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Be AwareBurglary PreventionTake time and follow some of the below suggestions provided by Modesto Police Burglary Detectives to protect your property:
Burglars take time to look into cars, and under car seats for concealed purses, laptops, or other valuable before breaking in to vehicles. Some of the more common targeted areas are parking lots along commercial businesses, strip malls, restaurants, schools, health clubs, residential streets, and apartment parking lot complexes. Shoppers and citizens are being asked to be aware of their surroundings before leaving their cars. Look for suspicious vehicles, people on foot, or subjects on bicycles cruising parking lots. Many criminals are looking into vehicles, wandering or looking around without apparent reason, wearing gloves, carrying backpacks, and using lookouts. Protecting ChildrenProtect society's most valued asset, your children. Child abuse is often committed by someone known to the child. If you develop a positive relationship with your children, they will not feel afraid to discuss their problems with you. Know their interests and friends. Set good examples for them to follow. Help them to develop a strong value and a positive self-image. Help them to enjoy their youth while being aware of their environment and how they can protect themselves. Discuss these issues with them:
Internet Safety Tips for KidsThe Internet is a lot of fun to surf and is a great learning tool for homework help or just general information, right? Right, but there is a bad side to the Internet and, just like at school or at the park, you need to think about your personal safety when you’re surfing. Okay, so say you’re on AOL and chatting to one of your friends and someone you don’t know starts to talk to you. They seem pretty nice, so you keep chatting. They ask you about school and your mom, your dad, if you have any brothers or sisters. They seem really interested in you. So, after a while, since this person is so nice, you start talking to them all the time. Pretty soon, they tell you they wish they could hang out with you. Maybe they could meet you at the mall or the skateboard park or your house. What should you do? Just like at the park you shouldn’t talk to strangers. You really don’t know this person. Maybe they are nice but maybe they are not. You should talk to an adult you trust about this person and, with that trusted adult, decide how to deal with the situation. Never make plans to meet someone you’ve met on the Internet without discussing the idea with your mom, your dad or your guardian. The scary truth is that there are people on the Internet that pretend they are someone they are not. In some situations those people become your friends on-line and then they try to find or meet you. Children and adults have been hurt or gone missing because they went to meet an “Internet friend”. Use your common sense. If you don’t feel comfortable, immediately tell an adult, sign off, and go surf somewhere else. Never give out any personal information, like your name, phone number or address to anyone on the Internet that you AND your parents don’t know. It can be dangerous. Just like at the park, you have to play safe. There are some really great sites on the net but you need to be careful when you check them out. A couple of safe places to look at for good sites are:
Be safe! And have fun. Get mom or dad to sit and surf with you. You could probably teach them a thing or two! Personal SafetyWhile anyone of any age can be victimized, women, seniors and persons with disabilities are targeted more frequently.These guidelines will help you and your family to reduce crime and maintain a more secure and safer environment.
Home SafetyYou can help to increase the safety of your home and neighborhood by joining Neighborhood Watch. Through proper attention to home security and protection, you can reduce and discourage unlawful residence entries and enjoy the comfort of your home. Follow these simple and effective measures:
Vehicle SafetyMotor vehicles have become an important part of our lifestyle. Personal safety and protection must be a consideration every time you enter the vehicle. These suggestions will help to keep you protected and keep your vehicle safer:
Phone BustersDo these sound familiar?
All of these are scams. If you had really won something, you wouldn’t need to send any fees or taxes up front. All of those are handled by IRS when you file your tax return. These people are just trying to get your hard earned money. Don’t let them have it. Senior BustersBe aware that there are many con artists that want your money. The key is to be aware. There are mail and email frauds, con games and sweet-talk crimes. Keep these guidelines and you should be able to detect a con. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
Here are some examples of frequently used scams: "Your money is safe . . . with me " What they do: pretend to be bank inspectors and ask for your assistance in catching a person defrauding the bank. But they need you to take money out of your account to make sure they have the right person. What you do: Close the door or hang up the phone and call police. If you’re already at your bank, pretend you’re going along with it to get away from the “inspector” and have the bank teller call the police. "Let me fix that for you" What they do: come to your house telling you that you need home repairs or that they think you do and want to inspect your roof, floor, etc. What you do: If you did not call these people, close the door and call the police. Never let anyone you don’t know into your home. When you actually need home repair, make sure you get at least three quotes before you choose a company. Make sure the company has a contractor’s license and is fully licensed and insured. "Trust me – I’m a cop " What they do: pretend to be a police officer investigating a crime. He/she wants to mark the valuables but does not have the tools. He/she asks you to take them to the station. What you do: Get their IBM number and name, close the door and call the police. If the person at the door is a police officer, he/she will understand. ”All that glitters is not Gold" What they do: approach you and say he/she has a gold nugget and needs money for a family emergency. A second person stops as the first person is talking to you. The second person pretends this is too good to be true and asks if he/she can take the nugget to a conveniently nearby jewelry store to have it confirmed as being gold. The second person then comes out of the jewelry store and states that it is gold and that it is worth a stated amount. But the second person only has enough money in their bank account to cover half of the cost of the gold nugget. Will you cover the other half? What you do: Get a good description of these people and any vehicle they may have. Call the police immediately to report the activity, even though you were too smart to be conned. These people are working together. No one in the jewelry store even looked at the nugget, which is actually a piece of dense metal painted gold. You were about to be swindled. What your parents told you is true. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. ”Lotto Luck” What they do: A person approaches you and says that he/she has a winning lottery ticket but cannot cash it because he/she has no identification and/or is in this country illegally. Often, a second person will also participate in this scam. It can be very similar to the gold scam and usually requires you to take money out of your account or wallet. What you do: Get a good description and call the police. You don’t need to be legal to collect lottery winnings. For Seniors:Safety is generally a matter of common sense. Making yourself feel less vulnerable is sometimes more difficult. The best way to be, and feel safe, is by educating yourself as much as possible and being aware of your surroundings. Home SafetyMake sure that you have good locks on all doors and on your windows. And ensure that your home is well lit. If you are concerned about the security of your home, and you live in the Modesto Police Department area, you are welcome to call the Modesto Police Department’s Crime Prevention Officer for your area and book a Home Security Inspection. A Crime Prevention Officer will come to your home and thoroughly evaluate your home. You will then be given advice as to how to make your home more secure and a less desirable target to an opportunistic criminal. Most people feel very safe in their own homes. This feeling of safety can be shattered when you are broken into or find yourself in a situation with an unwanted caller or visitor. There are several ways to make yourself less vulnerable. ValuablesHave all of your valuables marked for identification. Things like your TV, stereo, walker, cane and motorized scooter can be engraved to deter theft. You can borrow an engraver from the Crime Prevention Office or call us for other options. Write down the makes, models, and serial numbers of any valuable equipment and put it away for safe keeping, preferably in a safety deposit box or in a concealed location. At the DoorNever open the door before you know who is on the other side. Have a peephole installed in the door so that you can see who the caller is. A peephole is inexpensive and easily installed. If you do not know the person, do not open the door. If they refuse to leave, call the police. If a stranger comes to the door needing to use the phone, dial the number for them and speak on their behalf. You do not have to open the door. If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t do it. On the TelephoneYou are always in control of a phone conversation. If a stranger calls, and asks you who they are speaking to, ask them who they are looking for. Don’t let callers take over. Do not volunteer personal information. Do not give out your name and address to complete strangers. If the caller states they are from a company or organization, ask for their business, name and number and tell them you will call them back. Remember, if they keep talking after you tell them you are not interested, they are being rude, not you. Hang up on them. If you are having a problem with obscene calls or frequent hang ups or wrong numbers call the telephone company. There are a variety of options available including getting a new phone number. Safety on The StreetBe aware of your surroundings and plan the route you are going to take. If you are going into an area where you are uncomfortable, ask yourself if there is an alternate route and take it. If you are walking on the sidewalk, walk in the middle. This makes it tougher for a criminal to grab a purse or a bag. Avoid poorly lit areas. Don't:
Safety in Your VehicleThere are some simple guidelines to vehicle safety:
If you break down:
If The Worst Happens...If you are being robbed, give up whatever the item being demanded of you. Nothing is worth your life! You are more important! Try to get details about your attacker, note the hair color, height, age, eye color, any scars or physical features that stand out. If you have to defend yourself, for whatever reason, remember, there are no rules! It is good practice to carry a whistle. If you are in a situation, the best way to attract attention is to make a loud noise. Yelling works, but it takes a lot of energy and voices can fail. A whistle is very loud and takes much less energy. Report the details to the police immediately. |
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