Prevention Works

Let’s be careful out there

I had a different topic in mind for my monthly blog but felt compelled to comment on the recent police officer shootings throughout the country. I would like to give my condolences to the family, friends and brother and sister officers of all the individuals who were slain and wish a speedy recovery for the injured officers. As a former police officer myself, my biggest fear was of having to tell a loved one that their husband, wife, sister, or brother had perished in the line of duty. Fortunately, in my 32 years I never had to break such horrific news to a family member. I have attended funerals of fellow officers from other departments who were killed in the line of duty and my heart went out to the families and police departments. You could see in their eyes and faces the shock and sadness of dealing with the tragedy of loosing someone in such a tragic way. When I left the West Warwick Police Department the issue for which I felt the most pride was the fact that I never lost an officer on my watch. It’s because of police officers like you that make this country so great and, in the words of Sgt. Phil Esterhau of Hill Street Blues, “Let’s be careful out there.”

New and Revived Trends in Scamming

Crime prevention begins at home – with each of us.  In order to avoid being a victim, we all need to follow safe practices daily and be aware and alert of the ever changing world around us. Criminals never take a break and one area that they are always trying to find a way to get over on people is through scamming.  Scamming comes in many different forms – E-mails, phone calls, and mail – and no one is excluded.  The elderly are often the most vulnerable victims.  This is why NCPC believes it is so important to be informed and to pass this information on to you.  Education is the best prevention.  

For example, a popular scam that has been around for several years but has recently seen a resurgence is the jury duty scam.  This scam involves a person who calls and claims to be an officer of the court or some kind of jury coordinator who to inform you that you missed jury duty and there is a warrant out for your arrest.  Your natural reaction would be to say you never received a summons.  The scammer will offer to clear up the matter if you provide your social security number and date of birth.  Crime Prevention Tip:  Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call.

Another scam alert involves users of Gmail.  Those who have a Gmail account may receive an email stating that your account will be suspended due to an overload of unused email accounts in the system.  In order to rectify this problem, the scammer wants the Gmail user to respond to the email by verifying the account with personal information (i.e. username, password, date of birth).  The scammer states that by not responding to the email, the account will be terminated.  The scammer uses scare tactics to force the user to respond to the email.  Crime Prevention Tip:  Beware of email fraud notifications such as these and do not respond to them.  Do not open the email and immediately delete.

What you can do to avoid becoming a victim:

• Do not give out your personal information unless you initiate the contact or know the person or company with whom you are dealing.
• Avoid opening unknown emails. Know your sender and never provide your personal information like a credit card number or social security number.
• Do not disclose your credit card number to an online vendor unless it is encrypted and the site is secure.
• Do not write your Social Security number or telephone number on checks or credit card receipts.
• Order your credit report at least twice a year and report any mistakes to the credit reporting agency in writing.

NCPC has many tips and tools to help you stay informed.  Below are additional websites with resources as well.  Remember, the best prevention is education.

www.ftc.gov

www.consumer.gov

www.econsumer.gov

www.fraud.org

www.identitytheft.org

www.getnetwise.org

 

Start the New Year Right—Engage Your Community for an Impact that Lasts

Celebrate Safe Communities is an initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council and the Bureau of Justice Assistance that was developed in partnership with the National Sheriff’s Association in 2008 to encourage and  assist communities across the country to stand together and work together  to prevent crime. Since its beginning, over 150 sites each year have planned events to educate and engage the community, and participation has grown to over 250 sites in 39 states in 2010.

Like the communities, the events have varied in purpose and scope, ranging from a 30^th birthday party for McGruff in North Carolina to 40 neighborhoods joining local police for cookouts, parades, flashlight walks and more. While events vary, the purpose remains the same—joining and working together to make the community safe. We probably believe and live out adages such as organized neighbors make safe neighborhoods, strong communities make safe communities, or crime prevention is everybody’s business.  

While we may not be familiar with Celebrate Safe Communities, most of us are familiar with National Night Out in August or with October’s Crime Prevention Month. And being in the crime prevention field, we’ve probably planned or helped plan an event for one or more of these initiatives

But how many of us have carried that commitment further, beyond August or October, especially when it takes time, money, and people, and while budgets continue to be tight.  As we begin a new year 2011, let us once again remember why we got into this business in the first place, renew our commitment to make a difference, and share with each other what works. We invite you to share your successes from 2010 or your plans to engage the community in 2011 when money and volunteers may be scarce.  What are the strategies you use to create that lasting impact?

For more information about the Celebrate Safe Communities Initiative, please visit www.celebratesafecommunities.org, or to share more of your successes or plans beyond this blog session, please email mhott@ncpc.org.

New Year, New You!

With the beginning of a New Year, let’s look back on incidents that could have been prevented. Incidents such as car theft, identity theft, or just theft in general can all be prevented. Just being cautious about who you give your personal information to can save you from being a victim of identity theft. Parking your car in a well lit up area with busy traffic passing through will save you from being a victim of car theft. Just by being more aware of your surroundings or by taking cautionary steps can reduce your chance for being a victim of theft.

So this year, let’s not make the same mistakes and be alert about your surroundings and start out the New Year right! To learn more information or ways to prevent any types of theft please visit our website www.ncpc.org.