Seniors are a key part of our community.  Seniors hold our neighborhood history and they anchor the community as they continue to reside, recreate, and work in the community.  Seniors remaining active, and vital in our neighborhood is essential to our community remaining progressive and relevant.  All of us have a vested interest in the senior members of our community being safe and having a secure home and community to live and be active in.

The following crime prevention tips are intended to reinforce what we already know, and to help fill any gaps where we may see ourselves becoming too comfortable in our routines.

AT HOME

  • Never open the door to strangers; always insist on proper identification.
  • If someone comes to your door with an emergency (for example, a traffic accident or an injury), DON’T LET HIM OR HER IN! Call 9-1-1 for them!

SECURE YOUR HOME

  • Use dead-bolt locks on all exterior doors. Always keep your doors locked. Have a peephole in the door so you can see a caller without opening it.
  • Don’t rely on security chains; a determined assailant can easily break them.
  • Protect windows and other points of entry with good locks or other security devices (such as a length of wooden doweling placed inside a track to prevent a window or sliding glass door from opening). Mark and record your personal property.
  • When you go out, make your home sound and appear occupied by using an automatic timer to turn on interior lights and a radio. Keep the outside premises well-lit at night.
  • Do not leave your key under the mat or in a flowerpot. Use outdoor lighting, shrubbery and fencing to help secure your home.
  • Consider electronic surveillance systems, alarm systems and/or a dog to enhance your home security.

IN YOUR CAR

  • Know where you are going and how to get there;
  • Maintain your vehicle in good working order, with ample gasoline;
  • Plan your trip and take friends along;
  • When possible, travel during daylight hours;
  • Don’t enter dark parking lots or deserted garages;
  • Let someone trusted know where you are going and your planned return time;
  • When driving, lock your doors and windows; lock up when you leave;
  • If you suspect someone is following you, drive to the nearest public place; and
  • Never pick up a hitchhiker.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

  • When using a bus or subway, plan your route. Use busy, well-lit transportation stops;
  • Wait near the attendant’s stand;
  • Keep your belongings in your lap, not on the seat next to you;
  • Don’t carry a purse if you can avoid it; tuck money or credit cards into an inside pocket;
  • Sit near the driver but not next to the door

USING AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES (ATM)

  • Go inside your bank or a Police Department Community Police Station when possible;
  • Go during daylight hours;
  • Choose a busy ATM location;
  • Take a friend with you;
  • Pre-plan your transaction;
  • Put your money away quickly;
  • Don’t flash your cash;
  • If someone offers to let you go ahead of him or her at the ATM machine, decline and leave;
  • If someone approaches your car at the drive through ATM, roll up your window and leave;
  • If you begin to feel uncomfortable during a transaction, press CANCEL, get your card, and leave; and
  • If possible, arrange for incoming checks to be deposited directly into your bank account.
These crime tips were originally posted by the Los Angeles Police Department to their website.  http://www.lapdonline.org/crime_prevention/content_basic_view/1164