Crime Prevention Tips

Thursday, May 29, 2008

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Auto Theft Prevention

Secure Your Vehicle and Be Alert
Lock your car. Take your keys.
Never hide a spare key on the vehicle.
Roll up windows completely.
Remove keys from ignition.
Park in well-lighted areas.
When parking in attended lots or parking garages, leave only the ignition key with the attendant.
Park as close as possible to an open business.
Do not leave valuables in sight to tempt a thief.
Always park with the wheels turned toward the curb.
Back your car into the driveway. If you drive forward into the driveway, a car thief could raise the hood to hot wire the car, and it would appear to the neighbors that you were just working on the car.
If you have a garage, use it.
Lock your garage door.
When going out of town, if possible, remove the distributor cap or the coil wire.
Never leave your car running while it is unattended.

If Your Car Is Stolen
Report vehicle theft as soon as possible. However, before the vehicle can be listed as stolen, you must have your vehicle's license number and/or the vehicle identification number (sometimes called VIN).
Stolen vehicles are sometimes used in the commission of other crimes.
Quick action often results in recovery of your vehicle as well as prevention of another crime.
If the criminal is apprehended, be willing to file charges and testify in court.

Follow Up
If you recover your own vehicle, you must call the Police station. If you do not, your car will continue to be listed as stolen.

Identifying Your Car
Each Vehicle Identification Number is located on window glass trim.
Engrave expensive accessories such as T-tops, radios, etc. with your car's Vehicle Identification Number.
Drop a business card into the door frame.
If possible, retain copies of all vehicle paperwork at home in a safe place.
It is not good practice to keep the original certificate of title in the vehicle. If the car is stolen, this title can be altered easily and/or your signature can be forged.

When Selling and Buying a Car
Be cautious of the low priced bargain car.
Beware of fast sell pressures.
Check the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see if it has been altered.
Be suspicious of fresh paint on a car.
Verify that the inspection sticker and the license tag are current and are from the same state.
Do not accept duplicate car keys.
Complete all paper work at the time of the sale.
If you are selling a car, never allow a person to test drive the vehicle alone.
Ask to see an interested buyer's drivers license, and write down the name, address, driver's license number, etc.

Make certain the driver's door contains a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Label. This label is often called a mylar sticker, and it contains the Vehicle Identification Number. Law requires presence of the label.

Anti Theft Devices
Anti-theft devices are not foolproof, but they can stop the amateur and slow down the professional. the longer it takes to steal a car, the more attention the thief attracts, and the more likely the thief will look elsewhere. Anti-theft devices include those listed below.

Kill Switch: The car will not start unless a hidden switch is activated. The switch prevents electrical current from reaching the coil or carburetor. Please check your warranty before installing one of these switches. Some warranties prohibit installation of these devices, and doing so nullify the warranty. In such cases, there is a possibility that a STARTER BYPASS SWITCH could be used without affecting the warranty.
Alarm Systems: These systems contain a device that will activate a siren, lights, or horn if the car is tampered with. Consider a backup power source for the alarm, as professionals could deactivate the alarm if they get to the power source. Keys or code numbers to the alarm should never be given to parking lot attendants or valets. Do not try to fool a thief with an alarm decal when no alarm exists.
Fuel Switch: This device stops the fuel supply.
Armored Collar: This equipment consists of a metal shield that locks around the steering column and covers the ignition, the starter rods, and the steering wheel interlock rod.
Locking Gas Cap
Crook Lock: This lock is a long metal bar that has a hook on each end to lock the steering wheel to the brake pedal.
Chain and Lock: These devices should be used to secure motorcycles and motor scooters.
Keyless Entry System
Anti-theft devices may cost a few dollars to several hundred dollars. Many of those devices are now standard or optional equipment offered by auto manufacturers.

Crime Prevention for Children

Each year thousands of children are victimized by crime. No matter what your age, sex or race or where you live and go to school, it is happening around you too. The following tips are important for crime prevention. Keeping these suggestions in mind and following them when necessary will reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

Safety On The Streets
Have your mom or dad or both of them, walk your school route with you to make sure it is safe.
When your mom or dad cannot walk you, walk with a friend. Two heads are better than one, especially if there's an emergency. Strangers usually pick on one person.
Always stick to the same route when going and coming from school.
Don't take short cuts.
Be observant as you walk. Be aware of your surroundings. If you think you are being followed, you can cross the street.
If you think you are in danger, yell "help" and run to the nearest store or back to school.
If a stranger in a car asks you questions, don't get close to the car (you could get pulled in) and never get in it.
rememberr that a stranger is anyone you and your parents don't know or know well.
Adults can tell you what to do, such as a teacher or a police officer. But no adult can tell you what to do just because he or she is older than you. If you're ever in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, you have the right to say NO, loud and clear.
Don't tell anyone your name and address when you are out walking, and don't think that because someone knows your name that they know you, maybe he/she heard someone else call you by name.
Establish a code or secret word that only you and your parents know.
Don't wear clothing with your name on the outside, it tells strangers who you are.

Safety At School
Do not wear expensive jewelry or clothing.
Do not carry more money than you need.
Place your money in a secure pocket.
Do not stay alone in the hallways between classes.

Safety At Play
Do not ride your bicycle in deserted areas. Ride in a group, if possible. Do not ride at night.
Do not stay alone in a playground or recreational area. Play in groups and walk home in groups. Stay away from dark and wooded area. Do not go into abandoned buildings.
If something is wrong, scream and run to safety.
If you leave your bicycle outside a store, house, etc., secure it with a good lock and chain.

Safety In Your Apartment Or Home
Have your keys ready as you approach your door to enter.
Do not attempt to enter your residence if you see a suspicious person in front of it or walking behind you. Go to a neighbor you trust.
Make sure your door is always locked. If there is a knock at the door always acknowledge it.
Do not open your door for strangers, no matter how friendly they seem. If they want to use your phone in an emergency, make the call for them.
If you are alone in a house try to keep a radio or television turned on to give the impression that the residence is occupied.
Never tell anyone at the door or on the phone that you are alone. Do not give out any information.

Neighborhood Security

A watch group is an important tool families can use to protect their neighborhood against burglars and other criminal intruders. A watch group is simply a number of neighbors joining together to keep an eye open for suspicious persons and activities. Ideally, families should form watch groups by becoming acquainted with their neighbors across the street, on both sides and to the rear. They should learn each other's living patterns-things such as when family members are usually home, which members go to which schools and when a family will be leaving to go on a trip or on a vacation. Then neighbors can work together to protect their homes through vigilance. For example, those persons who are home during the day know that something may be wrong if they see people around a home when family members are usually absent. Or if one family will be gone on business or for a weekend, they can ask one of the others to pick up their newspapers and their mail and to give their house a lived-in appearance. By cooperation in the area of security, neighbors have a no-cost device to help protect their homes and property from criminals. At the first sign of anything out of the ordinary, the police should be called. Some common situations that could mean trouble include:

A stranger entering your neighbor's house when it is unoccupied.
Anyone removing car accessories, license plates or gasoline.
Anyone peering into parked cars.
Apparent business transactions conducted from a vehicle.
Anyone loitering around schools, parks, secluded areas or on the street.
Any vehicle moving slowly and without lights or one following an apparently aimless course.
Vehicles containing one or more persons parked at unusual hours.
Vehicles being loaded with valuables in front of an unoccupied house.
The sound of breaking glass or loud explosive noise.
Persons being forced into vehicles.
Someone going door-to-door who test the door to see if they are locked or who goes around to the side or to the back of the house.
Someone waiting in front of a house when it is unoccupied.
Open doors or broken windows at an unoccupied house.
Continuous repair operations at a nonbusiness location.
A delivery man with a wrong address.

Secure Your Home
Don't Give the Burglar a Helping Hand.

Most home burglars are amateurs looking for easy targets. They're looking for homes, which present the least risk of detection; the greatest opportunity for easy gain; and the maximum potential for escape. They're looking for homes which appear unoccupied and unprotected; homes without adequate locks and lighting; open or unlocked doors and windows; and home sites which provide easy concealment from neighbors and passing motorists.

Unfortunately, the burglar doesn't need to look around very long to discover "Welcome Burglar" signs unwittingly left around many homes. It is even more unfortunate when you realize that all it takes to make your home less inviting to a burglar is a little common sense and several easy, effective and inexpensive crime prevention measures. By following the suggestions in this brochure you can decrease your chances of becoming a burglary victim.

Survey Your Home
Look at your home through a burglar's eyes. Does it look like an easy target? Are there obvious security weaknesses?

Shrubbery should not obscure doors and windows. Trim the growth so that a burglar cannot work undetected.
At night leave a few lights burning outside your home. Lights over doorways and garages, and strategically placed floodlights will make your home less inviting to a burglar.
Windows and doors should be securely locked. Inadequate locks should be replaced or supplemented.
Make your home look occupied at all times.
Common sense is all that is needed to identify most security weaknesses around your home.

What is a Good Lock?
Many homes are equipped with spring-latch door locks. Even the most inexperienced burglar can easily jimmy most spring-latch locks. Replace or supplement any spring-latch locks with a good deadbolt lock.
Other good security locks such as the jimmy-resistant rim lock are available.
When you move into a new home, or if you lose your house keys, contact a locksmith to change the tumblers inside the lock. The change can be done quickly and inexpensively, and it makes the old or lost keys useless.
Don't forget to lock up. Even the best locks provide no protection if left unlocked. Securely lock your home even if you plan to be away for only minutes.

Secure Doors and Windows

Wooden exterior doors have either Solid Core or Hollow Core construction. Solid Core Doors provide the greatest security. They are able to withstand attacks by burglars, and are best suited for installation of good locks. If an exterior door contains a glass panel or is near a window, you should install a double-cylinder deadbolt lock, which requires a key to unlock it from either side of the door. This lock will prevent a burglar from reaching inside to unlock the door after breaking the glass.

Doors, which swing open to the outside, have exposed hinges in easy reach of the burglar. These doors can be secured by the "hinge pinning" technique:

Use Common Sense
Remove opposing screws from both sides of each hinge plate.
Insert pin into hole on door FRAME, leaving a 1/2 inch protrusion.
Drill out opposing hold to fit pin when door is closed.
Open garage doors attract burglars. Make a habit of keeping garage doors closed and locked, an open garage door with no car in sight is a clear invitation to a burglar, especially if the garage is used to store such items as bicycles, power mowers, garden tools, and other easily stolen property. Sliding glass doors are particularly vulnerable to attacks by burglars. The "pinning" technique mentioned above will prevent the lock from being forced or the door from being lifted from the track. Key-operated pins or grips are a preferred method of securing sliding glass doors.
With door closed, drill hole (angle downward) through top and bottom corners of inner frame, partially into outer frame.
Insert pin or nail.
Another common entry points for burglars are windows. Double-hung windows can be easily and inexpensively secured by using the "pinning' technique. With windows closed, drill hole (angle downward) through top corners of inner frame, partially into outer frame. Insert pin or nail.
A good security for windows is provided by key-operated window locks, especially when used as auxiliaries to conventional window locks.
Remember, an open or unlocked window or door invites burglars.

Give Your Home an Occupied Look
Most burglars are looking for unoccupied homes. If your home appears occupied, the burglar will usually look for other more inviting sites.
When away from home, leave a radio playing.
Always leave a few inner lights burning at night. Automatic timers can be used to vary the on/off pattern of interior lights when you're away.
When leaving for an extended period, such as during a vacation, you should take several additional precautions.
Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your home.
Stop newspaper deliveries.
Ask a neighbor to pick up your mail.
If necessary, arrange for lawn care.
Notify the Laramie Police Department that you plan to be away and want to have your home placed on the house check program.

Common sense will help keep the burglar away. Be aware of the common methods which burglars use to gain entry, and make sure your entire family understands what to do in certain situations.

Warn family members to be cautious about giving out information over the telephone. Burglars sometimes call ahead to learn if anyone is home, who is home, or when residents are expected to return.
Do not indiscriminately open your home to strangers. A wide-angle door viewer or peepholes installed in your front door will allow you to see who is outside without opening the door. Ask for positive identification from repairmen or solicitors who claim to have business inside your home. If you are suspicious about the caller, telephone his office for verification.
When you admit a repairmen or salesman do not leave him alone for even a few minutes. Don't let a stranger inside your home to use the telephone; make the call for him.
Don't leave notes outside your home announcing your absence. Don't leave an extra key "hidden" outside your home.
Don't leave your house keys with your car keys when you leave your car at a parking lot.
Don't attach your name or license number to your house keys. Lost or stolen house keys which contain such information can be easily traced to your front door.
Never keep large sums of cash or easily stolen valuables such as jewelry unprotected in your home. Keep valuables you don't often use in a safe deposit box.
Many communities have formed Neighborhood Watch groups to protect themselves from burglars. Through a Neighborhood Watch organization, neighbors agree to keep an eye on each other's property and to report suspicious activities to the Laramie Police.

Crime Prevention For Senior Citizens

One of the best ways to take an active part in crime prevention is to become more alert and aware of what's going on around you. Each person should adopt a more observant and active attitude on a daily basis. As a result, you become more aware of strange cars, persons or circumstances that might be dangerous and require calling the police. Not every stranger you encounter is a criminal by any means, but criminals will look for easy opportunities to get something of value.

Don't Be A Victim Of Fraud
If someone offers a deal that sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Yet every day people get taken in by different schemes.

Con artists defraud and cheat unsuspecting citizens out of several billion dollars each year. The swindler's prime target is the senior citizen. Swindlers see the elderly as easy marks for many reasons. Many senior citizens live on social security and pensions supplemented by savings. They may be looking for ways to increase their incomes through investments, home business opportunities or retirement properties.

Most con artists promise "incredible bargains" or "quick money." Unfortunately, senior citizens are just as vulnerable as everybody else when it comes to get-rich-quick schemes.

Swindlers are usually well-dressed, talkative and intelligent. After all, they are trying to win your onfidence.

Con Artist Schemes
Con artist schemes come in a variety of situations. Just to name a few, BEWARE OF:

The Phony Bank Examiner Scheme- a telephone caller will identify himself as a bank examiner who is trying to weed out a disloyal employee by getting you to withdraw money from your bank account and turn it over to them.
Pigeon Drop- the swindler will claim to have found a large sum of money with you being the witness to the findings. A second person will come into the scene and help to convince you to put up good faith money, switch the real money with phony money and leave you holding the bag.
Buying at the Door Schemes -someone might come to your door and offer to sell home insulation, energy saving devices or burglar bars. BEWARE! Do not purchase or sign any contracts without first having it examined by someone you know and trust. Also check with the Better Business Bureau to see if this company is legitimate.
Remember, anything that sounds to good to be true might be just that. So talk to your bank officer before withdrawing a large sum of money from your bank account to make a purchase or close a deal. Remember, most criminals look for the easiest way to get something of value.

Purse Snatch
"Purse snatching" is a common crime, but not widely publicized. Any woman is a target for this offense, even though elderly women seem to be more vulnerable.
You can minimize your chances of becoming a victim of purse snatching by following these simple rules:
Do not carry a shoulder bag over your shoulder. This makes it easier for a suspect to grab the bag, knock you down and cause bodily injury.
Carry a small clutch-type handbag underneath your arm. This will prevent bodily injury from occurring in the event of a purse snatch.
Do not carry large sums of money, valuable jewelry or all of your credit cards in your purse.
Carry only what you plan to use for the day. This includes one check instead of the whole checkbook or one credit card.
Do not walk with your purse dangling from your person.
Do not leave your purse in shopping carts or on counters.
The most frequent areas for purse snatching are bus stops, grocery stores, and shopping center parking lots. The harder you make it, the less likely you are to become a victim of a crime.