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For Residents City Departments and Divisions Police Department Crime Prevention
| Crime Prevention Tips |
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Please take a few moments to read the the Crime Prevention tips below.
Internet Facts Internet has been around since the 1960’s and was created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPS). The World Wide Web was invented in 1990 as a tool for academic and government researchers to link scientific research. It was not widely available to the general public until Internet Service Providers began offering dial-up service in the mid 1990’s. As of March 2000 the deep Web contained nearly 550 billion individual documents, compared to the one billion of the surface Web. As of January 2005 Google had indexed over 8 billion pages. Chatroom Behavior Anything you say, no matter how secure you think it is, or who you say it to, may be accessed by others. You do not really know who you are talking to, even thought they may represent themselves as a child. If you are on your parent’s account, what you say or do might come back to them. Use Net/News Groups On the Internet there are a large number of discussion forums knows as news groups. These groups are much like bulletin boards where people may share their opinions and give advice by posting articles, including photos and videos. News groups are organized by topic, and there are over 100,000 news groups accessible. Chat Abbreviations AFAIK - as far as I know Internet Safety Rules Use age-appropriate chat rooms. The larger Internet service providers have moderated chat rooms with appropriate themes. (Understand that child molesters can access these sites just as easily as your children can.) Never respond to someone who wants to meet in person and send photographs. Instruct your children to exit the chat room and notify you immediately if this happens. Never agree to send or receive a file without parental permission. Receiving blind files may introduce your children to pornography or plan a virus on your computer. If your children have Internet access at school, find out if the school has adopted an acceptable use policy. Use age-appropriate chat rooms. The larger Internet service providers have moderated chat rooms with appropriate themes. (Understand that child molesters can access these sites just as easily as your children can.) Never respond to someone who wants to meet in person and send photographs. Instruct your children to exit the chat room and notify you immediately if this happens. Never agree to send or receive a file without parental permission. Receiving blind files may introduce your children to pornography or plan a virus on your computer. If your children have Internet access at school, find out if the school has adopted an acceptable use policy. Install software that can block or filter Internet sites or certain words that may indicate inappropriate sites. Regularly review the web browser “History” to see what sights have been accessed. Never give out any personal information, including name, address, city, state, school attended, telephone number, family names or other personal family information. Place the computer in a centrally located area in your home, not in a child's bedroom. This prevents secret access. Talk to your children about the Internet. Explain that it is an excellent source of information, but some sites are inappropriate, and they are expected to stay away from these sites. Establish time frames for Internet access. Create an open line of communication with your children. Discuss their Internet experiences and guide them to sites that are age appropriate. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, affecting half a million new victims each year. Identity theft or identity fraud is the taking of a victims identity to obtain credit, credit cards from banks and retailers, steal money from a victims existing accounts, apply for loans, establish accounts with utility companies, rent an apartment, file bankruptcy, or obtain a job using the victims name. Thousands of dollars can be stolen without the victim knowing it for months or even years. The impostor obtains your Social Security number, your birthday and other identifying information such as your address and phone number. With this information and a fake driver’s license, they can apply in person for instant credit or through the mail posing as you. They often claim they have moved and provide their own address. Once the first account is open, they can continue to add to their credibility. They get the information from your doctor, lawyer, internet, school, health insurance carrier and many other places. ”Dumpster divers” pickup information you may have thrown away, such as utility bills/credit card slips and other documents. Preventing Identity Theft Do not give out personal information over the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know whom you are dealing with. Identity thieves will pose as bank representatives, Internet service providers and even government officials to get you to reveal identifying information. Shred all documents, including pre-approved credit applications received in your name, insurance forms, bank checks and statements you are discarding along with other financial information. Do not use your mother’s maiden name, your birthday, the last four digits of your Social Security number or a similar series of numbers as a password for anything. Minimize the number of cards you carry. Take what you’ll actually need. Don’t carry your Social Security card, birth certificate or passport unless necessary. Do not mark property with your Social Security number. Do not put your telephone number on checks. Do not put your Social Security number on your checks or your credit receipts. If a business requests your Social Security number, give them an alternate number and explain why. If a government agency requests your Social Security number, there must be a privacy notice accompanying the request. Be careful when using ATMs and phone cards. Someone may look over your shoulder to get your PIN numbers, thereby gaining access to your accounts. Make a list of all your credit card account numbers and bank account numbers with customer service phone numbers and keep it in a safe place. When you order new credit cards in the mail or previous ones have expired, watch the calendar to make sure you get the card within the appropriate time. If the card is not received within that time, call a credit card grantor immediately to find out if the card has been sent. If you don’t receive the card, check to make sure a change of address was not filed. Do not put your credit card number on the Internet unless it is encrypted on a secured site. Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if bills don’t arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address. Cancel all credit cards that you have not used in the last six months. Open credit is a prime target. You can check your credit report by contacting the three major sources: Equifax 800-685-1111; Experian 888-experian (397-3742); TransUnion 800-680-7293. Correct all mistakes on your credit report in writing. Send letters return receipt requested. Identify the problems item by item and send with a copy of the credit report back to the credit reporting agency. You should hear from the agency within 30 days. Write to Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735 to get your name off direct mail lists. Internet: Obtain a free credit report. You are allowed 1 per year from each of the 3 major sources. Internet Filters Internet Filtering-Yahoo Internet Filtering-Google Internet Filtering-MSN When You’re Out Walk confidently. Be alert. Notice who passes you and who is behind you. Wear clothes and shoes that give you freedom of movement. If you must carry a purse, hold it close to your body. Don’t dangle it. Never carry a wallet in your back pocket. Put it in an inside jacket pocket or front pocket. Make sure someone knows where you’re going and when you expect to return. Avoid dark, deserted routes, even if they’re the shortest. Carry change for emergency telephone and transportation use. Whenever possible, travel with friends to stores or the bank. Seniors may check with your local senior citizens center about escort services. When using the bus or other public transportation, sit near the driver if possible. Don’t overburden yourself with packages and groceries that obstruct your view and make it hard to react. When you drive, keep doors locked and windows up. Park in well lighted, busy areas. If you have car trouble, be wary of strangers who offer help. Stay in your car and ask them to call for a service truck or the police. If a friend or taxi takes you home, ask the driver to wait until you’re safely inside. Communicate the message that you are calm, confident and know where you’re going. Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in a place or situation, leave. When You’re at Home Use deadbolt locks on all exterior doors. Keep your doors locked at all times, even when you’re inside. Protect your home by placing good locks on your windows and sliding glass doors. Never let strangers in your home without checking their identification. Call their company if you’re not sure. Install a peephole in your door and use it. If you live alone, don’t advertise it. Use only your first initial in phone books, directories and apartment lobbies. Get to know your neighbors and keep their phone numbers handy for emergencies. Engrave your valuables with a unique number such as your driver’s license number. Keep bonds, stock certificates, seldom worn jewelry, stamp and coin collections in a safe deposit box. If you receive checks made out to you, in the mail regularly, arrange for them to be sent directly to the bank for deposit instead. Avoid carrying large sums of money. If you must take a large sum, have a friend accompany you. Don’t display large amounts of cash in stores or other public places. Don’t sign the contract until you’re sure it’s legitimate and you know all the details. Check with a friend, lawyer if in doubt. Never put your purse or wallet on a counter while you examine merchandise in a store. Never leave your purse in a grocery cart while you shop or while you load your groceries into your car. Don’t Be Conned Keep informed about the latest con schemes in your community by reading the newspaper. Be skeptical about a proposal that sounds too good to be true or has to be kept a secret. Don’t rush into anything. Check it out with friends, lawyers, police department, Better Business Bureau and your state or county consumer affairs department. Merchandise Through the Mail - Your Rights You have the legal right to consider it a gift if anybody sends you any merchandise you did not order. You are not required to return it and may keep it if you wish. You have no obligation to notify the sender/seller that you will keep the merchandise. You may wish to send a certified letter stating your intention as a precaution. Keep the return receipt. If you receive a bill, send a certified letter stating you did not order the merchandise and have no obligation to pay for it. If you believe the unordered merchandise is the result of an honest shipping error, contact the seller and offer to return the merchandise, provided the seller pays for postage and handling. Give the seller a reasonable amount of time, perhaps 30 days, in which to pick up the merchandise. Inform the seller that after the specified period of time, you reserve the right to keep the merchandise or dispose of it as you wish. Shippers may send merchandise to you if the merchandise is a free sample and marked as such. Address labels, decorative stamps and other merchandise mailed by charitable organizations asking for contributions may also be legally sent to you without your prior order. In either case, you may keep such shipment as a free gift. Be especially cautious when participating in sweepstakes, or ordering goods advertised as “free” or “trial” or at an unusually low price. Read the fine print to determine if you will be required to make purchases in the future, or to notify the shippers that you do not wish to purchase the merchandise, or continue with the trial arrangement. Keep a record of each product you agree to receive on a “free” or “trial” basis and what your obligations are, particularly if the offer came by e-mail. If you are having difficulty dealing with unordered merchandise problems, attempt to resolve the problem with the company. If you are unsuccessful, you may contact your local U.S. Postal Inspector. If you feel you have been victimized in a mail fraud scheme that in anyway involves the U.S. Mail, submit a Mail Fraud Complaint Form to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Scams Nigerian/South African scam is not new. It is merely the same traditional scheme using a different approach. Unfortunately, the Internet provides an opportunity for nameless, faceless criminals to thrive crossing geographical boundaries. Internet allows individuals or companies to reach out to thousands of Internet users by sending e-mails, posting items on auction sites, posting messages on bulletin boards, entering ”chat” rooms or building web sites. The traditional method of sending this scheme through the mail is becoming obsolete as the perpetrators of this scheme know they can communicate under complete anonymity with large crowds and minimal effort using the Internet. For more detailed information, you may click on the FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White-collar Crime Center. http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/nls.asp Additional updates may be found at: www.snopes.co/inboxer/scams/nigeria.htm or http://home/rica.net/alphae/419coal Canadian Lottery Scam monitored by Project PhoneBusters by phone at (888) 495-8501 or e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The PhoneBusters web site contains information on other variations of this scam, www.phonebusters.com . Canadian Lottery Scam: Scam artists target seniors by representing themselves as Canadian Lottery officials, telling the victim he or she has won a large sum of money often $100,000-$200,000. The victim is told he or she must pay an excise fee to receive their winnings and to wire a sum of money to a particular individual in Canada. If the victim makes the transfer, he or she is then instructed to make additional transfers to meet other fees and taxes. Some victims who refused have been threatened with legal action for failing to comply with “Canadian law.” Gypsies These people often come to your door offering to provide services, such as repairing your driveway, fixing your roof and other yard maintenance tasks at a greatly reduced price. They will advise you that they are doing a job in the neighborhood and have some leftover material which they could use on your house at the greatly reduced price. Do not be taken in by these people! The service they provide will be inferior or not completed all. Often they will distract you while an accomplice may slip away, enter your home and steal valuable possessions. Do not let these people into your home under any circumstances! To be sure you get what you pay for and have the work properly completed, use licensed contractors. Be Especially Wary Of: “Get rich quick” schemes for which you have to put up ”good-faith” money. “Good deals” on expensive repairs or home-improvement jobs. Investments that promise unusually large returns. Someone claiming you owe money for an item ordered by a deceased spouse or relative. Someone claiming to be a distant relative or friend of a relative who needs money wired to them because they are broken down or arrested. Work-at-home schemes, door to door sales, supplemental Medicare insurance, miracle cures, glasses and hearing aids at bargain prices. Home Security Tips Secure all outside doors with deadbolt locks. Outer doors should be solid core wood, 1 1/2 in. thick or more, or metal. Place a metal or wooden rod in the track of sliding glass doors. Use secure locks on windows. Hardware is available that will allow windows to be partially opened during warm weather, yet maintain security. Have good lighting at all entrances. Motion sensing lights or flood lights on driveways and yards are the most cost effective deterrent. Install a viewer or peephole in your door and use it. Make sure you know who is at the door before you open it. Do not rely on chain locks. Insist on identification from repair and salespersons. If in doubt, call their company to verify their identity. Do not admit persons asking to use the telephone. Offer to make the call for them. Know your neighbors and work out a mutual watch and warning system to prevent burglaries and other break-ins. Identify your belongings by engraving your driver’s license number on your possessions. Close and lock doors and windows when you leave your home. If you come home and find a door or window open or signs of forced entry, do not enter. Call the police for assistance. Wait until police arrive and check the house. Once you enter the house, do not touch anything unless directed to by the officer, to avoid destroying evidence. Use automatic timers to turn lights on and off to give the appearance that you are at home. Stop mail and other deliveries when you leave for vacation. Do not hide spare keys. Give your keys to trusted neighbors. If you live in an apartment or condominium, be attentive and careful if you are alone in the laundry room or garage. Have the locks re-keyed when you move into a new home. Ask the landlord to re-key the locks if you rent a house or apartment. Alarm systems are useful tools in the prevention of burglary. Individuals must weigh the advantages against the cost factors. There are many types of alarm systems available. The Napa Police Department does not recommend any particular system or alarm company and suggests that residents contact several licensed alarm contractors to provide a written estimate for the installation, maintenance and monthly carrying charges prior to signing a contract. The City of Napa requires an alarm permit for any installed alarm system. Auditable alarms are great because they tend to scare off the intruder. Remember to set the auditable alarm to reset after 10 minutes. Standard Doors: All exterior doors should have a deadbolt lock mounted in a solid core or metal door, including the access door leading to the garage. Doorknob locks offer no security. Use deadbolt locks. The bolt throw on deadbolt locks should be at least one inch. The bolt should be constructed with a case hardened steel roller in the center. The roller will spin if someone attempts to saw through the bolt. The cylinder guard should have the outer edge tapered or angled at approximately 11 degrees to reduce the chance of a tool twisting off the lock. The case or trim should be constructed of solid brass, bronze or steel. The exterior part of the lock (trim) should be connected to the inside portion of the lock with connecting rods or bolts at least 1/4 inch in diameter. The mechanism of the lock should contain a 5 pin tumbler system. Double Doors: Install cane bolts at the top and bottom of the inactive door. Flush bolts installed at the top and bottom of the inactive door or pair of doors offer additional security. Flush bolts should have at least 1 inch of throw and protrude well into the door frame studs. Additionally the strike plates should be well secured with a least two screws, 1/2 long, size 8 or 10. Dutch Doors: Adding a deadbolt lock to both the upper and lower door will add the most security. Adding a flush bolt to the upper door, securing it to the lower door provides the minimum security. The flush bolt throw should be at least 1 inch. Doors with Glass: If any exterior door has a glass window or if there is other windows within 40 in. of the lock use a double cylinder deadbolt. A double cylinder deadbolt requires a key to open from either side. If the glass is broken the burglar cannot reach and unlock the door. This has the added advantage that, even if a burglar enters your home through a window, he can’t remove your property through your doors. Caution. These locks should always have a key left in the mechanism when the house is occupied. Caution should be used if young children are present. Each member of the family should be familiar with the lock operation and the location of the key. Sliding Glass Door: A length of broomstick, wooden dowel or metal rod can be placed in the lower track to prevent a sliding door from opening. Auxiliary slide bolt locks, preferably with a minimum 1/4 inch diameter bolt can be installed at the top or bottom of the door. Pre-drill a hole in the sliding glass door frame for the lock bolt, with the door in the closed position. A second hole can be drilled to allow for the door to be secured in a partially open position. Securely mount the lock to the metal frame at the top or bottom of the door with screws long enough to protrude through the frame and into the door frame stud or wood floor sheathing. Padlocks: Padlocks should be made of hardened steel with a minimum shackle of 9/32 inches. Heavier shackles offer additional security. Stainless steel shackles offer the ultimate in padlock security. Padlocks should have a double locking mechanism, heel and toe. Tumblers should have at least five pins. A key retaining feature is desirable as it prevents you from removing the key until you have locked the padlock. Combination Locks: These types of locks are generally very poor security. The body of these locks are very weak and easily defeated. Chains: The minimum standard for approved chain is 5/16 hardened steel alloy. For expensive bikes and motorcycles use 3/8 hardened steel. The link must be of continuous welded construction. Lighter chain or chain with open link simply will not withstand bolt cutting attacks. Purchase enough chain to thread through both wheels and the frame. Use a recommended padlock and secure to a fixed object so the bike cannot be carried away. Garage Doors: Electric garage door openers should be of the multi-frequency variety. Periodically check the door to make sure it is adjusted to prevent the bottom from being lifted up. Hardened steel hasps and padlocks are recommended to secure both sides of a lifting garage door. Make sure that the mounting screws are covered when the hasp is locked. Sliding Windows Sliding aluminum windows should be secured by the same methods used for the sliding glass doors. Bracing devices such as metal rods, wooden dowels or steel pins are effective on this type window. Double hung sash type windows are secured by drilling a hole through a top corner of the bottom window into the bottom of the top window on both sides. Place a solid pin or nail into the hole to prevent the window from being opened. Casement windows (crank type) should have parts with no excessive play. Replace worn parts to ensure the locking latch and crank work properly. Louvered Windows Louvered Windows should be replaced with another type of window. Metal grating is not recommended and requires an emergency release mechanism inside the house. BEFORE LEAVING - SECURE YOUR HOME Arrange for a neighbor or friend to pick up your mail and newspaper each day and keep the lawns mowed and watered. Use timers for lights and radios. Leave your trip plans and an emergency phone number with trusted neighbors or friends. While on the Road Never carry large amounts of cash. Use traveler’s checks and if you do carry large sums of money, do not openly display it. Be aware of your surroundings and never advertise your plans to strangers. Ask for directions at a hotel/motel on how to get to those attractions you want to visit. Ask if there are any areas in town you should avoid. Select tour guides carefully. Stick to well lighted main streets and public areas. Looking lost may make you look like an easy target for crime. If you get lost, find an open business and ask for directions. Always lock your car when entering or leaving it. Park in well-lighted, busy areas. Check the back seat before getting into you car. Always lock valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk. Don’t advertise that you are a tourist. Place maps and travel brochures in the glove compartment when you leave the car. Don’t stop to offer to help a stranded motorist. Go to the nearest phone booth and call for assistance. If your car breaks down, raise the hood and attach a white cloth to the car antenna. If someone stops to help, it is advisable that you stay in your locked car and ask them to call the police or garage. If you must abandon your car, keep all passengers together. Traveling in groups is always safer. REMEMBER - planning reduces your chance of becoming the victim of a crime. |