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Free information to help keep
you, your home, business and family safe.
From Porter Pacific
Safety & Security Products.
Crime Prevention Tips 
It is estimated that $65 million is lost each
year in the United States in home invasions, muggings, and in other violent
crimes. It is estimated that $600 billion is lost per year due to fraud. Work
place violence caused an estimated $30 billion to American businesses last
year.
It is important to be aware a crime can occur,
anticipating the location, time, and taking action to reduce the chance of it
happening. Crime prevention is key to stopping the ability and opportunity for
a criminal. The use of instinct, knowledge, common sense, and awareness can
make you a tough target.
Three Basic Rules
- Stay alert.
- Keep your mind on your
surroundings, who’s in front of you and who’s behind you. Don’t get
distracted.
- Walk purposefully, stand tall,
and make eye contact with people around you.
- TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. If you
feel uncomfortable in a situation, leave.
Personal Protection
- Make yourself a "tough
target."
- Don’t think that it can’t
happen to you.
- Should you resist? Everyone and
every situation is different.
- Always be aware of your
surroundings.
- If being followed or stalked,
call 911 or drive directly to a police station.
If You’re Attacked
- Keep your
head. Stay as calm as possible and evaluate your options and resources.
- It may be more
advisable to submit than to resist and risk severe injury or death. You
will have to make this decision based on the circumstances. But, don’t
resist if the attacker has a weapon.
- Keep assessing
the situation as it is happening. If one strategy doesn’t work, try
another. Possible options include negotiating, stalling for time,
distracting the assailant and fleeing to a safe place, verbal
assertiveness, screaming, and physical resistance.
- You may be
able to turn the attacker off with unusual behavior such as throwing up,
acting crazy, or stating you have a sexually transmitted disease.
After a Sexual Assault
- Go to a safe place and call the
police.
- The sooner you report the
crime, the greater the chances your attacker will be caught.
- DO NOT shower, bathe, douche,
or destroy any clothing you were wearing. Do not disturb any physical
evidence.
- Go to a hospital emergency room
for medical care.
- Call someone to be with you.
You should not be alone. Contact a rape treatment or crisis center to help
you deal with the consequences of the assault.
While Driving
- Keep your car
in good condition with the gas tank at least half full.
- Park in
well-lighted areas and lock your doors, no matter how long you’ll be gone.
- Put valuables
out of sight or in the trunk.
- Check front
and rear seats, and floorboards before entering your car.
- Drive with all
doors locked and windows rolled up.
- Never pick up
hitchhikers. If your car breaks down, put the hood up, lock the doors,
turn on the flashers, and move to the passenger seat. Do not leave your
car. If someone stops to help, roll down the window slightly and ask them
to call the police or a tow truck.
- Avoid
underground and enclosed parking garages if possible.
- When parking
or returning to your vehicle, carry your keys and be aware of your
surroundings.
- Consider
investing in a cellular telephone.
Public Transportation
- Try to use well-lighted and frequently
used stops.
- Try to sit near the driver or
conductor.
- Avoid sitting near exits. An
attacker can reach in and grab a purse or jewelry as the bus or subway
pulls away.
- Be alert to who gets off the
bus or subway with you. If you feel uncomfortable, walk directly to a
place where there are other people.
In Elevators
- Look in the
elevator before getting in.
- Stand near the
controls.
- Get off if
someone suspicious enters. If you’re worried about someone who is waiting
for the elevator with you, pretend you forgot something and don’t get on.
- If you’re
attacked, hit the alarm and as many floor buttons as possible.
Home and Neighborhood
- Good locks, simple precautions,
neighborhood awareness, and common sense can help prevent most property
crimes.
Locks, Doors, and Windows
- Install and use good deadbolt
locks in your doors (about half of all burglars enter through unlocked
doors and windows).
- Secure sliding glass doors with
locks or a rigid wooden dowel wedged in the track.
- Lock double-hung windows by
sliding a bolt or nail into a hole drilled at a downward angle through the
top of each sash and into the frame.
Outside
- Trim back
shrubbery hiding doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that could help a
thief climb to second story windows.
- Make sure all
porches, entrances, and yards are well lighted.
- Maintain the
neighborhood. Dark alleys, litter, and rundown areas attract criminals.
Key Sense
- Do not hide
house keys in mail boxes, planters, or under doormats.
- Do not put
personal identification on key rings.
- Leave only
your ignition key with mechanics or parking attendants.
- If you lose
the keys to your home or move into a new home, change the locks
immediately.
Answering the Door
- Install a
peephole or viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without
opening the door.
- Do not trust
door chains. They can be easily broken.
- Don’t open the
door to anyone you don’t know. Insist service personnel verify their
identity before allowing them in.
Answering the Telephone
- Don’t give any
information to "wrong number" callers.
- Check
references of any person calling about a survey or credit check before
offering information.
- Hang up
immediately on threatening or harassing calls.
Going Away
- Make your home
appear occupied when you go out.
- Leave lights
on and the radio playing.
- Keep your
garage door closed and locked.
- Use timing
devices to turn inside lights on and off.
- If you will be
gone several days, arrange to have the mail and papers stopped or picked
up. Half of all home burglaries occur during the day when alert neighbors
could spot and report the thieves.
Ten Things You and Your Neighbors Can Do
- Work with
public agencies and other neighborhood-based or community-wide
organizations, on solving common problems. Don’t be shy about letting them
know what your community needs.
- Make sure that
all the youth in the neighborhood have positive ways to spend their spare
time, through organized recreation, tutoring programs, part-time work, and
volunteer opportunities.
- Set up a
Neighborhood Watch or a community patrol working with police. Make sure
your streets and homes are well lighted.
- Build a
partnership with police, focused on solving problems instead of reacting
to crises. Make it possible for neighbors to report suspicious activity or
crimes without fear of retaliation.
- Take advantage
of "safety in numbers" to hold rallies, marches, and other group
activities to show you’re determined to drive out crime and drugs.
- Clean up the
neighborhood! Involve everyone; teens, children, senior citizens.
Graffiti, litter, abandoned cars, and run-down buildings tell criminals
that you don’t care about where you live or each other. Call the city
public works department and ask for help in cleaning up.
- Ask local
officials to use new ways to get criminals out of your building or neighborhood.
These include enforcing anti-noise laws, housing codes, health and fire
codes, anti-nuisance laws, and drug-free clauses in rental leases.
- Form a Court
Watch to help support victims and witnesses and to see that criminals get
fairly punished.
- Work with
schools to establish drug-free, gun-free zones; work with recreation
officials to do the same for parks.
- Develop and
share a phone list of local organizations that can provide counseling, job
training, guidance, and other services that neighbors might need.
GUN SAFETY
Gun Safety is the responsibility of every adult,
whether or not you own a firearm.
As an adult, you are responsible for properly securing your firearm. If another
person is injured as a result of your negligence in properly securing a gun,
you can be charged with a crime or be held civilly liable. If convicted, you
could be fined or sentenced to time in prison.
What your children need to know
Children should know that guns are not toys,
that guns are dangerous and can hurt people.
If they see or find a gun (even if they think
the gun looks like a toy), they should follow these three steps to safety:
- They should
not touch or handle the gun.
- They should
get away from the gun quickly, leave the area.
- They should
immediately tell a trusted adult (parent, guardian, teacher or police
officer) about the gun.
It is illegal to bring weapons to school, onto
school property, or into vehicles used by a school to transport students to and
from school property.
Crime Prevention Links:
FBI
U.S.
Department of Justice
McGruff
Federal
Trade Commission Fraud/Con Webpage
Safety Web
Sites
Scam and
Fraud Sites
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