Crime Prevention Tips

Safety at your front door

• Never automatically open your front door. Make sure you know your caller’s identity before admitting him/her


• If the person at your door is a stranger, ask for identification to be passed under the door. If he is unable to do this, do not admit him/her


• It is advisable to have a wide angle viewer (peep-hole) in the door so that you can check a person’s identity without unlocking your door

Home Safety

• All doors in your home leading to the outside should have deadbolt locks


• When away at night, leave a light burning


• Do not leave a key over a door or under the mat


• The single lock on a garage door is inadequate to keep intruders from prying up the opposite side and crawling in. Use a padlock, but never leave it unlocked. This is an invitation to have the padlock removed so that a key can be made and the lock returned to its position


• Mark your valuables and keep an accurate record of all your valuable possessions



• When leaving on a trip:
• Stop all deliveries


• Connect a light to a timer.


• Notify the police and have a neighbor check your home periodically


• Have someone maintain your lawn
• Be a concerned neighbor. If you see a suspicious person, car or situation, contact the police

Safety for the apartment dweller

• If you live in an apartment building with an intercom system to the front door, make sure the landlord keeps it in operating order


• Never admit anyone unless you are expecting him or know him/her


• Never admit anyone to the building who is there to see another tenant or to deliver something to another apartment


• Anyone asking admission so that he or she can do so some work for another tenant should not be admitted, but should be referred to the building’s manager

How to protect yourself on city streets

• When leaving home, make sure that all doors and windows are locked – including the garage door


• Watch for loiterers and do not carry large sums of money


• If possible, travel with another person. This is especially true after dark


• When carrying a purse, women should have only 3 or 4 one dollar bills placed inside. Credit Cards, currency, driver’s license, keys and jewelry should be carried in a coat or sweater pocket or concealed on your person to reduce the opportunity of large losses. If you do carry a purse, don’t wrap the strap around the shoulder, neck or wrist. If your purse is grabbed, a strong strap will not yield easily and you may be injured. Some purse snatch victims have all unnecessary credit cards at home. When you shop and carry a purse, put it in your shopping bag


• At night, travel only well-lighted and well-traveled streets


• Never hitchhike or accept rides from strangers


• Walk on the side of the street nearest to oncoming traffic. If accosted by someone in a car, run in the direction opposite the way the car is headed


• Beware of people who approach asking directions; keep a polite but safe distance


• A good suggestion for men is to carry a second wallet containing a few $1.00 bills and old expired credit cards, which are normally destroyed or discarded. If confronted at knife or gun point, give the suspect the second wallet and concentrate on a good physical description to help the police in making the arrest


• Upon returning home, particularly after dark, do not linger at the entrance of your residence. Make a quick check for mail or newspapers, and enter immediately. If you feel something is strange, don’t enter but go elsewhere and call for police assistance


• If you feel someone is following you, go to the nearest occupied residence or building, and ask for assistance


• If you are controlled with a dangerous situation, cry out for assistance. Yelling “FIRE! FIRE!” will generally bring faster attention

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