2008 Year in Review

Neighborhood Watch

Press Release from Sheriff Kelly C. Wilhelmi and the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.

By reducing opportunities for crime, looking out for your neighbors and acting as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement, you, as a member of Neighborhood Watch, can improve the quality of life in your community.

First check security in and around your own home. Make sure there are good locks on exterior doors and windows and use them. Don’t forget to lock up when you go out, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Trim shrubbery that hides doorways and windows and join operation identification to mark valuables. If you leave for vacation, use timers on lights and radios to make your home appear lived in. Have a neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers or notify the post office to stop them and pick them up when you return. Notify your Sheriff’s Office or police department that you will be gone and complete a vacation check card. Make an effort to know your neighbors and their daily routines. Check you neighborhood for burned out streetlights, abandoned cars, boarded up buildings, and vacant lots littered with debris. Be willing to report your findings, if necessary.

An important responsibility of all citizens is to report anything suspicious to the Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency.

LOOK FOR AND REPORT:
1. Someone running from a car or homes.
2. Someone screaming. If you can’t determine what the screams involve, call your local police agency and report it.
3. Someone going door-to-door in the neighborhood and looking into windows or parked cars.
4. A person who seems to have no purpose for wandering in a neighborhood.
5. Any unusual or suspicious noise that you can’t explain, such as breaking glass, pounding noise, or loud popping sounds which could be gun shots.
6. Vehicles moving slowly, without lights and no apparent destination.
7. Business transactions conducted from a vehicle. This could involve the sale of drugs or stolen goods.
8. Persons offering merchandise at ridiculously low prices. They are probably selling stolen items.
9. Property carried by persons on foot at an unusual hour or place.
10. Property being removed from closed businesses or residences known to be unoccupied.
11. Any person taking pictures of children, trains, bridges, dams or schools.
12. Any person damaging any mailbox or road/highway signs.

HOW TO REPORT

The Sheriff’s Office or local police department’s need to have accurate information as quickly as possible about any suspicious activity or crime in progress. Call 9-1-1.
1. Give your name and address.
2. Describe the event in as brief a manner as possible. What, where, how, and who.
3. Report if the crime is in progress or if it has already occurred.
4. Describe the suspect(s).
5. Describe the vehicle, if one is involved. Try to get the license plate number and direction of travel.

Be a responsible citizen and help others by reporting suspicious and criminal activity to the nearest law enforcement agency. If you are not a member of a Neighborhood Watch group, these suggestions can still help you and your neighbors be safer in your communities. Be prepared to testify in court if necessary to help law enforcement prosecute violators.

Finally, make sure your house numbers are clearly posted, so police, fire, or ambulance personnel can find you quickly in any emergency. If the street/road sign is down or not readable, contact the city, township or county public works department so it can be quickly repaired or replaced.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
December 7, 2008