Last Update: 08/01/2007

Crime Prevention and Safety (CPS)

by Carol Garrison, Eric Morris

Summer Suggestions for Crime Prevention

Summer has finally arrived, and CPS has a quite of lot to say to help keep our neighborhood safe and secure for the rest of the summer.  First:  if you see anything or anyone acting suspicious around your house, call 911 for the police, not the non-emergency number.  Recently one of our neighbors witnessed a suspected break-in of the house next door.  While the neighbor waited on hold with the non-emergency police number, a few neighbors banded together and aided the police in chasing down the thieves who had a stolen TV!  911 is the appropriate number for calling in any suspicious activity in the neighborhood.  If you’re not sure if the call to make is 911 or non-emergency; call 911. 

The one major exception to calling 911 is suspected mail theft.  The local postal station in addition to the police must be contacted concerning any mail theft.  The incidence of mail/identity theft problem is serious in Garland and particularly our area, so please be observant of your mail box and the neighbor’s too! 

On a different note, keep reporting those pesky door-to door salespeople to the police.  Two weekends ago a man came to our door and within moments of Eric answering the door, the police arrived to obtain his ID, permit, etc.  Kudohs to the Garland Police for making sure this gentleman had legitimate business in Oakridge! 

Speaking of police calls:  a police report must be made by the witness.  Informing the COP or the CPS is a great supplement to calling in the police report yourself, but neither the COP nor CPS can make a police report on someone’s behalf. 

Last but not least-the statistics for last month…we’ll keep repeating our CPS motto:  If your car is empty and locked (with nothing of value in sight), then the car is less likely to be broken into!  Also, if you buy some new electronics do not put the empty box out front; break it down and put it in the trash can. 5 vehicular burglaries were reported last month. Two houses were broken into and had televisions stolen.

We need to do everything we can to prevent crime- if the word around town is that our cars are “slim pickings”, maybe our cars and therefore our community will be safer.  Keep your eyes open and say hello to at least 3 of your neighbors today-.