All week, officers and detectives of the Metropolitan “DC” Police Department have been sharing information in order to provide holiday-related safety tips for you. Please take note of the following (five) summaries, as they were written, based on recent crime reports to offer safety advice for your protection.
1) Attention all shoppers!! Don’t allow criminals to window shop in your vehicle. Remember to leave all shopping bags in a locked trunk before driving to the next destination. Hide or take GPS Units, Portable Devices, like XM Radios, iPods, etc. with you. When a would-be thief walks by your vehicle, make sure there is nothing in plain view.
2) Avoid carrying large sums of cash. Take a moment to jot down an inventory of your wallet to aide you with cancelling active credit cards if stolen. Wallet Inventory & Emergency Checklist: [Adobe File] http://www.ou.edu/oupd/lostwallet.pdf
Source: The University of Oklahoma
3) If you live in an apartment building, it is so important to meet with neighbors and management to discuss stepping up safety precautions, particularly during the holiday season. Make sure front doors are secured and neighbors know to avoid giving strangers access to the building. Cameras, strategically placed at entry points and signage, indicating camera surveillance are also deterrents. Neighbors should also make sure there are no additional methods of gaining entry into the building. Please take a moment to review one of MPD’s old safety success stories regarding a neighborhood watch group for apartment buildings. The link below references the Blue Hat Patrol Group that conducted walks throughout their building to look for security breaches and other concerns that could contribute to criminal behavior. [BLUE HAT PATROL STORY] http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,545590.asp
4) As you make ATM and Teller transactions at the bank, look for suspicious activity or possible observers. If you feel suspicious, leave immediately with very little cash. Always feel free to notify bank security of any suspicious activity. Should someone approach you, shortly after you have made a bank transaction, asking you for the time or any other distracting questions, be suspicious and take actions to stay safe.
5) Attempted robberies: Oftentimes, after a robbery, complainants have very similar descriptions of the suspects’ clothing, which includes (black jacket, dark-colored hooded shirt, black jeans and other dark clothing) Please be mindful of this.
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