CRIME PREVENTION

Sheriff Burchardt

Neighborhood Crime Watch

Whatever the name, it's one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear. Neighborhood Watch fights the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon. It forges bonds amoung area residents, helps reduce robberies, and improves relations between police and the communities they serve.

The ABC's of Neighborhood Watch

Any community resident - young and old, single and married, renter and home owner.

A few concerned residents, a community organization, or the police department may spearhead the effort to organize a Watch.

Learn how to make homes more secure, watch out for each other and the neighborhood, and report activities that raise their suspicions to the police.

Watch groups are not vigilantes. They are extra eyes and ears for reporting crime and helping neighbors. Neighborhood watch helps build pride and serves as a springboard for efforts that address community concerns.

Home Security

If you were locked out of your house, would you still be able to get in? Maybe you keep an unlocked window in the back, or a hidden key in your mailbox, or on top of a window ledge? You may think this is a good idea, but guest what? If you can break in, so can a burglar! One out of ten homes will be burglarized this year. For a small amount of time and money you can make your home more secure and reduce your chances of being a victim.

Many burglars will spend no longer than 60 seconds to try breaking into a home. Good locks - and good neighbors who watch out for each other - can be big deterrents to burglars.

Check the Locks
Did you know that in almost half of all completed residential burglaries, theives simply breezed in through unlocked doors or crawled throught unlocked windows?

  • Make sure every external door has a strudy, well-installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough.
  • Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by installing commercially available locks or putting a broomstick or dowell in the inside track to jam the door. To prevent the door being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole.
  • Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" windows by drilling a small hole into a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. Secure basement windows with grilles or grates.
  • Instead of hiding keys around the outside of your home, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.
  • When you move into a new house or apartment, rekey the locks.

    • Check the Doors
    A lock on a flimsy door is about as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down.

  • All outside doors should be metal or solid wood.
  • If your doors don't fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them.
  • Install a peephole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don't keep out intruders.

    Check the Outside
    Look at your house from the outside. Make sure you know the following tips:

  • Thieves hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night.
  • Keep your yard clean. Prune back shrubbery so it doesn't hide doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that a thief could use to climb to an upper-level window.
  • Clearly display your house number so police and other emergency vehicles can find your home quickly.
  • If you travel, create the illusion that you're at home by getting some timers that will turn lights on and off in different areas of your house throughout the evening. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house.
  • Leave shades, blinds, and curtains in normal positions. And don'y let your mail pile up! Call the post office to stop deliverl or have a neighbor pick it up.
  • Make a list of your valuables - VCRs, stereos, computers, jewelry. Take photos of the items, list their serial numbers and descriptions. Check with our department about engraving your valuables through our Operation Identidication.
  • Ask about our free home security survey.

    • Safer Seniors

    As people grow older, their chances of being victims of crime decrease dramatically. But a lifetime of experiences coupled with the physical problems associated with aging often make older Americans fearful. Though they're on the lookout constantly for physical attack and burglary, they're not as alert to frauds and con games - in reality the greatest crime threat to seniors' wellbeing and trust.

    Want to conquer fear and prevent crime? Take these common-sense precautions.

    Be Alert When Out and About

  • Go with friends or family, not alone.
  • Carry your purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps. Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket.
  • Don't carry credit cards you don't need or large amounts of cash.
  • Use direct deposit for Social Security and other regular checks.
  • Whether you're a passenger or driver, keep car doors locked. Be particularly alert in parking lots and garages. Park near an entrance.
  • Sit close to the driver or near the exit while riding the bus, train, or subway.
  • If someone or something makes you uneasy, trust your instincts and leave.

    • Make Your Home Safe and Secure

  • Install good locks on doors and windows. Use them! Don't hide keys in mailboxes and planters or under doormats. Leave an extra set of keys with a neighbor or friend.
  • Ask for photo identification from service or deliverly people before letting them in. If your are the least bit worried, call the company to verify.
  • Be sure your street address number is large, clear of obstruction, and well-lighted so officers and other emergency personnel can find your home quickly.
  • Consider a home alarm system that provides emergency monitoring for burglary, fire, and medical emergencies.

    • Watch Out For Con Artists

  • Don't fall for anything that sounds too good to be true - a free vacation, sweepstakes prizes, cures for cancer and arthritis, a low-risk, high-yield investment scheme.
  • Never give your credit card, phone card, Social Security, or bank account number to anyone over the phone. It's illegal for telemmarketers to ask for these numbers to verify a prize of gift.
  • Don't let anyone rush you into signing anything - an insurance policy, a sales agreement, a contract. Read it carefully and have someone you trust check it over.
  • If you're suspicious, check it out by calling the police, the Better Business Bureau, or the local consumer protection office.

    • Or Call the National Consumers League Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060