Austin Police Capt. Curt Rude agreed to meet immediately with Becky Peters, Richard Edge and others at Bremerton Townhomes this week.

The latest round of threats and counter-threats, more criminal behavior and all the other ingredients of a cauldron of emotions ready to boil over merited the police captain's attention.

But, the Austin Police Department has -- literally and figuratively -- been there before.

"Shots fired" …. "Man with a gun" …… "Fight in progress" and countless other calls have been routinely made sending officers to Bremerton Townhomes.

The complex's population of low-income residents, includes many young adults with only two units occupied by tenants considered "senior citizen" types.

"We've been after them for some time to get a program set up out there," Rude said. "Officer Steve Wald has been assigned to do that in multiple-housing units in the city.

"We've had more cars go through the place. We've tried to be more proactive in all that we do.

"Now Officer Wald will be involved again and try to set up a Neighborhood Watch program and we had our sit-down meeting, too. Obviously, I believe we want to ensure that our officers have a presence where their presence should be, but there's only so much a police department can do."

Rude is encouraged by the latest round of mutually acceptable actions being taken by the Bremerton Townhomes' management and owners. He points to their willingness to allow officers to use the complex's office to prepare paperwork when criminal activities are investigated.

He also understands the risks the Bremerton on-site management and staff, as well as Neighborhood Watch participants, take by their involvement. He suggests everyone keep threats and intimidation acts

"in context."

"It's an on going program out there," Rude said, "and we're trying to support them in every way we can."

Rude said Austin police officers share residents' frustrations over criminal acts that go unnoticed and criminals who go unarrested.

"But, this is America and there is due process and we're not a police state and we don't ever want it to become a police state. We can't arrest people on suspicions," he said.

"We have only so many officers and they can only do so much at any given moment," he said.

The police captain, like police chief Paul M. Philipp, would neither confirm nor deny residents' accounts of a Friday night guns-drawn raid at Bremerton Townhomes.

He also said law-abiding residents must be patient with their efforts and those of police.

"Given some time, we will take the upper hand, but it is gong to take time."

"You do the best you can. That's all anybody can ask," he said.

Editor's note: For more on what's happening at the Bremerton Townhomes, pick up the Sunday edition of the Austin Daily Herald.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

:mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com