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The Town of
Duxbury enjoys a relatively safe environment. Still, we can take steps to
reduce the criminal's opportunity to make us the victim of crime. This
INFORMATION PACKAGE lists some simple ways you may
want to consider to reduce your chances of becoming a victim. We realize that
some may disagree with these contents. We respect that. Make your own decision.
These are only widely accepted recommendations for you to consider.
Auto Theft
and Break-Ins
Stolen cars, vans, trucks and motorcycles cost victims time and
money—and increase everyone’s insurance premiums. They’re also often used to
commit other crimes. Don’t become a victim of this serious crime.
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Never leave your car
running or the keys in the ignition when you’re away from it, even for just a
minute.
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Always roll up the
windows and lock the car, even if it’s in front of your home.
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Never leave valuables
in plain view, even if your car is locked. Put them in the trunk or at least out
of sight. Purses, packages, electronics, etc. should be left at home if they are
not needed.
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Always park your car
in a well-lighted area or where it will be in plain view of others. If the
criminal feels someone will witness his crime, he will likely go elsewhere.
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Burglary Prevention
Checklist
Doors and Entry Areas
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Is your doors solid
core construction?
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Do your entry doors
have a wide-angle viewer?
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Are the locks secure
from being opened if a burglar breaks a glass or a panel?
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Do your exterior doors
have deadbolt locks with at least a one-inch throw and beveled cylinder guards?
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Can all your doors be
securely locked?
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Do the lock strike
plates have screws at least 3 inches long going into the house framing?
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Do all your out
swinging doors have the hinges pinned or have non-removable pins?
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Are all entry areas
unobstructed by shrubbery and other decor to permit maximum visibility?
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Do sliding doors have
an auxiliary lock that locks both the door panels together?
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Do your sliding glass
doors lift out of the track?
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Is your garage secured
with a lock, hasp, or similar lock other than just the door opener?
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Do you lock your car
and remove the keys even while it is parked in the garage?
Windows
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Are all windows
equipped with auxiliary key locks or are they pinned?
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Have you replaced or
secured louvered windows?
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Are your window locks
properly and securely mounted?
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Do you keep your
windows locked when shut?
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Do you use locks that
will allow you to lock a window when it is partially open?
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In high crime areas,
do you use bars or ornamental grilles to block your windows?
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Do you have good
secure locks on garage windows?
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Are you as careful to
secure your second floor windows, as you are to secure those on the first floor?
Safe Practices
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Do you keep a list,
pictures, or a video of all your valuable property?
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Do you have the serial
numbers to all your valuables?
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Do you avoid
unnecessary display of your valuables?
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Do you "hide" a key
somewhere outside your home?
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Do you have lighting
installed and in use around the outside of your home?
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Have you secured your
ladder?
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Do you have a list of
emergency numbers by every phone?
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Have you discussed
with your family what to do if you find a burglar in your house?
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Do you have a smoke
detector installed in your home?
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Child
Safety Skills
Most kids pass through childhood without ever experiencing physical
harm, or being effected by crime. Adults can make a difference in a child’s
life by listening to what they are saying about other people or places. Adults
must also teach children how to protect themselves in threatening situations.
Here are some things you can do to protect your children.
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Rehearse their name,
address and phone number (including the area code).
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Teach them how to make
an emergency call from a home phone and pay phone.
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Help them become aware
of dangers around them such as vacant houses, wooded areas, bad lighting, busy
streets with no sidewalks, etc.
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Show them safe places
in the neighborhood where they could go for help in an emergency.
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Make sure they know to
go to a store clerk or security guard - but never outside- if they get lost in a
store.
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Tell them that no one
should ask to touch them anywhere their bathing suit covers, and that they
should not be asked to touch anyone else in those areas.
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Remind them that
nobody should ask them to keep secrets from you.
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Have them walk
confidently and stay alert to what is going on in the area around them.
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Ask them to watch out
for the smaller children and to report anyone who lurks around parks, bathrooms,
schools and etc.
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Teach them how to
write down a license plate number.
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Make sure they can
reach you by phone if they must be home alone.
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Post the numbers to
emergency services, your work, a trusted neighbor, and a family member, near the
telephone.
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Have them check in
with you when they get home and before they go to a friend’s house.
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Agree on rules for
having friends over when no adult is present.
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Remind them to never
open the door to anyone including a repairman, a salesman, or an unexpected
guest.
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Teach them to never
tell anyone they are home alone either through the door or on the phone. Kids
should always say the their parents are busy.
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Many of us are not used to making decisions about home repairs,
insurance policies or investments. We are bombarded by calls from people
claiming to be for a good cause or someone using high-pressure tactics to sell a
bargain item. If we are not careful we may reveal facts about ourselves, which
allow con artists to clean out our bank accounts and use our credit card
numbers.
Con artists are experts in human psychology and behavior. They are
self-assured and are smooth talkers. Their games are often hard to detect, but
you can protect yourself:
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Don’t do business with
someone who has to go door-to-door to solicit business. Reputable companies have
enough to do without having to solicit customers. Remember to get
recommendations from friends, family and others you trust about reputable
contractors you can use. Get several estimates, and then compare the prices and
terms of the estimates. When you hire a contractor, obtain a written guarantee.
Never pay for a job in advance! Make arrangements to pay in installments and
then only for the amount of work completed.
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Be suspicious of
high-pressure sales tactics.
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Never buy property
sight unseen.
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Never trust anyone who
tells you "buy now or the deal is off."
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Be cautious of anyone
who wants you to invest in a promising company. Often the company quietly closes
and you lose.
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Make sure any donation
you make is well spent. Pick a favorite charity or two then check them out
completely. Don’t be pressured or shamed into donating to groups you don’t know
about. Many swindlers come up with false charities with names similar to
legitimate groups.
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Beware of someone who
befriends you then asks you to put up "good faith" money in order to share in
unexpectedly found money or valuables.
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Never give out social
security or credit card numbers over the phone.
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Look out for someone
claiming to be a FBI agent, bank examiner, police officer or bank employee,
wanting you to withdraw money to assist in an investigation. You are being
swindled!
If you believe you are being, or have been conned, contact the
Duxbury Police immediately. Do not be embarrassed. If you report your
misfortune, you may prevent others from meeting the same fate.
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Thieves look for what police term
"targets of opportunity." There are many things you can do to avoid becoming one
of the victims, especially when you are going to be away from your home for an
extended period of time.
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Notify the Duxbury
Police Department if you are going away for an extended period of time.
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Double check second
floor, garage and basement windows--areas that are often forgotten.
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Arrange to have mail
and deliveries picked up by your neighbor or friend.
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Leave a car in the
driveway. Have outside lights turned on and off with a timer.
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Arrange to have the
yard cut and bushes trimmed.
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Have several timers
attached to lights in various locations throughout the house.
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Ask neighbors to check
your house regularly. Leave a number with them where you can be located. Ask
them to use your garbage cans.
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Don’t tell everyone
about your vacation plans.
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Don’t leave notes on
your door for deliveries, friends, etc.
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If you return home and
find a break-in, do not enter the house. Call police at once using a neighbor’s
phone.
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Make an inventory of
your property. Mark your valuables with an engraver.
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Make sure your doors
and windows are locked with the deadbolt lock and auxiliary locks.
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How to Report a Crime
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Identify yourself – name, address,
and phone number – even if you are calling 911.
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Tell the dispatcher the type of
crime.
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Let the dispatcher know if the
crime is in progress or has already occurred.
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Where is/did the crime take place.
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Give descriptions of suspect(s)
1.
How many are there?
2.
Are there any weapons involved?
3.
What direction did they go?
4.
Are they on foot or in a motor vehicle?
5.
Is anyone with the suspect(s)
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Describe the vehicle.
1.
What is the vehicle – car, van, or truck?
2.
What color is it?
3.
What is the plate number?
4.
Is there anything unique about the
vehicle – dents - roof racks – lettering.
5.
In what direction did the vehicle go in?
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Stay on the line until the
dispatcher tells you to hang up.
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After calling the police, write
down anything that would be helpful to the responding officer(s), keep an eye
out for anything else making note of your observations.
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Remain on scene until police
arrive if possible.
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Internet Safety
What can you
as a parent do for your children?
Please take the time to
follow some simple steps below to help safeguard their Internet Experience.
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Place your computer in the family
room or another open area of your home. Or use the computer together at a
library, school, or community center.
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Establish clear ground rules for
Internet use for your kids. Decide whether or not to use parental control tools
or protective software.
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Take the time to see what your
kids are doing online and what their interest are.
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Teach kids never to give out their
personal information to people they meet online especially in public areas like
chat rooms and bulletin boards.
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Tell your child not to respond
when they receive offensive or dangerous e-mail, chat, or other communications.
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Instruct your child never to plan
a face-to-face meeting along with online acquaintances.
There are a number of
resources available online for parents one worth checking out is Teen safety
on the Information highway at
www.missingkids.com or order a free copy by calling 1-800-843-5678.
As always if you or your
child have questions or concerns about the Internet you can contact the DUXBURY
POLICE DEPARTMENT, at 1-781-934-5656.
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Assaults can happen to anyone at any time and any place. There are
several things you can do to reduce your chances of being attacked.
At Home
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Keep your home
securely locked and well lighted.
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Install a peephole in
the door and use it.
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Beware of unexpected
service calls or sales calls.
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Check identification
before letting someone you don’t know in your house.
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Offer to make a phone
call for a stranger who wants in to use your phone.
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If you come home and
see signs of forced entry, go to a neighbor’s house and call the police to make
sure nobody remains inside your home.
While Walking
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Be alert to your
surroundings and the people around you.
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Stay in well-lighted
areas as much as possible.
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Walk confidently and
at a steady pace.
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Walk close to the
curb. Avoid doorways, bushes and alleys.
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Try not to walk alone
especially at night, and always avoid areas where there are few people. The more
people who see you walking, the less likely the assailant will want to make you
his victim.
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Be careful when people
stop you for directions. Always reply from a distance and never get too close to
the car.
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If you are in trouble,
attract help any way you can. Scream for help or yell "fire" to attract
attention.
While Driving
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Keep your car in good
working order and the gas tank at least half full.
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Park in well-lighted
areas and lock the doors, even if you’ll only be gone a short time.
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Have your key ready
before you reach your car but check the front and rear seats before you get in.
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Drive with your doors
locked no matter what area you are in.
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Keep valuables such as
purses and packages, out of sight.
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If you think you are
being followed don’t drive home. Drive to an open gas station or business where
you can call the police. If you can do so safely, get a tag number and
description of the car.
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If an unmarked police
car attempts to stop you, signal to the officer that you see him and proceed to
the nearest open business where there will be other people to watch. An
assailant will usually go on when you involve witnesses.
If You Are Attacked
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Keep your head. Stay
as calm as possible, think rationally and evaluate your resources and options.
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Keep assessing your
situation as it is happening. If one strategy does not work, try another.
Possible options are negotiating, stalling for time, distracting the assailant,
and fleeing to a safe place.
Do You Need A Weapon?
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Beware of the false
security mace; pepper spray, electronic stun guns or handguns may give you.
Weapons that are intended to hurt an assailant are often taken away and used
against you.
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Carry a personal body
alarm that makes a piercing noise and draws attention to your situation.
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Robbery and ATM Safety
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When entering any
bank, market, or store, take a split second to see what is going on inside.
Don’t go in if something seems suspicious.
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Avoid exposing your
money in public. If possible pay by credit card. If you do pay with cash, avoid
flashing large bills or counting the money in front of others.
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Avoid wearing
expensive looking jewelry. It often draws attention to you as a profitable mark
for a robber.
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Be aware of trouble
locations and always be alert to your surroundings. If your intuition says,
"something is wrong" something probably is.
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Avoid carrying
packages that advertise expensive contents. Have the purchase placed in plain or
natural packages or bags.
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Take out a $20.00 life
insurance policy. Keeping twenty dollars readily available for a would-be robber
may satisfy his need for drug money. If you have no money he or she may get
angry enough to hurt you.
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Never count or
visually expose how much money you are going to deposit or have received when
you are at the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
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As you approach the
ATM take a good look for any suspicious persons or circumstances.
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Have your ATM access
card ready and in your hand when you approach the ATM. Secretly punch in your
personal identification number (PIN) by using your body to block the view of
others.
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Always keep a safe
distance between you and others.
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Should you be
confronted by a robber — Remain calm — Do not resist — Give up your money,
jewelry, etc. — Cooperate with the robber — give him time to get away — call the
police and report the incident.
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"Stay away from strangers" is a
popular warning to children to prevent abduction or exploitation. The term
stranger suggests a concept that children do not understand and is one that
ignores what we do know about the people who commit crimes against children. It
misleads children into believing they should be aware only of individuals who
have an unusual or sloppy appearance. While occasionally a "stranger" will
abduct or exploit a child, many children are harmed by people who have some type
of familiarity with them.
It is more appropriate to teach our
children to be on the lookout for certain kinds of SITUATIONS or ACTIONS rather
than certain kinds of individuals.
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Did you know that 9 out of every 10
arrests are made because of a neighborhood tip? The following list of suspicious
activities highlights only a few of the many suspicious acts criminals do every
day. You will not be in trouble if you call the police about something
suspicious. At the very least make your neighbors aware of the situation so they
can watch too.
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Anyone looking in a
car or home.
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Anyone forcibly
entering a car or home.
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Someone running from a
home or business.
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Someone carrying a
weapon.
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Someone screaming.
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An unknown adult
talking to children, offering them candy or gifts or asking them for help.
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Someone who does not
belong in the area.
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A person walking in
the neighborhood with items which could be stolen.
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Anyone ringing your
doorbell or knocking on your door without an unreasonable explanation.
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Persons loitering
around a schoolyard or park.
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Strange vehicles
parked in your area for several hours.
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A clean automobile
with dirty or damaged tags.
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Groups of people
loitering or walking through your neighborhood.
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