Crime Prevention Tips

Electronic Monitoring

Electronic monitoring, such as low-cost security systems, is a vital resource to help keep not only your home but your neighbor’s home safe. These systems will immediately make notification for emergency response, as well as notification to whomever you chose, informing of an alarm event. To help with the safety and security of neighborhoods, below are a few suggestions: 

• Security systems for homes, apartments, and autos
• Utilization of electronic monitoring systems when away or overnight.
• Citizen awareness of suspicious activity, with notification to the police.
• Residents Hardening target- locks, lighting, visibility to home and auto.
• Do not leave valuables visible in autos and lock it.

These factors will help police with the following efforts:

• Awareness of recent crime trends, with increased presence and patrols
• Proper development of patrol strategies – analysis of patterns with directed patrol efforts,
• Follow up investigations
• Will provide security audits of residents – inspections of locks, lighting, etc.

Patrol Deployment and Strategies

• The Police Department provides 24-hour police patrols 7 days a week.
• The city is divided into 7 patrol districts, with an officer assigned to patrol each district daily.
• Normal staffing includes 8-12 patrol officers and 1-2 supervisors at any given time.
• In addition to the 7 patrol districts, officers are assigned to patrol specific areas based on workload activity including calls for service, times of need, population density, etc.
• Additional officers are assigned to directed patrol assignments in areas that experience noticeable patterns of crimes to immediately impact trends and apprehend the violators.
• The department utilizes a Special Operations Unit, which can be rapidly deployed to strategically increase police staffing and directed patrols in areas that experience patterns of crime (hot spots). This group is staffed by a supervisor, police officers, and canine units.
• On-going monitoring of crime trends, patterns, and events in the City and surrounding municipalities are used to develop shifts and placement of resources to address and lessen the impact of issues affecting the quality of life.
• Incorporated into these placements, are the use of covert patrols as well as investigators being deployed to designated areas to supplement standard patrol tactics.
• Crime Analyst serves as a predictor of where issues are occurring. To help combat continuous incidents, crime prevention becomes extremely important in informing and educating citizens on how to help and lessen the impact of crime. However, the forecasting of confrontations and serious assaults between individuals is impossible to predict, so swift response and intense investigations are applied when incidents occur.

Ways for Citizens to Remain Safe

The Police Department has some valuable prevention tips to keep you safe. The following is information to keep in mind while at home and around town:  

Theft - Automobiles

• Lock your car.
• Don’t leave items of value inside of your vehicle in plain sight.
• Park in well lighted and busy areas.
• Periodically check your car for missing tabs and license plates. (Slice tabs into smaller sections. This will make it harder for them to be stolen.)

Theft - Persons

• Pay attention to your surroundings
• Carry only what you need
• Carry necessary valuables close to your body
• Don’t set valuables down (cell phones, purses, etc.)
• Keep wallet inside of a front pocket instead of a purse or a backpack
• Always take items with you, when moving from one area to another area
• Don’t walk alone at night, if possible
• Avoid shortcuts through alleys, parks, schoolyards, etc.
• Walk with confidence/people who look lost scared or unsure are attractive to robbers.
• Walk in the middle of the sidewalk or parking lots, especially at night.
• If you are being followed, head toward people, restaurants, gas stations, any open business.

Burglary

• Install sturdy doors and door frames; Keep Garage doors closed (common entry point).
• Use deadbolt locks
• Secure sliding glass doors
• Install window locks
• Install motion sensors or dusk to dawn lighting
• Keep bushes and shrubs trimmed so they don’t cover windows or doorways
• Consider an alarm system
• Join a neighborhood watch group and develop relationships with your neighbors
• Keep valuables outside of the bedroom. Burglars usually search the master bedroom first.
• Request a home security audit by the police department.

Other tips for preventing burglary: 10 Home Security Tips to Keep Your Home Safe from Break-Ins (html)

Motor Vehicle Theft

• Lock it and pocket the key
• Never leave car running or keys in the ignition
• Make sure all windows & trunk are closed
• Never leave identification tags on your key ring
• Park in well-lighted busy areas
• Inquire about steering column locks, alarms, kill switches, etc.

Remember

Many crimes are preventable if individuals exercise common sense and caution. Your help will assist the police in maintaining a safe and secure environment.