RECENT CRIMES -

The recent crimes that you should be aware of are purse snatchings in parking lots and robberies when you arrive home. These seem to mainly target the senior citizens, but can happen to ANYONE, ANYWHERE in the city. The criminals seem to seize upon the opportunity that is given to them. They seem to be strictly after any amount of money you may have on you, but show a willingness to hurt you if you try to fight them. As the weather gets warmer, these crimes may increase. Ladies, please carry your purse in front of you with your hand on it. If you see, YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING, anyone standing around outside of any store as you start to leave, turn around and return to the store. Don’t be afraid to ask a store employee to accompany you to your car. The person outside could appear to be talking on a cell phone or standing there talking to a buddy. Don’t take a chance. Get your reinforcements from the store. How many of you pay attention to a car behind you that seems to make every turn that you do? Unless you live on a main thoroughfare, there is a slim chance that someone will be following you up to your driveway. And if the car stops in front of your house or pulls into your driveway, what should you do? Stay in your car, lock the doors and lay on your horn until your battery goes dead. A car horn that sounds more than ten seconds will attract enough attention that the thief will not want to risk being seen. Now that you are aware of a distress signal (the car horn blowing for a period of time) you should be checking it out and contacting the police.

THEFT FROM AUTO -

I cannot warn you enough that warm weather aids thieves that break into cars. They can sit in their cars watching you as you park or standing nearby observing you placing your purse or some other valuable in the trunk of your car. If they get NOTHING, the damage they will do to your car should be enough of an incentive to eliminate any action that would cause them to "perceive" that they will get something of value if they break into your car. As you get ready to start your trip to the store, to the place of entertainment, or to the restaurant, take a quick inventory of your car’s visible contents and move everything into the trunk BEFORE you start your trip. "That may be just an empty box sitting on the back seat", but what will the thief PRECEIVE that the box contains? Don’t let your guard down - EVER!!!

VACATION TIME -

Vacation scheduling is just around the corner. Have you started you "neighborhood watch" program yet? If you get one or two neighbors to watch your house while you are gone, you have started your program. You should also give them information on how to contact you in case of an emergency. If you have a relative or friend that checks on the house at intervals, you should provide that information to your "watch" neighbors. You can provide the same kind of service to your neighbors when they are away. Once the "neighborhood watch" starts, you will be surprised at how it can spread to cover many homes. Make this a good summer for the whole neighborhood.

ID THEFT -

The last crime I want to discuss in this newsletter is the one on ID theft. I have read so many articles on different cases of this crime that I cringe giving my social security number even to the IRS. In most of the cases, the victim lost, or had stolen, personal information they were carrying in their billfolds and/or purses, but some of the cases originated from discarded mail, theft of a company’s personal files, or interception of unsecured Internet communications that contain personal information. Not everyone will become a victim of Identity Theft, but everyone is at RISK. Get your credit report.