CONCERNED CITIZENS’ WATCH
AUGUST 2009
WEB SITE: http://mysite.verizon.net/ccwftwayne/
EMAIL: ccwftwayne@verizon.net
GENERAL MEETING -
The next General Meeting will be September 15, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. at the Police
Department on Creighton Avenue. We will be planning our October Halloween at the Zoo patrol. The Zoo has had some "theft from
auto" crimes this past month. It seems that the weather was perfect for the Zoo customers as they really had large crowds
almost every day of the week for the last month. When the crowds are large and the parking stretched out to the out limits
of the lots, the criminals have easy targets when the Zoo patrons do not practice GOOD COMMON SENSE crime prevention. I hope
you Neighborhood Associations will PREACH in your next newsletters about your members practicing crime prevention during this
upcoming holiday season. I need not say anything about the current economy. A person would have to be living in the middle
of the jungle to not be aware of our tight financial crisis. And when times evolve this way, even some honest citizens become
needy enough to seize upon careless opportunities extended by other citizens. If we all start practicing crime prevention
now, we should expect our actions to become automatic during the holiday rush. Lock your cars, only place articles in the
trunk BEFORE you reach your parking destination, and NEVER leave anything that would be interpreted as being something of
value visible within your car. Another very important crime prevention measure that I haven’t discussed in some time
is leaving the remote garage door opener in you car. Most people keep insurance papers, or your vehicle registration
in your cars. Your address and that remote is all a thief needs to gain entry to your house while you shop. Put the remote
in your pocket. And LADIES - hold that purse in front of you when you are walking to or from your car. The last reminder is
to be awake and BE AWARE of anyone around you. If they are over 90 years of age, have only one leg and using crutches you
can ignore them otherwise glance towards them intermittently, more frequent if they are close, until you reach your destination
safely. One last suggestion, if a situation appears unsafe, ask store personnel to accompany you or for any other type of
help they can provide. You probably could use your cell phone to call 911 and explain the situation and give them your location.
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HOME BURGLARIES -
As the holiday season starts getting close, home burglaries seem to increase. It is hard to pinpoint
any specific circumstance that would definitely trigger a burglary, but one factor seems to stand out. The burglar has to
have a way of knowing you are not home at that time. It might be that he is parked near by as you leave or he could be just
driving by about the time you pull out of your driveway. Do you watch for strangers as you leave your house? Do you leave
lights on or the radio playing when you are away? Do you let neighbors know if you are going to be away for an extended period
of time? Following these tips will not guarantee that your house will not be burglarized but these actions will reduce your
odds of becoming a victim of burglary. Not displaying newly purchased household goods by breaking down boxes and placing them
in a black garbage bag will hide what you possess now. Again, I relay that it is difficult to point to one action to stop
a burglary, but each action you take, however minor, will add a point to your box or take a point from the burglar’s
box. The most points usually determine the winner.
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FUTURE CHANGES -
Concerned Citizen’s Watch is approaching some future changes possibly in the postal address
and a change in our office and meeting locations. If you find our newsletter helpful to your neighborhood association or in
your personal life, you may want to hold a copy of a newsletter so that you have a list of possible contacts in case you need
them. I hope you have our Website as one of your bookmarks. We will continue to try to help solve your neighborhood crime
problems as the future forces our changes.
