BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — We’re listening to Boynton Beach residents as they demand answers and a clear plan from city leaders after a string of attempted break-ins and shootings in the Forest Park neighborhood, but officials say a review of safety measures is only in the early stages.
WATCH BELOW: 'We want to reduce break-ins, we want to reduce any type of violent crimes,' Trey Helldorfer tells WPTV's Victor Jorges
WPTV reporter Victor Jorges spoke to Trey Helldorfer, a young father who moved to the neighborhood about three years ago. He said four attempted break-ins just on his street in the last six months have made the area feel unsafe.
He and other residents recently took their concerns straight to the city council, detailing incidents of having to chase people away from their homes, attempted break-ins, and shootings.
Helldorfer told Jorges he moved to Forest Park, because of the price, location, and what he thought was a great place to start a family. However, he said conversations among neighbors have shifted recently.
"The general idea, because a lot of [neighbors] have been here anywhere from five to 10 years, is that the neighbors always kind of been like a middle ground,” he said. "Could swing up and could swing down, but now it kind of feels like it’s swinging down and they’re just getting a little more concerned about it, because it’s what matters to us."
He wants a big picture approach to safety and wonders if police alone can solve the issue.
"We want to reduce break-ins, we want to reduce any type of violent crimes. What are the measures we can take? Is it patrols? Is it putting up gunshot notifications to maybe deter or help rapid response," Helldorfer said. "Is it, OK, we have a bunch of daily patrols going out for writing code enforcement, are some of them going to pull night shift, because they can still read tickets at night, but that’s kind of acts as a neighborhood watch type environment."
He is now questioning if his tax money is worth the current environment or if he should move altogether if nothing changes.
"If I’m putting all this effort in and you know my tax money is going here to the local economy to do that, why not move somewhere else," Helldorfer said. "Or even if I can’t afford somewhere else in the house, why not what I do feel it is, and you know I have that in my mind that, OK, at least if you’re not really had to look over my shoulder."
At a commission meeting on March 3, Commissioner Thomas Turkin said he’d support a review of the police department.
“A complete, holistic, administrative review and reevaluation of the police department,” Commissioner Turkin said.
Jorges asked police for a timeline and method for that review, but they deferred to the city.
A city spokesperson provided a statement indicating there is no clear plan yet.
"At this time, the review you referenced is still a work in progress, and the city is in the very early stages of evaluating potential next steps. No final decisions have been made, and discussions are currently focused on gathering information and exploring options.”
Police data shows crime in the area has gone down about 29% between last year and 2024. Numbers shared from this year show more patrolling in the area in February versus January of this year.
