1. How do you start a Neighborhood Watch?

If you have a group of citizens in your neighborhood that are interested in starting a neighborhood watch please call the sheriff's office at 633-2293 to schedule. The sheriff and his staff will come to your community meeting to make a presentation and provide you with information and material that will assist you in organizing your neighborhood watch.

2. What are the benefits in having a Neighborhood Watch?

Law Enforcement officers cannot be every where when a crime is being committed. It is a proven fact that citizens' watching out for each other prevents crimes from happening. Citizens know their neighborhood and know when things are not normal. Reporting this information to the police anonymously can help solve criminal cases and prevent crime as well.

3. Role of Neighborhood Watch Members

If citizens get together to actively prevent crime half as often as
criminals meet to create crime, the community would notice a real change.

Eyes and Ears Observation

Be aware of your surroundings and the people around you during the day. If you observe something suspicious, notify law enforcement as soon as you can and try to describe the activity as accurately as possible. Stay on the telephone so you can provide additional information that may help law enforcement officers responding to the call.

Report Suspicious Persons By

Sex

Race

Height

Weight

Hair Color/ Length

Eyes / Glasses

Tattoos/ Scars

Clothing

Weapon

Vehicle: Make/Model/Color/License Plate Numbers

Suspicious Activities May Include:

Individual walking around a residence, looking into windows trying to force open doors

Individual carrying any kind of weapon

Solicitors asking unusual questions, appearing uncertain of questions or the purpose for their questions

Unusual noises for the time of day

Telephone caller asking for credit card or bank account numbers

Individual carrying property out of residence or business at unusual times

Car driving past area repeatedly, or parking and no one exits

Individual running from a residence or building

Common Drug Activities

Unusual or chemical odors coming from a residence

Vacant or occupied house with unusually high amount of traffic to and from, especially late at night

Double-parked cars in front of house

Groups of people congregating on front steps of residence, or nearby

People displaying large sums of cash, or carrying valuables into house but leaving without them

Teamwork

Work together for the good of the Watch and your neighborhood. Help out neighbors by watching their homes when they are away on vacation or just at work. Maintain a lived-in look to neighbors' residence by picking up newspapers and mail; parking your car in their driveway, and putting garbage cans out on the day it is normally collected. By maintaining a lived-in appearance to homes, you and your neighbor are working together to prevent criminal activity in the area.
There are many others ways you can work with your neighbors. If a
neighbor or family in your area is a victim of crime, neighborhood watch members can show support by going with them to court, or contacting a Victim Assistance Center for them.

Practice Personal Safety and Security

Crime prevention is a way of life that offers greater security and
peace of mind. Practice basic personal safety measures and always be
aware of your surroundings, whether at home or away. Maximize home
security by surveying and correcting security weaknesses in your
residence. A law enforcement officer will survey your home with you and discuss ways to increase home security.

Meetings

Regularly attend meetings and work with other members on the goals and
initiatives of the Watch. Not only will you receive crime prevention
training at meetings, but also you will benefit from meeting neighbors
and keeping up with area concerns as they arise.

A Watch Captain

Distributes information to members

Recruits new members

Provides current crime prevention information to members

Updates Phone Trees

Announces and advertises meetings

Leads meetings

Coordinates information with law enforcement liaison officer

Develops agendas and finds guest speakers for meetings

Delegates duties among members

A Watch Member

Attends meetings

Works with other members on common goals

Reports suspicious and criminal activity in area

Looks after residences when neighbors are away

Practices safety and security measures at home goals

Supports the Captain in accomplishment goals

Recruits new members

Theft from Vehicles

An Auto Owners Guide To Prevention

Thefts from vehicles have dramatically increased over the past several years. Many of the thefts occur in our own driveways. The popularity of radar detectors and expensive sound systems, which are quickly and easily stolen, has seemed to encourage
car prowlers. Your insurance company and your local police and sheriff
departments would like to help you avoid the frustration and
inconvenience of being the victim of this type of crime please take a
few minutes to read this information and pass it along to others.

Common Methods Of Entry Into Vehicles

Smash out a window

Use a tool to unlock door

Crawl through a pickup topper and force or pry the sliding window

Enter vehicle in unsecured garage

No force necessary, door unlocked

The Most Likely Targets For Theft

Any vehicle with a visible radar detector, visible power cord, or mount

Vehicles containing a brief case, purse, gym bag or other valuables in sight

Vehicles equipped with mobile phone

Vehicles left running unattended at convenience stores and other public places

Property Most Often Stolen From Vehicles

Gym bags

Brief cases

Purses

Sunglasses

Checkbooks

Auto parts

Rings/watches

Camera gear

Radar detector and power cord

Cassette tapes and compact disks

Am/fm radios, cassette or CD player speakers, booster, and equalizers

Car batteries

Hand tools, toolboxes, power tools

Spare change from glove box/ash tray

What Do Thieves Do With The Property They Steal?

Many things can be sold to other thieves or to someone who is looking for a deal. Other items can be sold for cash at pawnshops. Some thieves look for purses to steal. They will immediately make large purchases on credit cards and alter the victims ID so they or an accomplice can forge checks. This can cause an incredible amount of worry, hassle and inconvenience for a victim. The thief does not care about you, your feelings or the hardship the theft will put the through. His or her point of view is, why should I pay for something when I can steal it.

How Can I Prevent A Theft From My Vehicle?

To deter a criminal from breaking into your car, lock your vehicle and put valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk or bring them into the house at night. Thieves will break into any vehicle if they think that there is something of valuable to be stolen from it. Thieves know that checkbooks, wallets, watches, calculators, and other small electronics may be contained in a brief case. Similarly, they are aware that many gym bags contain valuable jewelry, keys, cash, and “walkman” type radios, etc.

Thieves have also told police that many times they look for suction cup markings on the windshield, which indicate a mount for a radar detector. If they see such marks, they may break into the vehicle and search for the radar detector. A visor mounted radar detector may prove to be less visible device, providing it is removed, along with the power cord, when the vehicle is parked.

After removing valuables from view, lock your doors. This will discourage some of the more casual thieves, the ones looking for opportunity to steal. It will also deter those who go into an unlocked car to look for a trunk or hood release button in order to steal auto parts or the contents of the trunk.

A theft from your vehicle can happen any hour of the day or night. By reporting suspicious activity, while it is occurring, you could save yourself or your neighbor from being victimized. If you see or hear something that seems unusual or suspicious:

Try to get a description of the suspect and their vehicle from inside your house. Call 911 immediately and stay on the line-

If you hear glass breaking (a popping sound)

You see someone looking into cars or ducking around them

Someone tampering with a car

A person carrying tools or property that doesn’t fit the setting of your neighborhood

Activity that “just doesn’t look or feel right”

Don’t even think you are “bothering” the police by calling them to report suspicious activity. It’s their job to detect and apprehend criminals –but they need your help because they can’t be in everyone’s 24 hours a day. If your suspicions prove to be unfounded, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed. The police prefer that you call them so they can investigate the suspicious activity.

Remember it is more desirable to be mistaken then to be a victim

If you locate property that may have been stolen or discover that you have been a victim of a theft from your vehicle, call your local law enforcement agency immediately.

What Additional Security Measures Can I Take?

Outdoor security lighting left on from dusk to dawn is inexpensive and also helps to displace such crimes as theft, vandalism and burglary. In addition, many citizens are now equipping their cars with alarm systems. In some cases, the value of the vehicles and/or its contents is worth the cost of the installation.

You can increase the chances of you property being recovered if it is stolen by recording the serial number and marking the item with an Operation Identification number available at no charge from the police of sheriff department in the city that you reside in. to obtain additional crime prevention information and literature at no cost –call you local Crime Prevention Specialist, Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition, or your insurance agent.

Personal Security
Make Life Hard For Criminals

This brochure is full of tips that can help you avoid becoming a victim of a crime when you are out and about or at work. By taking a few simple precautions, you can reduce the risk to yourself, and also discourage those who commit crime.

Be Prepared

Always be alert and ware of the people around you.

Educate yourself concerning prevention tactics.

Be aware of locations and situations which would make you vulnerable to crime, such as alleys and dark parking lots.

Street Precaution

Be alert to your surroundings and the people around you, especially if you are alone or it is dark.

Whenever possible. travel with a friend and stay in well-lighted areas as much as possible.

Walk close to the curb. Avoid doorways, bushes and alleys where someone could hide.

Walk confidently, at a steady pace, and make eye contact with people when walking.

Do not respond to conversation from strangers on the street.

If you carry a purse, hold it securely between your arm and body.

Car Safety

Always lock car doors after entering or leaving your car.

Park in well-lighted areas.

Have your car keys in your hand so you don't have to linger before entering your car.

Check the back seat before entering your car.

If you think you are being followed drive to a public place or a police Sheriff or fire station.

If your car breaks down, open the hood and attach a white cloth to the car antenna. If someone stops to help, stay in the locked car, roll down the window a little and ask them to call the police or sheriff or a towing service.

Don't stop to aid motorists stopped on the side of the road. Go to a phone and request help for them.

Waiting For a Bus

Avoid isolated bus stops.

Stand away from the curb until the bus arrives.

Don't open your purse or wallet while boarding the bus. Have your pass or money already in your hand.

Don't invite trouble - Keep gold chains out of sight; don't flash your jewelry; and turn your rings around so the stones don't show.

On the buses

During off-hours, sit as close to the bus driver as possible.

Stay alert - and be aware of the people around you.

If someone bothers you, change seats and/or tell the driver.

Carry your wallet inside your coat, or in a front pocket. A comb, placed horizontally in the fold of your wallet, will alert you if someone tries to remove it from your pocket.

Keep your handbag in front of you and hold it close to your body with both hands.

Check your purse or wallet if someone is jostling, crowding or pushing you.

If you see any suspicious activity, tell the driver.

Office Security

Never leave your purse or billfold in plain view or in the project of a jacket hanging on a door.

Personal property should be marked with your driver's license number (Preceded with the letters 'KY')

Don't leave cash or valuables at the office.

If you work alone or outside of normal business hours, keep the office door locked and try to find another worker or a security guard to walk out with you

If you are in the elevator with another person, stand near the control panel. If you are attacked, press the alarm and as many of the control buttons as possible.

Report all suspicious people and activities to the proper authorities: office manager, building security, law enforcement.

Be aware of escape routes for emergencies, and post the phone numbers of the police and fire departments near telephones. Call 911 if the situation is life-threatening.

If a crime occurs -report it!

Every one should consider it their responsibility to report crime. Many criminals target favorite areas and have predictable methods of operation. Reporting all of the facts about a crime helps the police
assign officers in the places where crimes are occurring or where they
are most likely to occur. At least one out of two crimes in the United
States goes unreported, either because people don't think the police
can do anything about it, or because people don't want to get involved.
Not reporting a crime, allows the criminal to continue to operate
without interference. In many cases, it is the information provided by
victims and witnesses that leads to the arrest of a criminal. So, tell
the police as much as you can; no fact is too trivial.
For further information on this program and other crime prevention material, write to:
Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition
P.O Box 18442
Erlanger, KY 41018

Home Security

Exterior Doors

All exterior doors should be either metal or solid wood. For added
security, use strong door hinges on the inside of the door, with
non-removable or hidden pins. Every entry door should be well lighted
and have a wide-angle door viewer so you can see who is outside without opening the door.

Locks

Strong, reliable locks are essential to effective home security. Always keep doors and windows locked - even a five-minute trip to the store is long enough for a burglar to enter your home. Use equality keyed knobs as well as deadbolts - deadbolts can withstand the twisting, turning, prying and pounding that regular keyed knobs can't.
When choosing a deadbolt, look for such features as a bolt that extends at least one inch when in the locked position, to resist ramming and kicking; hardened steel inserts to prevent the bolt from being sawed off, and a reinforced strike plate with extra long mounting screw to anchor the lock effectively. Most deadbolts are single-cylinder; they operate from the outside with a key and from the inside with a thumb latches. Double-cylinder deadbolts require a key to open the lock from both outside and inside your home.
These locks are especially effectively for doors with glass within 40 inches of the lock -  an intruder cannot break the glass and unlock the door by reaching through.
Some jurisdiction do not allow these locks - check with your local law
enforcement or building code authorities before installing a double
cylinder deadbolt. As one alternative, security glazing can be applied
to glass panels in or near the door, or shatterproof glass can be installed, though these options can be expensive.

Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass doors can offer easy entry into your home. To improve
security on existing sliding glass doors, you can install keyed locking
devices that secure the door to the frame; adjust the track clearances
on the doors so they can't be pushed out of their tracks, or put a
piece of wood or a metal bar in the track of the closed door to prevent the door from opening even if the lock is jimmied or removed.

Windows

Most standard double-hinged windows have thumb-turn locks between the two window panels. Don't rely on these  -  they can be pried open or easily reached through a broken pane. Instead, install keyed locking devices to prevent the window from being raised from the outside, but make sure everyone in the house knows where to find the keys in case of an emergency. Some jurisdictions have restrictions on this type of lock - check with your local law enforcement before your install them.
An easy, inexpensive way to secure your windows is to use the "pin" trick. Drill an angles hole through the top frame of the lower window partially into the frame of the upper window. Then insert a nail or eyebolt. The window can't be opened until you remove the nail. Make a second set of holes with the windows partly opened so you can have ventilation without intruders.
Ask local law enforcement for a free home security survey.

Consider Alarm

Alarms can be a good investment, especially if you have many valuables
in your home, or live in an isolated area or one with a history of
break-ins.
Check with several companies before you buy so you can decide what level of security fits your needs. DO business with an established company and check references before signing a contract.

Learn how to use your system properly! Don't "cry wolf" by setting off false alarms. People will stop paying attention and you'll probably be fined.

Some less expensive options----a sound detecting socket that plugs into a light fixture and makes the light flash when it detects certain noises, motion sensing outdoor lights that turn on when someone approaches, or lights with photo cells that turn on when it's dark and off when it's light.

Burglars Do More Than Steal

Burglars can commit rapes, robberies, and assaults if they are
surprised by someone coming home or picked a home that is occupied.
If something looks questionable - a slit screen, a broken window or an open door - don't  go in. Call the police from a neighbor's house or a public phone.

At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely if you can, then call police. If you can't leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.

Guns are responsible for many accidental deaths in the home every year. Think carefully before buying a gun. If you do down one, learn how to store it and use it safely.

Take a Stand!
Join a Neighborhood Watch group. If one doesn't exist, you can start one with help from local law enforcement.

Never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates you maybe away from home. Rather than saying "I'm not home right now," say "I'm not available right now."

Work with neighbors and local government to organize community clean-ups. The cleaner your neighborhood, the less attractive it is to crime.

Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition
P.O. Box 18442
Erlanger, KY 41018

Burglar Prevention

Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition

Barriers to Burglary

Burglary is a crime of opportunity. Make their work risky and difficult, and you stand a good chance of stopping them before they get in.

Your first line of defense

To a burglary visibility means vulnerability. They hide behind fences and shrubbery. The key is to keep trespassers out while keeping your property visible. Use picket or chain link fences. Keep hedges clipped down around waist level.

On the outside looking in

Burglars try the doors and windows first and if they encounter difficult here, chances are they will move on to another property.

Doors

Locks

The strongest are deadbolt locks with a minimum 1” throw bolt containing a harden, saw-resistant steal insert. Attach the strike plate to the doorframe with 4” screws. The double cylinder deadbolt locks require a key from both sides, preventing a burglar from breaking glass in the door and turning the knob fro the inside. Make sure the cylinder of the lock has a steel guard - a ring around the key section to prevent wrenching
Remember, though, a double cylinder dead bolt can also block your exit in an emergency. Check with your local law enforcement agency or building inspector to see if these locks are permitted in your area.

Hinges

Doors that swing out have hinges on the outside on the house. A burglar can easily remove the hinge pins and lift the door out. To foil this, remove the center screw from each side of the hinge and insert a metal pin or headless screw on one side.  When the door is closed, the pin will fit into the opposite hole. Thus, even if the pins are removed the door will remain bolted to the frame.

Padlocks

Overhead doors, receiving doors, and garage doors -all are typically secured with padlocks and hasps. Look for a sturdy padlock's that don’t release the key until the padlock should be casehardened with a 3/8” shackle to resist repeated smashing. Remember, a padlock is only as good as the hasps on which it is mounted; so bolt hasps secularly to the metal plate, and make sure the bolts are concealed when the padlock is closed.

Door construction

Burglars can kick in a weak door. Replace hollow core doors with a solid core doors, or strengthen the existing ones with metal sheets. Replace weak frames, or rein force them with steel or concrete. Protect glass in the door with steel bars or mesh; or place a polycarbonate sheet over the glass on the inside.

Window

Protect windows by putting grates, grill work, or bars over them; or cover the glass on the inside with a clear polycarbonate sheet. The sheet should extend 1-½” beyond the perimeter of the glass and be bolted to the door. . Unbreakable safety glass is also available, but it is more expensive.

Other entrances

Skylights, ventilation ducts, and fire escapes temp burglars because these openings usually are not visible from the street. Protect skylights and ducts with metal grates an iron bars. The first stair of a fire escape should be too high to or the average adult to reach from the ground. The door or window leading to the fire escape should be equipped with emergency exit features: window guards should be removable or hinged to allow for emergency exit. Keys to locked windows or doors should be kept nearby, but not in the lock.

Key control

Because any lock gives way to a key, practice good key control Label keys with a code-indicating back door, receiving door, display case, etc.
Engrave, “do not duplicate” on all keys

Restrict key-access to your most trusted employees; maintain a log to record removal and returns

Consider having locks re-keyed when an employee leave your business

Guards

Join neighboring businesses to hire a uniformed guard from a reputable security company. Check references. The security staff should be familiar with your employees, your store hours and your shoplifting/internal theft policies. After installing an alarm, let burglars know by putting warning signs in windows and entrances.
Every alarm system should include:
A fail-safe backup

Fire sensing capability

A feedback device to check the system

For an expert appraisal of your security needs, ask for a premise security survey by your local law enforcement agency, or check with a reputable security consultant.

Operation Identification

Mark your property with your Kentucky driver’s licenses numbers (preceded by the letter’s “KY”). Then put Operation I.D decals (obtained from you local law enforcement agency) on all windows and doors to warn burglars that your property can be traced. Keep a complete, up-to-date inventory of your merchandise and property: office machinery, Personal belongings, etc. Put a copy in your safe deposit box or at a location away from the business site.

Remember

Locks and alarms can’t prevent a burglar unless they’re in use. Establish a routine for “closing up shop,” locking doors and windows, and setting alarms.

If a burglar breaks in

Your best protection against an intruder is visibility: well-lit open spaces, low counters, and large, uncluttered display windows - these precautions keeps the burglar in the spotlight. Put your safe and cash register up front so that the burglar activities will be visible from the outside. Empty your cash drawers and leave them open so a burglar won’t be tempted to break them open. Anchor safe in concrete and make sure the have a combination locks. Put locks on all interiors doors and hook them into you alarm system. (Always check fire regulations before installing such locks.)
Don’t go in -burglar may still be inside

Don’t open for business - your employees and customers may unwittingly alter valuable evidence

Call the police immediately