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January 18 - 31, 2014
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Precautions make pizza delivery safer Police seek help identifying robbery suspect BY BETH LUCAS
Hailey Smith keeps a can of mace on her—just in case. “You always have to be vigilant about your surroundings,” says Smith, a 20-year-old pizza delivery driver for the original Rosati’s Pizza in Chandler. “You can’t slack off, have ear phones in.” “The scariest thing that ever happened to me, was when I went to a vacant house. Or, I thought it was vacant, ended up being occupied,” she says. “I called my fiancé on phone, so he could call the police, just in case.” Fortunately, the Rosati’s Pizza she works for has never faced a robbery, at least in the eight years that manager Amber Morinelli can account for. During that same time, Morinelli, however, says she has known of Phoenix drivers who have been robbed, which keeps her vigilant. Chandler resident Smith, has delivered for Rosati’s for the past year. Nationally, news reports have covered changes to pizza delivery: blackouts to areas with high crime that in some cases strike discord with customers who feel a bias against them; robberies and attempted robberies of drivers at empty homes or addresses that turn out to not be homes. But due to local diligence, local enforcement say Chandler has been a safe place for delivery in recent
years. Chandler Police Department Sgt. Joe Favazzo says there is no record of robberies from pizza delivery in empty homes in recent history— mostly due to efforts to increase community watches. “The key is for neighbors to look out for each other, and if something is going on that is suspicious, call the police,” says Favazzo. “A lot of people are afraid to call the police. Sometimes kids realize there is an empty home and drink beer and smoke dope.” Magazines regularly list “sales drivers” which include food delivery drivers, as among the top 10 most dangerous jobs, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The national data demonstrates an increase in violent injuries as well as motor vehicle crashes among drivers from 2011 to 2012. There were 51 fatalities in 2012, including 12 from violent acts and 36 from vehicle crashes. That compares to 40 fatalities in 2011, including seven from violent acts. The same trend is true among injuries, which have also risen nationwide, to 270 in 2012 related to personal injury
violence, up from 230 in 2011. Bureau economist Sean Smith says it was unclear if growth in industry or population impacted the figures. “We’re family run here,” says Morinelli. Drivers make only three deliveries at a time, so managers can keep closer track of their safety, she says. They typically carry no more than $15. “We know where our drivers are going,” she says. “We expect them back. If it takes too long, we call the driver. Thank God we’ve never had to that issue to worry about. We’re a family here.” Smith says it helps a lot the more explicit delivery directions are—such as listing an apartment building number along with an apartment number. She says having regulars helps a lot—because they know the delivery drivers. But she did offer one key piece of advice: “I’ve had to walk up and down dark streets because lights weren’t on. Had to find the house. Lights on is a good thing.” Beth Lucas is a freelancer for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at news@santansun.com.
The Chandler Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify a bank robbery suspect captured on camera at a U.S. Bank branch inside the Safeway at 1159 W. Chandler Blvd. The suspect was recorded at about 2:45 p.m., Jan. 4 and fled the store westbound on foot with an undisclosed amount of currency. The man is described as a white male, approximately 25 years of age, 5-feet 11-inches tall, 160 pounds, with a dark beard and hair. He was wearing a black baseball hat and a gray hooded sweatshirt with the letters “SMU” on the front. If you have any information relating to the identity of this suspect, contact the Chandler Police Department at 480-782-4130.
SUSPECT SOUGHT: Chandler police are looking for any information about a suspected bank robber caught on film. Submitted photo