities. Be aware of the woman and child walking in the area looking or asking directions to an area you have never heard of. Be aware of the door to door salesperson that has a partner and engages you in useless conversation. Be aware of the auto that is cruising slowly in the neighborhood. Be aware of the person that is looking for the lost dog. If the situation is strange to you, then it probably needs to be addressed.

What do I do if I see something or someone out of the ordinary?

Call the police department with the concerns you have.

Get a description of the person, clothing, height weight, race etc

Get a description of the auto, tag number, state of the tag, vehicle make model and color.

Keep the person or auto in site as long as possible and relay the information to the police of the direction of travel of the person or auto.

We need to be more aware of our neighborhoods and our community. We as a TEAM can stop or prevent crime from infesting our neighborhoods, schools, and community if we work together as a team. In the fight to keep this town and county safe, secure and a desirable place to live and raise a family, we must without question put aside our differences and work together as one, as a team. The enemy looks for the weakness in the community and they exploit this and before you know it, the infection has spread. Lets all work together to make this community a better place to live, raise a family, retire to and a place that business and industry wants to locate. If we pull together and do this, we will all be winners in the end.

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