Richardson High grad Courtney Parmalee donated toys to Khloe Kardashian’s toy drive and got a snapshot with the star.

They grabbed and were gone.

This month we chat with Sr. Cpl. John Burke, neighborhood police officer for the Spring Valley, Forest, North Central and Dallas North Tollway area.

How’s the crime rate in Far North Dallas? What’s the latest on the Valley View redevelopment? And when will Fretz Park Recreation Center finally re-open? These questions and more will be answered at two important meetings this week. Both are being held in the community room of the North Central Station.

The North Central Division hosts its quarterly crime watch meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Ed Fox, crime watch extraordinaire and P.E.N.A. West resident, will give an update on Volunteers in Patrol. Officer Mark Lutz will present some stats, comparing 2010 and 2011. Our area has actually seen the largest crime decrease in the city. Finally, Senior Cpl. D.J. Beaty will provide some insight on how police are using social media, which is quite timely considering that was the subject of our January cover story.

Have breakfast with council members Linda Koop (District 11) and Sandy Greyson (District 12) 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday and learn how important city hall issues will affect our neighborhoods. Topics will include the Complete Streets Initiative and bike plan, water restrictions and flow control. There also will be an update on the Fretz Park Recreation Center, which has been under renovation for many months now, and the plan for redeveloping the Valley View area.

Two suspects are on the loose wanted for the aggravated robbery of the EZ Loan Money Loan Services store at Spring Valley and Montfort. Police believe they are responsible for six other robberies around Dallas.

At about 11:15 a.m. Jan. 7, the suspects walked into the EZ Loan, jumped over the counter and demanded from the register and safe. One had a chrome, semi-automatic handgun. They forced an employee to a back room where the safe could not be opened. So, they took the cash from the register and fled the scene.

The suspects are described as black males in their early 20s. One was wearing a black hoodie, the other in white with a cap.

Anyone with information should call the Crimes Against Persons Unit at 214.671.3584 or, to remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers at 214.373.8477.

At about 2:30 a.m. this morning, police responded to a call at the Oak Run Apartments on Preston Oaks between Preston and Montfort and found 38-year-old Clyde Shavers Jr. stabbed to death in the chest.

The incident happened after Shavers was arguing with his stepdaughter’s boyfriend outside the apartment during a birthday party. The argument turned fatal for Shavers, and the suspect, 20, fled the scene, and police are searching for him now using using helicopters and k-9 units.

Photo by Can Turkyilmaz

Another year has passed, so let’s take a look back at some of the Far North Dallas stories that attracted the most readers to our site. And, if you haven’t been following the Advocate blog, here’s what you’ve been missing:

1. Man dies after falling from Galleria balcony

At 2:30 in the afternoon August 9, mall shoppers watched in horror as Crisan Hindorean, 44, jumped from the third level of the Galleria, landing on the ice skating rink in what police confirmed as a suicide.

2. Coffee House Cafe to open at Preston and Frankford

Finally, an independent coffee shop opened in Far North Dallas. The reviews have been so-so (mainly because of bad service) but hey, we’ll take it if it means one less big-box chain on the corner.

3. Coming back from rock bottom

In our March cover story, we introduced readers to a few Far North Dallas residents who turned their lives around after living unhealthy lifestyles.

4. It’s official: Valley View Center will be demolished

It’s bitter-sweet for some neighbors who have fond memories of the old mall, but we’re ready for some major redevelopment of the area. Stakeholders are close to solidifying their vision, possibly in the beginning of 2012. The end is near for Valley View.

5. A Trader Joe’s in Far North Dallas?

Since this post, Fort Worth landed the first Trader Joe’s location in North Texas. But could we be next?

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This month we talk with Neighborhood Police Officer Lizette Adams, and we take a closer look at a Far North Dallas vehicle burglary.

Social media can forge relationships, improve efficiency, boost business and promote safety within the neighborhood. But not everyone is on board.

North Central police chief Jesse Reyes and the station received a cake from DPD Chief David Brown for a job well done. (Photo from North Central Facebook page)

Looks like our community is among the safest. Crime has dropped 9 percent over last year in the North Central Division, and that’s the biggest decrease of all seven of the city’s substations. Dallas’ overall crime rate has been on the decline for several years.

Compared with 2010, this year in North Central, we had 1,103 residential burglaries, down from 1,256;  202 business burglaries, down from 322; 2,225 car break-ins, down from 2,367; 645 car thefts, down from 771; and 32 sexual assaults, down from 35. We had one less murder than last year (6, down from 7).

The only types of crime that have increased are shoplifting and the category of “other theft” (for instance, when a woman’s purse gets stolen from her shopping cart at the supermarket or when property is taken from someone’s yard or porch). And obviously, police can’t be stationed outside every business in case something happens.

“We don’t have much control over that,” says Lt. Richard Dwyer. “That’s mainly due to stores and their security.”

The North Central police has focused its efforts on two target areas – Maham Road and Spring Valley/Montfort where crime tends to be the highest. On Maham, violent crime is up 5 percent, but the numbers are low with an overall gain of 6 offenses this year. At Spring Valley and Montfort, violent crime is down 11 percent.

I sure wouldn’t be venturing down Maham at night alone. However, even our problem areas are still pretty good by comparison, Dwyer says.

“Our high numbers are low compared with the rest of the city.”

Also, there’s higher density due to the number of apartments in those areas, so crime is generally higher. As for residential neighborhoods, active crime watch teams are making a difference.

“The neighborhood watch groups are doing well as far as helping,” Dwyer says. “People are more aware.”

That’s what local media outlets are reporting, however, police are making no comments about it.

The Dallas County medical examiner’s office reports that Lightfoot, 22, died of smoke inhalation and thermal injury and has ruled her death an accident. A little odd since the report only confirms what we already knew – her cause of death. The report also found that Lightfoot’s blood alcohol content was over the legal limit.

Police say that the case is still under investigation and released only this statement:  “This remains an ongoing investigation by the Police Department. There is no further information at this time.”

Lightfoot’s body was found burned beyond recognition inside her Mazda Nov. 4 off Preston Road between Keller Springs and Arapaho. Police have been investigating her death as a murder, reporting that someone intentionally burned her alive. Oak Farms had even offered a $10,000 reward in the case.

Lightfoot worked as a hairstylist at Salon Republic at Preston and Belt Line and was last seen at the Tom Thumb in that shopping center just a couple of hours before her death.

A puzzling case becomes even more puzzling.

Update: Police released a revised statement, saying that the medical examiner’s findings are one component of a complex case. It is still being investigated as a homicide. “This case will remain open until conclusive evidence is found that fully explains Ms. Lightfoot’s death.  The circumstances surrounding Ms. Lightfoot’s death are unusual.  Ms. Lightfoot’s family and the general public deserve a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”

Still no new leads in the senseless murder of 22-year-old hairstylist Elizabeth Lightfoot, who was found burned alive Nov. 4 inside her silver Mazda off Preston Road near Keller Springs.

Police released this brief surveillance video of Ligthtfoot leaving the Tom Thumb at Preston and Belt Line around midnight – just two hours before her death. The video shows what she looked like and what she was wearing the night of her murder.

The reward has increased to $15,000 now. Oak Farms announced it would offer $10,000 while Crime Stoppers added $5,000 more for any information leading to an arrest. Call the homicide unit at 214.671.3662.