By Wyndi Veigel
Staff Writer

 

During the Jan. 10 burglary of city hall several hundred utility checks were stolen giving some Farmersville citizens cause for concern since private information was taken.

 

Police are advising anyone whose checks were stolen to cancel their checks and watch bank accounts closely for the possibility of criminal activity.

 

“I would advise people to check their account daily and make sure the purchases coming through are legitimate,” Police Chief Mike Sullivan said. “Or they can close their accounts for peace of mind and start over.”

 

According to Sullivan, there is no indication, at this point, that  accounts have been compromised.

 

Despite the fact that the city sent out a letter Jan. 13 and posted the letter on the city’s website making citizens aware of the theft, many were alerted to the fact that checks were stolen by disconnection notices for water.

 

According to the letter, citizens will not be charged any late fees regarding water utilities, and water will not be shut off, regardless of the disconnection notices. 

 

Due to the timing in the month, disconnection notices were sent out because the city had no record of who had paid water bills.

Typically, water payments are due on the 10th and, since the burglary occurred that night, disconnection notices were sent out. 

“Checks and cash were both taken.  A system to determine which customers payments had been stolen was devised by staff,” Mayor Joe Helmberger said. “Sadly, the process devised was not communicated to our customers prior to it being implemented.

I, as your mayor, apologize for the way this was handled.  Policy changes have been implemented and city hall will be secured.” 

 

“We mean no disrespect, no ill feelings to anyone,” said Moran. “We had very limited ways to deal with this. The city understands the inconvenience and asks for everyone’s patience while this unprecedented situation if resolved.”

 

According to Moran, approximately 200 checks, representing thousands of dollars, were taken.

 

Both Independent Bank and First National Bank of Trenton have confirmed that they will not be charging citizens fees for canceling checks stolen during the city of Farmersville break-in.

 

Police are still investigating how the thieves gained entry into city hall and into the city’s safe, City Manager John Moran said. 

 

According to Sullivan, the department is awaiting evidence from the Collin County Crime Scene lab, and there are no suspects at this time.

 

“We have taken reasonable and prudent steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Moran said.

 

“I, as everyone involved, am flabbergasted that something like this would happen. We Farmersvillians have come to expect a certain level of comfort that most cities in the Metroplex do not enjoy.  It became evident to me when my shop was broken into three times in two weeks a year or so ago,” Helmberger said. 

 

“The burglary that occurred at city hall has caused numerous problems not only for the city but for the citizens of Farmerville.  It was a crime not only against the city but against each and every citizen of Farmersville,” he said. “It has caused us to review each and every policy that we have regarding money handling at city hall.  Things had been done the same way for decades because the flaws in our system, that are now so evident, were never discerned as being flaws until the burglary.

“I hear and read often that it takes a tragedy to get things changed.  In this case it took a burglary to get us to look at our policies and procedures.  Once again, I apologize to everyone involved, and I look forward to a more efficient and securer city hall,” Helmberger said.

 

Thefts of Constable Joe Barton’s office,  Dr. Randel Spoonemore’s office and Pinky’s Unlimited occurred during the same night as the city hall burglary.

 

City officials are asking anyone with questions about their water accounts to call the city at 972-782-6151.

 

In the event that you suspect your identity has been compromised:

• Immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338 or www.ftc.gov.

 

• Contact the three major credit reporting agencies to put yourself on fraud alert and request a copy of your credit reports.

 

Equifax- P.O. Box 740250, Atlanta, GA, 30374-0250 or call 1-800-525-6285.

 

Experian - P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX, 75013 or call 1-888-397-3742.

 

TransUnion - P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA, 92634 or call 1-800-680-7289.

 

• Consider cancelling all accounts that have fraudulent activity or that are at risk.

 

• Contact local law enforcement if you suspect any fraudulent activity.

(Farmersville PD 972-782-6141)

 

 

 

 

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