Budget cuts are forcing police around the country to stop responding to fraud, burglary and theft calls as officers focus limited resources on violent crime.

BERLIN – Ever thought twice about posting a party picture on Facebook, fearing it could someday hurt your chance at a dream job? A draft German law is supposed to solve the problem by making it illegal for prospective employers to spy on applicants’ private postings.

OAKLAND — Robberies and assaults rose 8.5 percent in a one-month period from July 13 to Aug. 13, a time when 80 police officers left the streets because of layoffs, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Oakland Police Officers Association.

Tip of the week: Citizens Arrests

Story of the Week: Curfew

STAY SAFE!

Please send in your questions: http://www.coptalk.info/ask-a-cop-ask-us-a-question/

Curfew Laws…….Next week…

Tip of the week:

• Identity Theft – Some more tips…Equifax, Trans Union, Experian.com, Free Report Site – www.AnnualCreditReport.com, Phone: 1-877-322-8228

Story of the Week:

• Crimes Defined

Next Week: Citizens Arrests, Curfews

STAY SAFE!

Please send in your questions: http://www.coptalk.info/ask-a-cop-ask-us-a-question/

Full Featured:

http://www.tattletalealarm.com

INSTANT PROTECTION

Tattletale is a complete alarm system in one compact unit. Just plug it in. There is no installation, no wires and no appointments to schedule.

PORTABLE ALARM SYSTEM

You own it. You can move it from one location to another at any time.

WIRELESS SECURITY

Tattletale sends an instant wireless signal to 24/7 emergency dispatch. With the addition of long range wireless accessories tattletale can protect anything, anywhere, anytime.

THE FASTEST ALARM SIGNAL

Tattletale uses a wireless data link to send the alarm signal. This signal is a one-way data packet that travels over the digital data control channel of the existing cellular network. There can be no dropped calls!

NO PHONE LINE TO CUT

Thieves typically cut a phone line before entering a premise. Data packet technology is superior to conventional alarm systems because there is no phone line to cut. The digital wireless alarm signal also eliminates the chance that a power surge will cause a false alarm.

USE IT ANYWHERE; IT’S CELLULAR

Use Tattletale anywhere in the United States and Canada. There are no long distance and no roaming charges.

Affordable:

Radio Shack – Multiple Options

More Portable and inexpensive solutions – http://www.tbotech.com/homeprotection.htm

Just remember you get what you pay for in many cases, so base your investment in security on the items your are securing.

I was Executive Director of the Institute for Burn Medicine for San Diego and Imperial Counties when we lived in California .  Besides raising the money to establish a Burn Treatment Center at the University Hospital there, I conducted extensive public education campaigns in Burn Prevention.

A friend recently sent me the attached short video – and like an old  fire horse, I heard the bell ring and am rushing to send this excellent prevention piece to each of you.  It is well worth watching!  And it could save your life. 

This is very stunning – please read first and then watch the very short clip. 

I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan! 

This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire …..oil in a frying pan.  Read the following  introduction, then watch the show.  It’s a real eye opener!
 
At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field.  An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10-foot pole to toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.  The water, being heavier  than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated.

The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out.  On the  open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear  blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.  Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup of either creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite. 

This is a powerful message—-watch the video and don’t forget what you see.

STAY SAFE!

Please send in your questions: http://www.coptalk.info/ask-a-cop-ask-us-a-question/

By Constance Gustke • Bankrate.com

Highlights

· "The technology of the bad guy is getting better and better every year."

· Hidden cameras are disguised so they can pick up your password.

· You must report fraud within 60 days to limit your liability.

ATMs are under siege more than ever from skimming. Skimming, where ATM thieves steal your PIN and account number using remote devices, is increasing dramatically. Often done by sophisticated crime rings from the Eastern bloc countries, ATM skimming is becoming a high-tech art that’s hard to detect.

That’s bad news for consumers. Experts say that losses from skimming are approaching $1 billion. Nearly one in five fraud victims reported having their credit card PIN or debit card ATM PIN information stolen in 2009, according to Javelin Strategy & Research. And Robert Vamosi, an analyst handling risk, fraud and security at Javelin, sees ATM skimming continuing to rise this year and next.

"Consumers aren’t aware of ATM tampering," he says. "ATMs have 40 years of trust."

Skimming isn’t new. It’s been around for at least 10 years. What has changed is that the "technology of the bad guy is getting better and better every year," says Robert Siciliano, a security expert based in Boston. "It’s up to consumers to watch their own backs."

Typically, ATM thieves use two devices to capture your PIN and card data. One device sits near where you swipe your card and reads the magnetic stripe on your card with your account number. Even more confusing, the device mimics the card slot. "The technology has evolved to a point where the molded plastic fits like it belongs there," says Siciliano. Devices are even readily available over the Internet for as little as $300.

A camera, hidden from view, captures the PIN. "You can get the data in real time," says Siciliano. "You can be in your car with a laptop remotely accessing the device."

Thieves then burn the data onto a blank card to access your money.

U.S. Secret Service spokesman Max Milien wants consumers to be warned. "The public is notified after an event," he says. And don’t take bank security for granted. Fraud can occur at any bank in any part of the country. Thieves are even sending out false text alerts to get consumer data.

Banks, they say, are slow to adopt anti-skimming measures. When Javelin surveyed 25 banks, four stood out, though, for their anti-theft measures. They are Bank of America, Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo.

advertisement

Experts add that debit card users are most at risk. Typically, consumers must report fraudulent charges within two days, limiting your liability to $50. If you report ATM skimming fraud within 60 days, you’re liable for the first $500 of any transaction. Siciliano adds that thieves carefully orchestrate ATM withdrawals, maxing out cash withdrawals one day and waiting until after midnight for the next stash, which quickly adds up.

Here are four tips to help you protect your account.

1. Cover your password with your hand

Hidden cameras are disguised so they can pick up your password. By protecting it, ATM thieves can’t access your account.

2. Use familiar ATMs and limit your visits

ATMs in dimly lighted spots or used late at night could be more susceptible to fraud, while ATMs under video surveillance can be safer. Stay away from ATMs at retail stores or restaurants, adds Siciliano. Recently, skimming devices were found on ATMs in a popular grocery store in central Florida. Airports, convenience stores or kiosks are equally vulnerable to ATM thieves. Still, even highly trafficked ATMs outside a bank branch have been targeted by thieves.

Also, try to limit your visits to the ATM. "With frequency, there’s risk," says Siciliano.

3. Check bank balances frequently

Given the two-day window for reporting fraud, it pays to check your account frequently. If you don’t report fraud within 60 days, you have unlimited liability. "Sign up for alerts and notice unusual withdrawals," says Vamosi.

With credit cards there are more protections in place, and you can dispute charges."You have at least a billing cycle," says Siciliano.

4. Observe the ATM

Vamosi cautions consumers to look at an ATM to make sure a card slot is "legitimate and not tacked on." Look for things that strike you, he says. "Some people have felt that when they inserted their card, something went awry," he says. In that case, try another ATM.

When protecting your account against ATM thieves, "it’s all about awareness, paying attention and understanding risks," says Sicilano. "There are 400,000 ATMs and every one of them is susceptible to fraud. The speed and convenience of technology has replaced the security of technology."

My boyfriend was arrested on a $700 warrant (Tickets). He didn’t receive a court notice & therefore didn’t go to court. How long will he probably have to be in jail if he’s not bailed out?

But to sum up the answer we would say he would not be in jail for more than 72 hours if arrested on a Friday.

It would be for his next court date available till he is cite released but this can change from city to city.

Him not receiving the court notice is in question as we have seen this claimed many times only to find out the person gave a false address at the time of the citation, thus the mail would not get to them…

We would hope he is already out of jail and hopefully he will work out the issues with his address and make his court appearances as the consequences for getting a failure to appear can really ruin his day.

What if it was a choking baby call, or a rape in progress? What if a family member was having a heart attack? Would you want the police or medical help going to the wrong house? Wasting valuable time looking for an address that isn’t visible. If only one house on a street does not have the numbers displayed, it isn’t too bad; we can usually figure it out. But in most areas, a lot of houses don’t have visible numbers, have missing numbers, or have bushes or trees covering up the numbers.

This not only endangers you or your family in an emergency situation where seconds count, but it could endanger a police officer responding to help you in an emergency situation. Here’s an example:

It’s 2 a.m., and you hear glass breaking. You dial 911 and slowly get out of bed. Your husband is at work and the kids asleep. You go to check on the kids and suddenly you are confronted in the doorway by a large male holding a gun who orders you back into the bedroom. Now, do you really want a police officer wasting 1, 2, or even 5 minutes looking for your house when you are in a dangerous situation where a second feels like an hour?

The officer who got dispatched to your "911" call, turns onto your street and finds several houses without numbers. (Yours being one of them.) The sequence is too irregular to figure out which house is yours, so the officer knocks on a door. Not yours. The officer tries another house. Dogs bark, lights go on, but still not your house. The intruder hears the knocking next door, looks out a window, and sees an officer next door. The intruder sneaks out the back door and escapes even before the officer found your house. Or worse, the officer may contact the intruder as he leaves, unaware of the break in at your house. The officer could get shot or injured very easily responding to a "hot" call and wasting time to find the address.

Officers respond to a call in a tactical way, often parking down the street from a call and walking in to avoid detection, and to give the officer the advantage of the element of surprise. Without numbers on the house, an officer could be parking right in front of a house where there is a problem without even knowing it.

The same scenario as above, but the right way:

The same call, same bad guy with the gun. This time, the officer pulls onto the street and sees each house clearly marked with addresses. He knows your house is 2 up on the right. The officer wastes no time directing assisting units to the other side of the house, where they discover the broken window. The officers set up a perimeter and call into the house. The bad guy flees and is taken down at gunpoint the second he exits the house. The officers knew exactly which house to go to, and where to send assisting units without lighting up the whole block with spotlights looking for numbers, or wasting valuable time knocking on the wrong doors.

· If just one person, who reads this, clearly posts the address on their residence, it will make it much easier for police, fire, or medical personnel to find them when needed. It not only makes our jobs easier; it could save your life.

· Not your house? Waiting for the landlord to do it? Too expensive? Too complicated? Don’t know how to do it? NO EXCUSES!

· Whether it is your house or not, renting or buying, owner or roommate, even if it’s an apartment unit that isn’t visibly posted, do it yourself. It could mean the difference between life and death. There is nothing more frustrating to me than getting dispatched to a "hot" call, and having to run around, wasting time looking for the house.

Here is what you do:

· If there is no address on your house, put it on. Hardware stores offer a large variety of house numbers ranging from stick-on numbers for a few dollars, to fancy wood ones that can be stained or painted. The most popular I see are the plastic numbers you simply tack up using small nails or screws.

· If you have vegetation, trees, or bushes growing over the numbers, trim back the branches or move the numbers to a more visible location.

· Don’t put the numbers in a spot hard to see, like on a roof trim, or on a tree. We usually first look right next to the door or porch area, especially at night where the porch light will light up the numbers. Remember, the numbers should be clearly visible both day and night. A good spot is on a wall, door trim, or window trim that faces the street.

· A lot of builders are now installing lighted address boxes which mount on the front of your house, and are wired into your house’s 12 volt power supply, usually the doorbell wiring. These are by far the quickest to spot at night, since they are lighted. But they have two 12 volt bulbs inside which do occasionally burn out. If the bulbs burn out, please replace them. The bulbs only cost a buck or so. You can find the lighted address boxes at your local home improvement store.

· You don’t have to get too fancy, and please use color contrast. White numbers on a white house, or blue numbers on a blue house are hard to see in the day, and impossible to see at night. Dark numbers on a light colored house or light numbers on a dark house will work fine.

· Some fund-raising organizations offer to paint your address on the curbside in front of your house for a small donation. They usually paint a white background, and then spray or brush black numbers using stencils. These are simple to do yourself, and are very visible and effective.

· Use numbers that can be seen from the street. Little fancy numbers that look cute a few feet away may not be readable from the street.

Please help us to help you. The more visible your address is, the faster we find your house. Seconds can mean the difference between life and death. You know where you live, we don’t. The only way we can find you fast is by your address. If it’s not done, go do it today. It could be done for as little as a few dollars. Something so little can make such a big difference. The next time we come to your house in an emergency, we would like to hear you say, "How did you get here so fast?" rather than "What took you so long?"

by Dana Dratch
Friday, March 19, 2010

Reposted from www.creditcards.com

Debit cards have different protections and uses. Sometimes they’re not the best choice.

Sometimes reaching for your wallet is like a multiple choice test: How do you really want to pay?

While credit cards and debit cards may look almost identical, not all plastic is the same.

"It’s important that consumers understand the difference between a debit card and a credit card," says John Breyault, director of the Fraud Center for the National Consumers League, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. "There’s a difference in how the transactions are processed and the protections offered to consumers when they use them."

While debit cards and credit cards each have advantages, each is also better suited to certain situations. And since a debit card is a direct line to your bank account, there are places where it can be wise to avoid handing it over — if for no other reason than complete peace of mind.

Here are 10 places and situations where it can pay to leave that debit card in your wallet:

1. Online

"You don’t use a debit card online," says Susan Tiffany, director of consumer periodicals for the Credit Union National Association. Since the debit card links directly to a checking account, "you have potential vulnerability there," she says.

Her reasoning: If you have problems with a purchase or the card number gets hijacked, a debit card is "vulnerable because it happens to be linked to an account," says Linda Foley, founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center. She also includes phone orders in this category.

The Federal Reserve’s Regulation E  (commonly dubbed Reg E), covers debit card transfers. It sets a consumer’s liability for fraudulent purchases at $50, provided they notify the bank within two days of discovering that their card or card number has been stolen.

Most banks have additional voluntary policies that set their own customers’ liability with debit cards at $0, says Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior counsel for the American Bankers Association.

But the protections don’t relieve consumers of hassle: The prospect of trying to get money put back into their bank account, and the problems that a lower-than-expected balance can cause in terms of fees and refused checks or payments, make some online shoppers reach first for credit cards.

2. Big-Ticket Items

With a big ticket item, a credit card is safer, says Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. A credit card offers dispute rights if something goes wrong with the merchandise or the purchase, she says.

"With a debit card, you have fewer protections," she says.

In addition, some cards will also offer extended warrantees. And in some situations, such as buying electronics or renting a car, some credit cards also offer additional property insurance to cover the item.

Two caveats, says Wu. Don’t carry a balance. Otherwise, you also risk paying some high-ticket interest. And "avoid store cards with deferred interest," Wu advises.

3. Deposit Required

When Peter Garuccio recently rented some home improvement equipment at a big-box store, it required a sizable deposit. "This is where you want to use a credit card instead of a debit," says Garuccio, spokesman for the national trade group American Bankers Association.

That way, the store has its security deposit, and you still have access to all of the money in your bank account. With any luck, you’ll never actually have to part with a dollar.

4. Restaurants

"To me, it’s dangerous," says Gary Foreman, editor of the frugality minded Web site The Dollar Stretcher. "You have so many people around."

Foreman bases his conclusions on what he hears from readers. "Anecdotally, the cases that I’m hearing of credit or debit information being stolen, as often as not, it’s in a restaurant," he says.

The danger: Restaurants are one of the few places where you have to let cards leave your sight when you use them. But others think that avoiding such situations is not workable.

The "conventional advice of ‘don’t let the card out of your sight’ — that’s just not practical," says Tiffany.

The other problem with using a debit card at restaurants: Some establishments will approve the card for more than your purchase amount because, presumably, you intend to leave a tip. So the amount of money frozen for the transaction could be quite a bit more than the amount of your tab. And it could be a few days before you get the cash back in your account.

5. You’re a New Customer

Online or in the real world, if you’re a first-time customer in a store, skip the debit card the first couple of times you buy, says Breyault.

That way, you get a feel for how the business is run, how you’re treated and the quality of the merchandise before you hand over a card that links to your checking account.

6. Buy Now, Take Delivery Later

Buying now but taking delivery days or weeks from now? A credit card offers dispute rights that a debit card typically does not.

"It may be an outfit you’re familiar with and trust, but something might go wrong," says Breyault, "and you need protection."

But be aware that some cards will limit the protection to a specific time period, says Feddis. So settle any problems as soon as possible.

7. Recurring Payments

We’ve all heard the urban legend about the gym that won’t stop billing an ex-member’s credit card. Now imagine the charges aren’t going onto your card, but instead coming right out of your bank account.

Another reason not to use the debit card for recurring charges: your own memory and math skills. Forget to deduct that automatic bill payment from your checkbook one month, and you could either face fees or embarrassment (depending on whether you’ve opted to allow overdrafting or not). So if you don’t keep a cash buffer in your account, "to protect yourself from over-limit fees, you may want to think about using a credit card" for recurring payments, says Breyault.

8. Future Travel

Book your travel with a check card, and "they debit it immediately," says Foley. So if you’re buying travel that you won’t use for six months or making a reservation for a few weeks from now, you’ll be out the money immediately.

Another factor that bothers Foley: Hotels aren’t immune to hackers and data breaches, and several name-brand establishments have suffered the problem recently. Do you want your debit card information "to sit in a system for four months, waiting for you to arrive?" she asks. "I would not."

9. Gas Stations and Hotels

This one depends on the individual business. Some gas stations and hotels will place holds to cover customers who may leave without settling the entire bill. That means that even though you only bought $10 in gas, you could have a temporary bank hold for $50 to $100, says Tiffany.

Ditto hotels, where there are sometimes holds or deposits in the hundreds to make sure you don’t run up a long distance bill, empty the mini bar or trash the room. The practice is almost unnoticeable if you’re using credit, but can be problematic if you’re using a debit card and have just enough in the account to cover what you need.

At hotels, ask about deposits and holds before you present your card, says Feddis. At the pump, select the pin-number option, she says, which should debit only the amount you’ve actually spent.

10.  Checkouts or ATMs That Look ‘Off’

Criminals are getting better with skimmers and planting them in places you’d never suspect — like ATM machines on bank property, says Foley.

So take a good look at the machine or card reader the next time you use an ATM or self-check lane, she advises. Does the machine fit together well or does something look off, different or like it doesn’t quite belong? Says Foley, "Make sure it doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with."

ASK A COP: http://www.coptalk.info/ask-a-cop-ask-us-a-question/

Summary:

• 55% of businesses reported experiencing fraud in the last 12 months, with 58% enabled by online banking activities.
• 80% of banks failed to catch fraud before funds were transferred out of their institution.
• In 87% of fraud attacks, the bank was unable to fully recover assets.
• 57% of the respondents that experienced a fraud attack were not fully compensated by their banks.
• 26% were not compensated for any part of their losses.
• 40% of defrauded businesses moved their banking activities elsewhere.
• 24% of businesses claim that their banks do not provide a policy explaining the bank’s responsibilities to secure and protect their companies’ accounts from fraud.
• 39% are unsure if such a policy exists.

"The data is clear – financial institutions’ are failing to protect small and medium business assets," says Terry Austin, CEO, Guardian Analytics. "This is crushing to the SMBs, which are at the heart of our economic recovery."

** Please make sure your small business is protected. Many small businesses are in the position where the CEO or General Manager is also the IT professional and with that comes the lack of time to accomplish all the security items needed in today’s society. Please take the time to make sure you are protected online **

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9.. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a
fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.
8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

I was pulled over for speeding. The cop commented that I am setting a bad example as a Christian because my license plate read "Christians aren’t perfect just forgiven by a God who is" -he proceeded in questioning my faith and Christianity. Is that ok to Judge, belittle, or put me down.

_______________________________________________________

If he was just trying to be humorous in the beginning, that’s one thing. People are often nervous or angry about being pulled over and some officers (including myself) make jokes or comments at times to ease the tension or fear. Usually people appreciate a cop with a sense of humor. But if he was clearly questioning your faith and taking it too far in your opinion, then no, it is not right. If you feel strongly that the officer went too far, you can call the department and ask to speak to a supervisor to discuss the incident or you can file a formal complaint at the police department.   

© Coptalk.info

I would like to know as a civilian, what are my rights as a witness to a bar fight? Do I have to give the police my statement? Do I have to give them my social security #? What if I am harassed by them?

**

If you were part of the fight and considered a suspect then yes, they have a right to obtain your information and statement. If you were just present during a common bar fight and not involved, you don’t have to give any information. But if there was a serious injury or death and they know you were there and probably saw something, they’d probably press you a bit more for information and might even take you to the station for a statement. Where I work, we ask for drivers license numbers of the people we talk to. Some departments may ask for Social Security numbers but the only time we ask for one is when we book someone into jail or try to figure out if someone is lying to us.

If you don’t want to give a statement you can be like a lot of people we contact at crime scenes; "Nope, didn’t see a thing".

**

In the pigeon drop scam, swindlers work in pairs or teams. One befriends an unsuspecting consumer, the "pigeon”, (usually an elderly person) while the other approaches them with money or valuables he claims to have just found. After some rehearsed conversation, the con artists agree to split the money three ways with you and arrange to meet at a lawyer’s office or somewhere else of their choosing. But can they trust you, they ask. To get your share, you’ll need to put up some "good faith" money, which they will return to you after the goods are divided. To prove yourself trustworthy, you turn over a large sum of money to them and later go to meet them at the designated spot. Soon after arriving, you realize the pair is long gone — and so is your money.

Unbelievably, a lot of people still fall for this scam frequently. The list goes on and on. People’s greed often makes them let their guard down or not follow their “gut” instincts. I just finished an investigation that EVERYONE needs to know about. It’s a scam that is claiming victims every day across the country. Here’s how it works:

“Buyers” are searching Craigslists ads all over the United States and responding to the ads telling people that they want their item (laptops, cameras, jewelry etc). The “buyer” tells the person that they will pay via PayPal, the online money transfer and banking site owned by eBay. The “buyer” tells the person that they will add an additional $80 or $100 to ship the item overnight.

The “buyer” often states that they are out of the country and request the item be shipped to a U.S. address. The “buyer” then sends the person a very realistic looking but fake PayPal notice stating that the buyer is a confirmed buyer with a verified address. The fake PayPal notice states that the money has been deducted from the buyers account and is being “held” until shipping confirmation is verified at which time the money will be credited to the persons account.

The scam I investigated was using an address in the city where I work. Unsuspecting victims shipped laptops, cameras, jewelry and all kinds of items to the requested address where a middleman resold the items and sent the “buyer” the proceeds after keeping a cut for himself. The money is usually sent out of the country, in my case, Nigeria. The sellers of the property never receive payment because the e-mail notice was a fake notice from PayPal.

I recovered 4 laptops, several expensive cameras and diamond rings at the residence. There were several empty boxes where the items had already been sold. All of the victims stated that the PayPal e-mail they received stating that the money would be deposited in their accounts after the item was shipped looked very official and real. I posed as the middleman and began corresponding with the “buyer” online who was telling me what items were being sent overnight; there was expensive jewelry, game consoles, more laptops etc. It was an unbelievable amount of merchandise that people were unsuspectingly shipping without any knowledge it was a scam.

I use PayPal myself, it is a fast, secure and protected way of making purchases or receiving money. But please be aware, there are scams using fake PayPal e-mails like the incident above. PayPal DOES NOT hold money until shipping is confirmed. Sometimes a transfer may show as pending but all purchases, transfers and pending transactions will show up on your PayPal account statement. If someone tells you they sent you money via PayPal, log on to your account to verify the funds were sent. You are protected by PayPal this way. Everyone that fell for the scam did not check their PayPal accounts until it was too late. PayPal could not help them because the transactions never went through PayPal, they were all fraudulent fake e-mails.

I see several “phishing” e-mails that try to claim victims. Scammers send out very realistic e-mails with logos from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Bank of the West etc stating “your account was possibly compromised and your account has been temporary frozen to avoid fraudulent transactions. Please click on the link below to verify your information so we can unlock your account. We are sorry of any inconvenience this may cause you”.

These notices are VERY real looking because they have cut and pasted actual bank logos and wording from real banking websites. If you click on the link it requests your personal information including your PIN to “verify” your account. Your account is then quickly drained of all your money and you won’t realize it until you start getting overdraft notices or bounced checks.

NEVER NEVER NEVER give anyone personal information such as social security numbers, bank account information and PINS, or other personal information unless you know who you are talking to. Request a call back number and call it, call your bank to verify suspicious e-mails. Most sites are secure and trusted so beware of scams or e-mails using the same realistic looking logos asking for your personal information.

All banks and most web-sites have a security department. If you have any doubts, call your bank or send an e-mail to the security department of your bank to see if the e-mail is actually from them. Sites such as PayPal and most banks request that you forward the entire suspicious e-mail to them and they will let you know if it was a scam.

Certain things should raise red flags such as someone offering to pay an unusually large amount of money to ship an item overnight, saying they are out of the Country and asking to ship to a different address, e-mails stating the money will be held until the item is shipped, people selling electronics cheap in a parking lot, promises of large sums of money if you send good faith money, all red flags pointing to a scam.

These scams have been around a long time so none of this is new information for crooks. We are just trying to make innocent people AWARE of these scams and help them avoid becoming a victim of crime.

And follow the old rule; “if it seems too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true”…… Or else you might end up with a box of rocks instead of a TV…….

Mark
© Coptalk.info

Suicide Attempts: "5150"

I have been to a lot of suicide attempts in my career as a police officer. There are many reasons people have for trying to kill themselves. Some want attention, some may have a severe medical situation they want to end, some lose a loved one that they can not handle losing, and some are just drunk, stoned and stupid. Luckily, most people tell someone what they are planning to do, or someone catches them trying to attempt the act. Usually we respond out and put the person on a "5150" hold, which means that the person is sent to County Hospital for a mental evaluation by a professional doctor. The 5150 hold is good for up to 72 hours. Depending on the mental evaluation, the person is released, held longer, or referred to another hospital or psychologist. Very rarely does the police officer find out what happens to the person, unless the person is a chronic "5150" who often gets sent over to the hospital and released, only to be sent over on a weekly basis.

When someone makes a comment about killing themselves, whether or not they mean it, it puts the police officer in a bad situation. If the person tells an officer "I didn’t mean it, I was just angry", and the officer leaves, the officer is liable if the person follows through on his/her threats. Usually the person is sent to the hospital on a 5150 hold and a health professional will make the decision whether to hold the person or not. If someone actually made an attempt like overdosing on pills, or slashing wrist, it’s an automatic "5150" hold. These are the usual types of "5150′s" that I usually deal with. Tonight, I had one that made me think, and brought a tear to my eyes. (Yes, cops do cry at times. Most do)

It was 1809 hrs. (6:09 p.m.) when I got dispatched to a quiet street in my beat. A doctors office called stating that a out of state relative of a person named "Helen" (we will call her Helen to protect her Identity) called saying that they were on the phone with Helen, and that Helen was trying to commit suicide by asphyxiation with a plastic bag over her head. The relative said that Helen then dropped the phone and they tried to call back but only got a busy signal. I arrived moments later, and knocked on the door. No answer. I went around to the back, and saw a light on upstairs in the bedroom. I knocked on the walls, back door, and windows with my flashlight to get a response.

Still, no answer. I had my dispatch call into the residence but they still got a busy signal. I requested a supervisor since I thought I was going to have to force entry to check on "Helen" due to the nature of the call. I again pounded on the front door, and this time, an elderly woman dressed in pajamas answered the door. I asked the woman if her name was Helen, and she said yes. I asked if I could speak with her, and she was hesitant, but agreed to let me in. I explained to Helen why I was there, and she kept telling me to leave her alone, that she was busy. Helen was 90 years old, but still had all her faculties, able to walk, drive, clean her house, shop, etc.

Helen kept saying that her daughter was coming from out of state tomorrow, and for me to leave and come back to talk to her daughter. I told Helen that it was her that I was there to check on, and asked her about the threats. Helen said that she only told her daughter that she was going to suffocate herself to get her daughter to come visit from out-of-state. Helen said that she was lonely and depressed since her husband died years ago, and she had no local family nearby.

Helen went on to tell me about how her late husband used to practice medicine in the city for 40 years, and about her long, interesting life. Helen was almost convincing about just making the suicide comments to get her daughter out to see her. Helen said that she not feeling like hurting herself or anyone else, (a necessity for a 5150 hold). Helen kept telling me to leave; saying that she had things to do. As soon as my Lieutenant arrived, I began to check Helen’s house. Know what I found?

All of Helen’s financial papers were organized on the dining room table, along with attorney names, numbers, and will papers. All of Helen’s relative’s names, addresses, and phone numbers were laid out. A note to Helen’s daughter, with financial instructions. Upstairs, on Helen’s bed, a pad of paper with a note that was just started. Also on the bed, a large plastic bag with a string wrapped around it.

I had obviously interrupted Helen in her suicide attempt. As I banged on her wall, she put the phone back on the hook, put everything aside and answered the door. If we got the call 15 minutes later, it could have been a dead-body call. If someone didn’t call, Helen may not have been discovered for a week or more. Helen still denied wanting to hurt herself until I showed her the bag I found. Then Helen said, "90 is too old to live" You know, it’s sad. I see people in their teens try to commit suicide because of a failed romance. I see a lot of people try to commit suicide because they cant enjoy life like they used to do to a serious injury or illness. But here is Helen, 90 years old, still up and about, good health, driving, cleans her own house, all her senses. But she lost the will to live, because she had no one left to share life with. I admit, I got teary-eyed talking to this wonderful elderly woman, who knew exactly what she wanted to do. I thought about what she might have gone through. Each and every day, alone, no one to talk to, family out of state.

Helen had got all her financial affairs in order for her family, and she was going to "check out" of life. That is until I interrupted her. Helen was not pleased with me.

But I took Helen’s hand as she laid on the ambulance gurney, and I told her that although she may hate me now, I hope that she will appreciate it later. I told Helen that she was a wonderful, interesting woman, and that I was going to make a habit out of stopping by her house to visit her when she gets out. And I meant every word. I just hope that Helen re-thinks her situation and realizes how wonderful life can be. Because Helen seems like a determined person, I can only try to get her some help. To try to help her get rid of the feelings that are making her want to give up on life. Just because there is no one to share it with….

I’m lucky. I have a wonderful caring local family. I have both my parents in their 70′s who still go out, dance, dine, and have a great time. I couldn’t imagine having no one in my life. But a lot of people are in that situation. If you have a relative that is alone or lonely, please call them. You don’t want a call from a police department or coroner with bad news. Sometimes, just a phone call is just what it takes to let someone know that someone still cares. If you know someone who has made comments about hurting or killing themselves, don’t "blow it off" as false threats. You don’t want to live with a death on your conscious that you could have prevented. Even if it is in your own family, and you don’t want your family problems exposed, someone who is making threats to harm themselves is calling out for help. Let a professional make the determination if the threats are real or not. Don’t wait till it’s too late; don’t wait until someone "really" does it. Because it’s too late then.

Most thoughts of suicide, depression, despair, can be corrected through medication, counseling, or both. Whether you or someone you know is having suicidal feelings, please call. There are a lot of cops, paramedics, and professional people who care and who still get a tear in their eye trying to help.

ML

© Coptalk

Here is my question. If you have a couple that split up and there are 2 vehicles between them. one takes one and the other takes the other vehicle. both vehicles are registered to only one of the two. can the one that has their name on the title report the car stolen if the other individual refuses to give it back? also would that both names are on the registration only make a difference.

Our Reply:

If the cars belonged to a couple that split up and each take a vehicle you really cant make a stolen vehicle report under most conditions. If the title is in your name only then you have a right to get the car back. If the title is in your name then you can ask for a civil standby for the police to meet you where the car is and assist you in getting the car back.  If both of your names are on the title then the car belongs to both of you and you have no right to take it if the other person already has possession and refuses to give it back. In that case then it’s a civil matter that you’ll have to take to court to decide who gets to keep the car.

One thing to think about if both names are on the title; When two names are on a vehicle title it either says "AND" between the names or it says "OR" between the names. If it says "AND" it means the car belongs to both parties and both parties would need to sign the title if the car were to be sold or for the ownership information to change. Basically it takes both signatures for anything to be changed on the title.

If the title says "OR" then you are out of luck. That means the vehicle belongs to both names on the title but EITHER ONE of the parties can sign off on the title to sell the car or change ownership information. Then it’s a matter of who gets to the DMV first……

© CopTalk  

What guidelines would you suggest for calling the police? I once got a "smart" response from a dispatcher because I waited 20 minutes to report something I thought "looked" suspicious. I gave a completely thorough description of the man and his bike, but not timely evidently… but it made me think, "How does Jo (Anne) Public know when and when not to call the police?"

Our Reply:

Thanks for the question…

I am sure my partners will also submit replies it’s just been a really busy week…

Personally I would never fault someone for calling on anything that strikes a person as suspicious or illegal as long as the caller has rationalized the situation. I can cite you many examples of what I mean by this but as a general rule more citizens help to stop crime than cops ever could based on the fact there are more eyes in the general public than on your local police force.

I remember a call where we were asked to give additional patrol to an affluent community in my area because a citizen there thought a man was casing her house. There is a good potential this could be a crime solving tip so we responded and after a few days and some additional tips from this person, mainly one that he runs by the house daily, we finally were able to find out who this person was and why in the end the call was one to be remember yet for all the wrong reasons. The person running by her home was a very respected Dr. in the neighborhood, he was not casing the home of the citizen that called, he was simply taking his morning jog and from what we could figure the only reason the person called was because his skin color (in this case black) made her feel uncomfortable. We handled the call as we do all of the calls myself and my partners go to in a very professional manner and even the Dr. got a laugh out of it.

That said I have seen many calls end tragically because the person was afraid to call.

It’s all about common sense. Also in the situation is a non emergency situation please feel free to use the standard business line that goes to your local police department – commonly referred to as the non- emergency number. You can usually have someone call you back like a detective etc that might be able to answer if what you have seen etc might be more than just what it appears.

Additional Replies:

Basically use common sense. If something raises your suspicions or just doesn’t look right, call the police. If it’s an emergency dial 911. If it’s suspicious but not an emergency, call the non-emergency number for your local police department. It’s great you called in a suspicious circumstance but time is very important. A suspicious person will usually be gone in 20 minutes, burglars will be done ransacking a home and gone in 20 minutes, people selling or using drugs in a car will be high and gone in 20 minutes, etc etc. Police would rather get a call and find out it’s nothing rather than get dispatched to a burglary or other crime and find out someone saw something suspicious 20 or 30 minutes earlier but didn’t call. You know your neighborhood, if it looks suspicious then follow your instincts and call right away. If you realize it was a mistake, you can call back to cancel the response.

Thanks for being a concerned citizen!

Duh……

We try to remind people of this every year when the weather starts turning cold. When it starts getting brisk in the mornings, people take chances warming up their cars in the morning while they tend to other things in the house. Or, they pull into a 7-11 to grab something and leave their car running in the parking lot. Everyone believes it won’t happen to them; that is until it happens to them. If you leave your car running unattended to warm up or leave it running while you dash into a store, it’s not a matter of IF it will happen, it’s a matter of WHEN it will happen.

People always say “I was only inside for a minute”. It takes less than 5 seconds for someone to jump in the car and speed away. Not only with your car, but your laptop and purse or wallet on the seat too. Crooks cruise through neighborhoods on cold mornings looking for the telltale sign of steam coming from the exhaust of an unattended car. They dump a stolen vehicle they’ve driven a few days down the street and jump in yours, all warmed up and toasty for them. They’ll use it a few days and then go hunting for a “fresh” one. Or the school kids complaining about the long walk to school can’t resist a free ride already running and waiting for them.

When the weather gets cold we get calls EVERY DAY about vehicles stolen while they were running unattended. Everyone believes “it won’t happen to me”. It doesn’t matter where you live, affluent area or not, rural area or a tract home, it can and will happen sooner or later.

And don’t forget the expense and time to have the locks on your house re-keyed because the thief probably now has the keys to your home, business etc.

So the choice is yours; warm up your car by sitting in it a few minutes or by driving down the street slowly OR spend your morning calling the police, insurance company, banks, credit card companies etc………    

© Coptalk

Why does it work?

To understand the value of neighborhood watch in a community, you must first understand that your local law enforcement agency is limited in their available manpower. A neighborhood watch program in your community will greatly help your local police overcome their manpower shortage. This is done by the use of alert citizens within the community who are constantly observing their neighborhoods for suspicious activities.

On a national average, there is approximately ONE police officer for every 2,000 citizens.

Here’s an example; a police department in a city of 65,000 citizens might have a force of 85 sworn police officers. That may sound like a lot but remember that includes ALL personal including the Chief, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, administrators, evidence personnel, traffic officers, narcotic officers, detectives, etc. Those officers are not on the streets patrolling. A force of 85 sworn police officers may have a patrol force of only 35 officers that regularly patrol the streets. Of those 35 officers, they are divided into different shifts and work days. Depending on how many officers are assigned to a shift, there may be 6-8 police officers on duty during the busiest time of the day or evening. Take away officers for vacations, sickness, injury, court appearances, training etc and there might only be 4-5 officers on the street. As you can see, that’s not a lot for a city of 65,000.

Police officers in high crime areas or busy cities usually have to be reactive, responding to calls and incidents AFTER they occur. There is not much time to be proactive to try and PREVENT crime from occurring. I used to work a very busy graveyard shift running from call to call to call. High priority calls such as fights, robberies, injury accidents etc and most in-progress calls always take priority over a “cold” call where the suspect is unknown or already gone. I’d show up at “cold” theft or burglary call 2 hours after it was called in and the homeowner would be furious at our response time. I’d ask how many officers they thought we had on the street and people would usually say 20 or 25. They would be shocked when I told them that we only had 4 or 5 officers on the street and that there were over 15 calls still waiting to be dispatched.

That’s why neighborhood watch is so important. An alert citizen’s call can be the difference between police responding to an in-progress call such as a burglary and apprehending a suspect versus police showing up hours later to write a “cold” report with unknown suspects. Obviously there are many more citizens than there are police officers. Citizens become an extension of the police department’s eyes and ears.

Here’s an example;

A burglar pulls onto a residential street and cruises slowly through the street. A few open garages with tools and bicycles in view but no one around. He parks near a house and watches for a few minutes. After seeing no one around, he pulls up to an open garage, quickly grabs the toolbox and bicycles and drives off undetected. Or he might have even knocked on a door to see if someone was home, went into the backyard and broke in through a window. After taking jewelry, cash and a gun, he walks back out to his car and drives off unnoticed. The homeowner later arrives home from work to find their house ransacked. The police are called and check the neighborhood for witnesses and a few people say they saw some unfamiliar cars come and go during the day but they didn’t pay attention and couldn’t provide any information. The crime will be unsolved with the suspects unknown.

With a neighborhood watch group in place;

The same burglar pulls onto the same street and slowly cruises through. He sees some people looking out their windows watching him. He parks for a few minutes and he sees another person standing in their driveway writing down his license plate number. There’s no way he’s going to stick around and try to commit a crime with people watching him or with his license plate written down by a neighbor. He knows someone is probably calling the police to report a suspicious car in the area. He starts his car and drives off to find a victim on another street where he goes unnoticed.

Here’s something else: The license plate jotted down by a neighbor can help solve a crime committed elsewhere. Police may be investigating a burglary on one street and check a nearby street for witnesses or leads. A neighbor who reported a suspicious vehicle in the area earlier and provides a license plate number might be the one lead police need to solve the crime. Remember, a thief might cruise through your neighborhood and leave if he is noticed, but he will be going to another neighborhood, probably nearby. That one call of a suspicious vehicle or person in an area can make the difference between burglars being arrested or getting away and committing more burglaries.

How to form or join a neighborhood watch group:

Most police departments have someone assigned to set up neighborhood watch groups. If you are new to a neighborhood there may be one in place already. If there is no neighborhood watch group in place, the police department can help you set up a meeting in your neighborhood and have neighborhood watch signs installed on your street. A police officer assigned to that area or “beat” usually attends the meetings to update citizens of the crimes occurring in their neighborhood and to address the concerns of the residents.

Neighborhood meetings allow residents to get to know each other, know who drives which cars, know who should be home or not. This allows people to call in suspicious activity. For example, if a neighbor knows that you work during the day and that no one is usually home, they would be more likely to call the police if they see a strange vehicle in your driveway or people hanging around your home while you are gone. The police would rather respond to find out it was unfounded rather than get a call from the homeowner hours later reporting that their home was burglarized.

Neighborhood watch groups are not formed for people to take the law into their own hands; they are formed for the residents to be alert and to report any suspicious people or activity in their neighborhoods. Residents should refrain from interrupting suspicious activity and should call the police immediately as a witness. Have a notepad handy by the telephone or window. You might remember a license plate number for a minute or two but it could get mixed up trying to remember it later. Write down a description of suspicious vehicles or people in your neighborhood and save it for a few days. It may be nothing but then again, you may read about a nearby burglary in the paper a few days later and the license plate number you copied down just might be the burglar’s car. Calling the police department and providing the license number of a suspicious vehicle just might help solve a burglary that has occurred. Or an officer on patrol might spot the car “casing” a neighborhood and know from your call that the same car was called in as suspicious hours earlier in another neighborhood.

The bottom line is that neighborhood watch groups work as long as they stay active. Groups usually meet once a month at different residents homes to discuss the things occurring in their area. Some groups even have their meetings on the street during a neighborhood BBQ. Getting to know each other and knowing what belongs in the neighborhood and what doesn’t is the key to a successful neighborhood watch group.

If you don’t have a group formed yet, contact your local police department for information on how to form one. Most departments have booklets with all the information you need to get started!

© Coptalk

i just got a ticket the other day and the police officer wrote me a ticket for 5 over but he wrote on the ticket i was driving a 86 ford. but i was really driving a 99 Cadillac escalade will this help me beat the ticket in court?

Our Replies:

5 over, hmmm. Must have been a slow day for the cops wherever you live. Most cops don’t bother giving tickets for 5 over unless it’s a zero tolerance special enforcement detail or if the driver really pissed off the cop.

It’s a crap shoot, could go either way in court. The error could cause doubt on the officers credibility (if he made a mistake on the car, maybe he made a mistake on the speed, etc). If you go to court you can argue the above point of maybe he was in error on the speed just like he was in error on the vehicle description, or maybe he pulled over the wrong vehicle after clocking a Ford with the radar (if it was a radar ticket) etc. You’d have to establish enough doubt for the judge to dismiss the ticket. The officer will have to explain why he wrote the wrong vehicle information down. If you admit being pulled over by the officer and you signed the citation, the judge may not care too much about the error in the vehicle information. You have a 50-50 chance.

If the officer paced you in his patrol car, you can ask when the patrol car’s speedometer was last calibrated. If it hadn’t been calibrated lately you might win your case in a 5 mph over case. It’s not uncommon for speedometers to be off by a few miles an hour so if the officer cannot show that the speedometer was recently checked and was accurate, the citation might be dismissed. If it was a radar or laser ticket, you’ll have to hope the officer doesn’t show up or the errors on the citation cause enough doubt. Let us know what happens.

Hope that helps..

Mark
© Coptalk

Is the license plate correctly listed on the cite?

If you "RESPECTFULLY" explain to the judge that the citation has inaccurate vehicle information listed – he may decide to dismiss the citation in the "interest of justice".  The few cites I’ve written where I listed wrong dates, locations, speed limits, or vehicle information were always dismissed in court so I learned quickly to ALWAYS be accurate when filling out cites – but mistakes happen, and when they do, they usually end up being in the driver’s favor. There are not too many similarities between an 86 Ford and a 99 Escalade. Sounds like the officer maybe entered the wrong plate into the computer and didn’t give it a 2nd thought.

Good luck!

Jim Lambert
Coptalk

Hello This is C**** I live in BA and most every night on the news I see a story about Meth shake and bake meth or labs or what ever my question is what is shake and bake meth is it shake and bake for chicken or pork and if so then why do they still make shake and bake for chicken and pork? I am clueless for the most part when it comes to drugs except Pot and I do not nor have I smoked that for 15 years however I just want to be educated on this my 17 year old keeps asking me about it and I have no idea what to say to him except that I will put him in military school if he comes close to anyone that does drugs can you please help me on what to tell him thanks sincerely C****

Our Reply:

Shake and Bake meth is a term used for cooking methamphetamine quickly. Dope users are always finding new ways to make drugs easily. We are not going to go into detail here on what the method is because we don’t want to tell people how to do it even though it’s already all over the Internet. If you do a search on Google or YouTube you’ll find many explanations on what it is. Here’s a YouTube link showing a news article on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXPuF6-taEk

We hope that helps you out.

© Coptalk.info

I had a vehicle stolen from me and the title was in the vehicle signed and notarized as i was in the process of selling the vehicle, the mvd records state that the vehicle is still in my name but under the circumstances i don’t know what my options are as far as recovering the vehicle because it does in fact have an open title that can easily be put into someone else’s name, please advise and thank you very much.

Our Reply:

As long as you made a stolen vehicle report with the police you should be fine. If someone tries to register a car in their name that has been reported stolen, the car will show up in DMV records as stolen and the police will be called. If you told the police the signed title was in the car, hopefully they listed it in the police report. If not, and if the car has not been recovered yet, you should call the police back and see if they can supplement that information to the stolen vehicle report. That way if an officer recovers the vehicle and the driver says it’s his car because he has a signed title, the officer can read the original report and see that the title was in the car when it was stolen.

As long as you made a stolen vehicle report with the police, no one will be able to register the car until the police are notified and they remove the car from the stolen vehicle system. When the car is found you shouldn’t have any problem getting it back since you will still be listed as the owner.  

More importantly; Never leave anything of value in a car including the title to the car, especially a signed one. If someone was able to go to the DMV to register it in their name before you reported it as stolen, it would create a real mess for the police to sort out.

© Coptalk.info

Hello, today I got pulled over for going 79 in a 65. He came up to me and asked for my license, went back to his car and then came back with a ticket. Therefore, my question is are the police allowed to give you a ticket without asking for your registration or insurance; and is that considered improper or illegal police procedure?

Our Reply:

Normally a police officer will ask for registration and insurance because it is an additional violation if the driver does not have them in the car. If the car was registered to you, the police officer probably saw that on his computer and saw that the registration was current so he probably wasn’t worried about it. Yes, an officer can give you a speeding ticket without asking for registration or insurance and it is not illegal police procedure. Not having registration or insurance proof in the car is just a mechanical violation that can be signed off so he was probably more concerned with citing you for what causes many injuries and deaths on the roadways, speed. I always ask for proof of insurance and cite the driver if they are uninsured, too many people are driving around uninsured nowadays. But cops have discretion on their traffic stops as to what they may or may not cite drivers for.

Hope that helps..

© Coptalk.info

I’m a small business owner,I do in home sales.We give away free gifts for places to show our product.There are a very specific set of guidelines that have to be followed.In essence I hired two employees who did in home shows promising there friends free stuff.Problem is they did not follow any of the guidelines giving away hundreds of dollars.I can prove they didn’t follow any of the guidelines simply by verifying that they were never there.My question is can I prosecute this as theft being they didn’t steal it right of the shelf?They simply ran a big elaborate lie or scam.This second part might fall under legal advice category but I got to try.I later refused to give gifts to the customers involved in this scam,these people lied claiming they were there but couldn’t answer simple questions like what the product does or the color.Did these people break a law being involved in the scam.Best part is they are trying to turn me in to the business bureau for unraveling there scam,is there a law in place to help prevent this type of extortion.Any help would be appreciated.Remember I can prove they never followed these guidelines giving away my inventory falsely then threatened me if I did not give them more.I cant see how it is any different then embezzlement and bribery but what law would it fall under.

Here you go – hope it helps.

If the employees obtained your merchandise under false pretenses and you are out money, you could have a theft case but from the limited info you’ve given here I don’t see enough proof for a theft charge. You say you give away free gifts in exchange for places to show your product and you hired two people who did just that. If the people didn’t follow your guidelines while giving away the free gifts then it’s more of a civil issue than a criminal issue. You might have a better chance in small claims court. If the issue went to court, a verbal contract would be tough to enforce if the other party denies any part of it. You’d have a better chance of reclaiming some losses if you had a written contract and can prove in court that the other party broke the contract or violated terms of the contract. If you feel that the employees obtained the merchandise under false pretenses and can prove it, contact the police department where the incident occurred to see if there’s enough proof for a report.

As for refusing to give customers promised gifts because they couldn’t answer questions that you asked them, it’s hard to give an answer here because we don’t know the terms or conditions you have in place regarding the free gifts. If someone legitimately won a gift and now you are withholding it because of the two people you hired, they could have a claim.

If you don’t already have one, the most important thing in the future is to have a detailed and signed contract spelling out all the terms and conditions. That way if a hired employee doesn’t follow the guidelines you’ve set then you’ll have sufficient proof for small claims court. If you have seen television court shows such as Judge Judy, it’s usually a slam dunk case when one party has a detailed and signed contract that the other party broke.

Here are just a few tips from NetCops:

· Thieves look for easy targets. Leave a car running in a driveway or parking lot with keys in it, how much easier than that can it get? Some thieves even walk through residential neighborhoods looking for just that. It’s easy, jump in and go. Take the extra few minutes to sit in the car while it’s warming up. If possible, keep the car in a garage. (It won’t frost up and you can warm it up by driving slowly away) It’s not worth the lost hours after losing a stolen car trying to gain the 2 minutes warming it up unattended. You can have an extra key made to lock it up while warming up but it is still risky leaving a running car unattended whether it is locked or not. An unattended running car is a fast getaway for a car thief.

· Alarms are a good idea. There are alarms that activate from vibration, sound and motion. There are alarms that deactivate a vehicles electrical system or fuel supply and render the vehicle inoperable. There are even talking alarms warning a thief that they are too close. (We do not recommend these types of alarms. They usually cause more problems than there are worth aggravating passerby’s to the point of keying your vehicle) Some alarms are defeated, but the majority work. Most stolen vehicle reports or recovery reports that I write had no alarm system. While not sure-proof, they are a good deterrent.

· Steering wheel locks, ignition disablers, fuel cutoff sensors are all good deterrents too. If a thief steals a car and it stalls in the road 1/2 mile away, he is not going to raise the hood or call a tow truck. He’s going to grab another car without a theft-deterrent device. There are alot of gadgets on the market to help guard against vehicle theft. Some more effective than others. They work if they are used. An alarm does not work well if it is not turned on. A steering wheel lock does not work if it is laying in the back seat. A ignition disabler does not work if Part A is left plugged into Part B. Wheel locks do not work left in the package in the trunk, etc.

· The more valuable stuff you leave in a car, the more temptation to take. A thief sees a whole tool chest full of tools in the back of your truck, or lots of cool stuff in the car (the pull-out stereo that is left in, the cell phone on the seat, the 10 nicely wrapped christmas gifts, the $2500 laptop computer in the back) Too much to carry, mine as well take the car to carry all this cool stuff away.

· While it is virtually impossible to make your car completely theft-proof, you have a good chance to make it a difficult target for a thief. Remember that a thief wants an easy target. They don’t want to spend alot of time stealing a car. They don’t want noise, lights, or witnesses.

· Motion lights in the driveway, locking your car, taking valuables out, along with one or more theft-deterrent devices on the market will help make a thief pass your car up for easier pickings. And don’t make it easy for a thief by leaving a car running unattended. For a thief, that’s almost impossible to pass up. The harder you make your car to steal, the better chance you have of finding it where you last parked it.

Hi i have a friend who is 15 yrs old and she was raped when she was 11 yrs old, her dads in jail and her mom doesn’t treat her well,, she has been abused mostly all her life and she has no way out. I want to help her by letting her stay at my moms house but since I’m 18 I’m scared of getting in trouble and going to jail just for helping her. I really want to help her but i just don’t want any problems with the police, i would like an honest answer and any additional help that i can get.

Our reply – hopefully it will help:

Tough one to answer. If you let her stay at your house against her moms wishes then her mom could report her as a runaway and the police could come to your house if they suspect she is there. If she is your girlfriend and you are intimate with her then her mom could press charges against you for unlawful sexual intercourse (basically someone over 18 having sexual relations with someone under 18, even if it is consensual between boyfriend and girlfriend). I know it happens a lot between teens but that’s what the law is.

If she gets permission from her mom to stay at your home and it’s OK with your mother, there shouldn’t be a problem. But remember, if you are being intimate with a 15-yr-old and it’s reported, you could end up facing charges. It’s nice you want to help her out but don’t get yourself in trouble if she is also your girlfriend.

You can prevent this from happening by:

· Asking to see a solicitor’s permit issued by Your City or County. Some of these guys are smart and have bogus permits made up on a computer.

· Ask to see some identification. Most these guys never have identification to match the names on their company paperwork or receipt books.

· If the person is rude or overly aggressive call us immediately! This is a definite sign of a scammer.

· If you have young children at home after school, teach them to NEVER open the door for a solicitor. You would think that the kids should already know this but you’d be shocked at how often it happens.

· When you call us, try to make note of what the person was wearing, what they looked like, and what direction they went off to after leaving your house.

I was pulled over for no reason and then after the stop I was issued citations for having the wrong plates. But I was not issued a speeding ticket or anything else.

Our Reply – Thou probably not what you wanted to hear:

Pulled over for no reason? Having wrong plates on a vehicle is a pretty good reason. Cops have computers in their cars and run license plates all day long. If they suspect something or see a type of car that is regularly stolen they randomly run plates to make sure it’s not a stolen vehicle. If they ran your plate and the plate wasn’t issued for that vehicle, they start thinking stolen vehicle.

If by chance they pulled you over for something else and then discovered the plates were not issued for that car, it’s still a ticket. It’s illegal to operate a motor vehicle with plates issued to a different vehicle. A ticket for plates is only a mechanical violation, it doesn’t count as a point against your driving record. Maybe he gave you a break on speeding or something else you did to get pulled over. Maybe you should be thanking the officer for not writing you a moving violation citation that affects your driving record and insurance rather than blaming him for giving you a ticket for the wrong plates.

A few simple tips on reducing shoplifting:

· If your children come home with nice things that you know they can not afford, question them; find out how or where they got the items.

· Make your children aware of the consequences of theft. If they are with someone else shoplifting, they too can be detained. Make sure they know that theft is wrong, and to stay away from others if theft is involved.

· If you are shopping and see someone shoplifting, tell a clerk or security. Every shoplifter who is caught or stopped is less loss for the store, and fewer losses usually mean lower prices for us.

· Don’t try to stop a shoplifter or thief yourself. Some are armed and do not want to be caught. Tell security or copy down a license plate number. Be a good witness.

· HABITS: Keep track of your children’s habits. Do they usually take a backpack with them? Do you know the type of clothing they have in their closet? This can determine the difference between a runaway or suspicious circumstance. If a child is missing, and all belongings are still at home, it becomes more suspicious. If you see your child’s backpack is gone, along with all their favorite clothing, make-up, music tapes, c.d.’s, etc., it is more likely a voluntarily runaway.

· FRIENDS: Know your children’s friends. Most missing and runaway children are found at a friend’s house. If you have the names and addresses of your children’s friends, it makes our search much quicker. If you do not know the addresses of your children’s friends, have them write them down, or find out yourself and write it down. They might come handy one day.

· ASSISTANCE: Call the police for assistance with a runaway, even if you know their whereabouts. Do not try to get your child back yourself. You might be breaking the law yourself. There are a lot of states with some sort of crisis shelters for runaway juveniles. Somewhere where juveniles can go while parents and kids cool off. Instead of running away, the kids can go to these safe houses where there are licensed counselors staffing the house 24 hours a day. They can provide counseling for both teens and parents, and at least they are in a safe environment where parents don’t have to worry. There are requirements though, both parent and teen must agree to this, no violent teens, no drug or alcohol-impaired teens, etc. And these are only temporary shelters, usually only up to a few days. But it could be a start to a better relationship with your child. Call your local police department or juvenile facility for information.

· OFFICER FRIENDLY: Make sure your children trust the police. A lot of children are afraid of police from something mom or dad innocently said in a store or somewhere when they saw a cop. (be good, or that policeman is going to take you to jail, put that candy bar back, or I’ll have that policeman take you away, etc.) If your child is missing, or worse abducted, the last thing you want is for your child to be afraid of the police. I have seen children duck into bushes and hide as I go by, only to find out later on that one of the children was the one we were searching for. Make sure your children are officer friendly. Almost all cops love the opportunity to shake a child’s hand, hand out a plastic badge or cop trading card, or just make a friend.

A few tips to avoid robberies:

· When you pull up to the drive thru, restaurant or bank, look for suspicious people loitering about. If you see something that makes you nervous, follow your hunches and leave.

· Leave yourself room in front of yourself in a drive thru. If the car in front of you blocks you in, you do not have much of a choice. If you leave yourself a bit of room, you have a possible route of escape if needed or possible.

· If you enter a business, store, restaurant, etc., look through the doors before you enter. You do not want to walk in on a robbery in progress; you can be hurt or robbed yourself.

· If you are confronted, even with just the threat of a weapon without seeing one, think of the consequences of your actions. If a dirtbag holds a knife up at 30′ away, chances are you could drive off safely without injury. If the dirtbag points a gun at you, you are in danger for blocks if you drive off. I would personally rather lose a few dollars or a jacket rather than risk serious injury or death. The choice is yours in this one. There are TOO MANY variables to consider what is right or wrong to do in a case of a robbery. But we can tell you that the odds of injury or death increase with resistance.

· If a victim, the best thing you can do is also become a great witness. Try to notice the height, weight, hair color, length, and most important, clothing and vehicle description if appropriate. Most robbery suspects can be caught shortly after a robbery if a DETAILED description of clothing and vehicle are available.

· If at an ATM machine, avoid using it if a suspicious person is nearby. Avoid counting out your money after the machine spits it out chances are you are not the only one counting it.

· Remember that resistance usually meets with injury or violence. Use good common sense, and NOTICE YOUR SURROUNDINGS when in a public place. Suspects are lurking everywhere waiting for their next victim. From a car thief, to a pickpocket, to an armed robber, to a kidnapper, Keep alert, and you will go home without becoming a victim.

· If you happen to be in a situation that you see is escalating into a demonstration or riot, get out quickly. If you can not get to your car, walk out of the area. Do not stay to watch. You can quickly be trapped in an area, or in your car, and you risk injury from flying debris.

· Whenever possible, leave the area or try to go into a safe place until the violence is over. If you stand in a group to watch and the police have ordered everyone to leave, you could be arrested!

· In serious situations police use tear gas or water cannons. You don’t want to get caught up in those. Common sense is the important thing here. A recent shooting at a large County fair nearby resulted in numerous people being trampled by fleeing crowds. Keep an eye on your surroundings, don’t stay in a situation that you see is deteriorating.

· Like I have previously stated, keep aware of your surroundings. If you see subjects nearby getting intoxicated or unruly, it’s time to move. Don’t stay in a deteriorating situation. If violence breaks out, don’t stay to watch. Walk the other way, Fast. The sooner you can get away from a situation going bad, the safer you will be.

· If you get caught in the middle of a situation, find the safest spot you can (in a store, building, etc.) and be a good witness.

· If violence breaks out you can be of great assistance to the police in identifying who the suspect is, or assist in identifying the persons responsible for inciting the disturbance.

I like every kid have grown up wanting to be a cop. I currently am looking into going into the USAF reserve as an mp. I picked up a misdemeanor Drug Paraphernalia charge and want to know if it will be impossible for me to get a job in law enforcement after i graduate?

Our Reply:

While some misdemeanor charges could affect trying to gain employment as a police officer, a paraphernalia charge shouldn’t. As long as you disclose it during the testing process and with the polygraph examiner you should be fine. Some departments could look negatively on it but the majority of departments are looking for no recent incidents and honesty. So as long as it’s in the past and you are honest about it, it shouldn’t get in your way of becoming a police officer.    

© COPTALK

Some rapes are random, spontaneous type rapes. Most are planned, where the rapist has watched you before, maybe knows your schedule, whose home at what time, etc. There are also Date Rapes, where the rape occurs on a planned date, with a known person. Whichever the case, a rape is a serious crime. A felony. Not to mention the trauma a victim is put through.

· Rape, like alot of crimes, is a crime of opportunity. If the opportunity exist, a suspect will try. If the opportunity is not there, the suspect will try elsewhere or at another time. Like I mentioned earlier, no tips can make you 100% safe. But they can reduce your chances of becoming a victim. O.K., here we go, lets go for the most obvious ones:

· Lock your doors. Even if it’s just the screen door. Believe it or not, a locked door can stop a rapist. Most will not draw attention to themselves by breaking in. They would rather just walk in quietly and surprise you. If they break in, a neighbor may call the police, or it gives you time to scream, yell, or call 911.

· Close your blinds. Even if your in a second story floor, someone can see you changing. Nothing attracts attention more than a naked or barely clothed female.

· Like in most of NetCops tips, be aware of your surroundings. When you gave the department store directions to your house for furniture delivery, you didn’t see the guy standing behind you, did you? (He got the directions too)

· When you wrote out the check at the hardware store, the guy in line behind you was looking at the address on the check too, guess you didn’t see.

· A guy knocks on your door, asking to use the phone; his car is broke down. Too bad you didn’t notice that he’s the same guy you saw driving through the neighborhood several times prior while you were washing your car. Once he’s in your house, it’s a little late.

· Left your car unlocked at the store? While you were shopping, the suspect looked at your registration and got your address. Maybe even your garage door opener.

· The noises at your back door the past few nights? Must have been the wind, right? Are you sure it wasn’t someone who "watched you" and is now trying to find a way in?

· Don’t be afraid to call the police to check out suspicious sounds, activity, vehicles or persons. We would rather check out a person in front of your house than to come back an hour later seeing you traumatized from a rape. If you go on a date, and the "date" is not leaving, or is making advances faster than you like, call us. We will make them leave. Once the police have all their information and know who they are, the chances of you becoming a victim greatly decrease. Who is going to commit a crime when they would be the obvious suspects? Then it’s up to you to lock doors, watch your surroundings, and call the police. There is not much you can do to guard against becoming a victim of a random spontaneous sex crime. But luckily the planned assaults can be avoided if you keep alert and aware.

· If by chance you become the victim of a sex crime, call the police as soon as possible. We understand you have been violated, and alot of times a victim will take a shower or clean up to feel cleaner, but that destroys evidence. Evidence needs to be collected to send the suspect to prison, where they deserve to be. If you do become a victim, call the police and do not do anything until a police officer arrives to assist you.

· By using common sense, and being aware of your surroundings, hopefully you will not need any NetCops tips from this category.

If I were to buy a television from somebody and they had stolen it before selling it to me and I didn’t know that is was stolen, what would happen? Would I get in trouble? What if I gave up the person who sold it to me, would that get me out of trouble?

Our Reply:

It all depends. For instance, if you paid $100 for a 46" wide screen Plasma television and got caught with it then the law would tend to believe that you knew something wasn’t right, that you had to know that it was stolen. You just don’t get that kind of TV for that cheap of price unless it was stolen. On the other hand, if you bought the television for a fair price, something that wouldn’t raise suspicions, and you DIDNT know it was stolen and didn’t know the thief, you might not get in trouble. You’d still be in possession of stolen property and you’d lose the TV and the money you paid for it but you probably wouldn’t be arrested unless the police believed you knew the property was stolen. But your name still goes in a police report as having been found with stolen property. In some jurisdictions you just might be arrested anyway and have a judge decide whether you are guilty of possession of stolen property which is usually a felony charge.

Some detectives like to go after bigger fish and giving up the thief’s name might help you if you get caught in that situation but it just might mean a lesser charge, not a "get out of jail free" card. If you already bought the television and are now worried after finding out it’s stolen, I’d turn it in to the police and explain what happened. That way you stand less of a chance of getting into trouble unless you assisted in stealing it.

If you have any doubts follow the golden rule, "if it seems too good to be true, then it usually isn’t true"……

i was legally waiting, in the center of blvd for cross traffic to clear, to make a left turn into a business-medical center, with my blinker on, when a cop car pulled up behind me flashed his lights and siren . i pulled in to the center and parked. cop told me he pulled me over for a "traffic stop". asked for my license registration insurance everything was in order he ran my license and it was clean asked where i was going so forth than asked me and the passenger to get out of the car and asked to search in car for weapons i consented. i had not broken any laws or made any moving violation. passenger got irritated and wanted to know what the reason was that we got pulled over for the officer got in his face and said "do you want me to write it down on a piece of paper for you?" yes he replied . later was told that i had been co-operative and he was just going to let me go but since the passenger had an attitude he was going to give me a ticket, then he inspected the vehicle up and down and underside looking for something found a small crack in windshield and gave me a fix it ticket , Is that legal>? to randomly pull someone over without just cause?

Our Reply:

It’s hard to answer these types of questions having only one side of the story. If an officer pulls over a vehicle, they must have a reason; a violation or some type of probable cause to make the stop. The bad news is that almost every car on the road usually has something wrong with it giving an officer a legal reason to stop it. No front plate, expired registration, cracked windshield, worn tires, vehicle too high, too low, aftermarket lighting, brake light or signal light out, loud exhaust, tinted windows (some states), no license plate lamp, driver not using a blinker, throwing a cigarette out, no seat belt etc etc. There are literally hundreds of things an officer can pull over a vehicle for.

When an officer pulls over a vehicle they have discretion on what they do. If they pull over an elderly woman for a mechanical violation such as a light out she probably wouldn’t be asked to get out of the car for a search unless the officer suspected something. From your post it sounds like the officer sensed or suspected something and it is not unusual for an officer to ask for consent to search a vehicle if they have suspicions. You do not mention who the passenger was, did they or you have a history with the police? Did you come from an area known for high crime? Drugs? These are all things that make the difference between an officer overlooking a small crack in a windshield vs. using that probable cause to pull a vehicle over. Cracks in a windshield are highly visible from behind the car and that’s all the officer would need as a reason for a traffic stop.

As for your passenger, have you ever seen the comedy clip from Chris Rock titled "How not to get your a** kicked by the police"?  If not, google "chris rock what not to say to the police" and watch the clip. Pay special attention to the clip of giving a passenger a ride. It’s exaggerated and funny but partially true, many a person has gotten a ticket rather than a warning because of their passengers bad attitude. If you don’t agree with a traffic stop you can take it up in court or call the police department afterward and ask a supervisor. DON’T argue it on the street with the officer, you’ll always end up with a ticket, towed vehicle or worse, an arrest.

Without all the facts, we can’t comment on why the officer pulled you over but there had to be a violation, reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Officers can not just randomly stop a vehicle for no reason but like I said, almost every vehicle on the roadway has something an officer can legally pull it over for if they really wanted to make a stop……

Some NetCops tips to guard against purse snatching:

· Be aware of your surroundings, people, places, vehicles, sounds……etc.

· If your purse is grabbed, be careful about resistance. Resistance is usually met with violence.

· Have an accurate, current list of credit cards, numbers, etc., to provide to the police. This will also enable you to report your stolen cards quickly to the company without delay.

· Try not to keep expensive items such as jewelry, excessive amounts of cash, irreplaceable items such as heirlooms, in your purse.

· Keep a tight hold or control of your bag or purse, chances are the thief will try for an easier target than one that is being closely guarded.

· Try not to flip through a wallet accidentally showing a potential thief all the credit cards you have, and try not to write your ATM PIN number on the card, or even in your purse. Thieves are smart at times, and if your PIN number is written somewhere in your purse, the crook my figure it out and be a few hundred dollars richer before you even remember to report it.

· A stolen purse usually means the thief now has your address. Be aware of suspicious activity around your residence or business. Along with addresses, the thief may have a key. Usually all your keys are in your purse!! What more could a thief ask for. You’re at work and he has your address and keys to the place. Your purse-snatch can easily turn into an expensive burglary. Don’t hesitate to change the locks in your house or car if your keys are stolen along with personal info such as residence, work, vehicles, etc. The price of changing locks is far less than trying to replace valuables taken.

· Call in any suspicious activity or persons. So you were not a victim. Your call may save the next victim. Maybe a friend or relative of yours or mine can be spared the reality of becoming a victim, simply because you or me were observant. The guy hanging around the ATM machine, the guy loitering around the grocery store entrance, etc.

· A simple action or preventative measure by you can spell the difference between becoming a victim or not. A few preventative measures will take only a few seconds. Trying to replace a loss or recovering from a loss can take forever…..The choice is yours. Be smart and be safe. NetCops will try to help you with tips to avoid becoming a victim, and to avoid being hurt if you do become a victim. It’s a dangerous world out there now, and you can use all the tips you can get to avoid needless loss or injury. That’s where NetCops comes in. Were passing along information we have seen, experienced, tried, and proved, to help you beat the odds of becoming a victim.

So if you are serious about being a police officer, how can you prepare yourself and get ahead of those competing against you? The answer is simple: start researching and doing the things will best prepare you for the police training and possess the skills that will impress the hiring board. A great resource for learning www.Policehow.com, a site that provides excellent training recommendations.  The website can also be quite helpful for those interested in similar types of careers, including the FBI, CIA, security, firefighter, etc. Check it out and see what you can get started on today.

Check out: http://www.policehow.com for tips and info

· If just one person who reads this, clearly post their address on their residence, it will make it much easier for police, fire, or medical personnel to find you when needed. It not only makes our jobs easier; it could save your life.

· NO EXCUSES!

· Not your house? Waiting for the landlord to do it? Too expensive? Too complicated? Don’t know how to do it?

· Whether it is your house or not, renting or buying, owner or roommate, even if it’s an apartment unit that isn’t visibly posted, do it yourself. It could mean the difference between life and death. There is nothing more frustrating to me than getting dispatched to a “hot” call, and having to run around, wasting time looking for the house.

Here is what you do:

· If there is no address on your house, put it on. Hardware stores offer a large variety of house numbers ranging from stick-on numbers for a few dollars, to fancy wood ones that can be stained or painted. The most popular I see are the plastic numbers you simply tack up using small nails or screws.

· If you have vegetation, trees, or bushes growing over the numbers, trim back the branches or move the numbers to a more visible location.

· Don’t put the numbers in a spot hard to see, like on a roof trim, or on a tree. We usually first look right next to the door or porch area, especially at night where the porch light will light up the numbers. Remember, the numbers should be clearly visible both day and night. A good spot is on a wall, door trim, or window trim that faces the street.

· Alot of builders are now installing lighted address boxes which mount on the front of your house, and are wired into your house 12 volt power supply, usually the doorbell wiring. These are by far the quickest to spot at night, since they are lighted. But they have two 12 volt bulbs inside which do occasionally burn out. If the bulbs burn out, please replace them. The bulbs only cost a buck or so. You can find the lighted address boxes at your local home improvement store.

· You don’t have to get too fancy, and please use color contrast. White numbers on a white house, or blue numbers on a blue house are hard to see in the day, and impossible to see at night. Dark numbers on a light colored house or light numbers on a dark house will work fine.

· Some fund raising organizations offer to paint your address on the curbside in front of your house for a small donation. They usually paint a white background, and then spray or brush black numbers using stencils. These are simple to do yourself, and are very visible and effective.

· Use numbers that can be seen from the street. Little fancy numbers that look cute a few feet away may not be readable from the street.

Please help them by doing the following:

· If you see someone panhandling on a roadway, at an intersection, or at a business, call the Police. We will come out, identify the person, and determine if they have any criminal history and offer alternative resources and options for their situation.

· Don’t give these people money. Every time you do, you are contributing to the problem not the cure.

· Donate to a local shelter. That will be far more beneficial to these people than by you giving them cash and the shelters accept a wide variety of donations besides money.

· Report immediately, any threats or intimidation displayed by a panhandler. This will not be tolerated!

One of the most beneficial tools to law enforcement and crime solving.

· If you do not have a neighborhood watch group in place, contact your local police or sheriff’s department for information on how to form one. Most law enforcement agencies have some form of community policing in place.

· Most law enforcement agencies offer street signs or window signs advertising that a particular area is a neighborhood watch area. See what your local law enforcement agency has to offer. It’s a proven fact that neighborhoods with active neighborhood watch groups suffer less crime than other neighborhoods.

· If you see a suspicious person or vehicle in your area, call the police. Copy down the license plate of a suspicious vehicle. It may be nothing, but then again, it may solve a crime.

· Be aware, be alert. Know what the “normal” is for your neighborhood.

· A neighborhood BBQ, party, or neighborhood watch meeting may be all that is needed to get a caring, watchful neighborhood working together to prevent or solve a crime.

· With a shortage on cops, and a surplus of criminals, an active neighborhood watch program may be just the solution to reduce crime in your neighborhood.

· It’s a proven fact that criminals have a information network amongst themselves. If word gets out that your neighborhood is difficult to get away with crime, that cops are called on the first sign of suspicion, then crooks will go to easier pickings.

· This weekend, do a complete inventory of all your valuable property room by room. Bedroom, Living room, garage, computer room, every room! List the item, it’s description, and an approximate value. Document it on paper or computer disk, and store it in a safe place.

· Use a camera or video camera to correlate with the list you’ve made. Keep the list and the photo’s or video tape locked in a secure fire proof safe, or in a safety deposit box at your bank.

· Last but not least, RECORD the MODEL and SERIAL numbers of all expensive equipment in your home and vehicles. Many police departments loan out “engravers” that can be used to engrave your drivers license or social security number on your belongings.

This takes away ANY DOUBT when your property is recovered after being stolen!

Televisions

Stereo’s

Computers

Firearms

Power tools

Bicycles

Cell phones

· Anything with a model and serial number that you would like to have back if it was ever stolen, needs to be recorded so that we can record it in our data banks.

· Enroll in a FIRST AID and CPR course provided by the Red Cross, American Heart Association, or sometimes even provided by your local Fire Department. You can even find these courses offered by Community educational classes.

· These classes are VITAL for both parents and children. I’ve been to hundreds of calls, where each age group has been saved by the other. Make it a family thing and involve the entire family.

· BUY a first aid kit for your Home and one for Each Vehicle.

If you ever need it, you’ll have it. That by far exceeds “Not having one when you need it.”

· If you live in an area prone to disasters like floods, hurricanes, tornados, or earthquakes, BUY not only an elaborate FIRST AID kit, but a DISASTER KIT as well. Disaster kits are now available for vehicles, school lockers, and for the office.

There is nothing more terrifying than being involved in an emergency situation, calling for help, and not having anybody show up. Anyone that has ever been caught in the middle of a disaster KNOWS that emergency public safety resources are quickly depleted and you are left “on your own.”

· Make sure that ALL family members know how to either use the 911 system, or what emergency number to call to summon police, fire, or medical experience. Kids also need to be made aware of the importance in NOT playing with the phone and making bogus 911 calls.

· If you have bills to mail out which contain checks, or something extremely important. Don’t trust it unattended in your mailbox. Give it straight to the mailman, or drop it off at the post office or local mailbox on the corner. Inconvenient you say? I know there has to be a mail collection box within a mile of every house, they’re all over (and alot more secure). It may be inconvenient to drive a block to find a secure drop box, but think of the inconvenience of straightening out your credit if your checks get stolen, forged, and cashed.

· If you throw anything in the garbage with any kind of information about you or your family, cut or tear it up first. Better yet buy yourself a shredder. Every credit card or loan offer you throw away whole can provide a crook with information about you. Take a second to rip them or cut them up. No credit card company is going to issue a card with an application that was taped together from a bunch of little pieces. Or at least they would call to verify the application. This goes for anything you discard with your information on it. You’d be shocked at how many crooks go through garbage looking for things they can use. They don’t work; this is their job. And some are good at it.

· Destroy ALL receipts that have credit card information on it BEFORE you throw it away. All a crook needs is your credit card number, expiration date, and the name on the card. (All listed on the statement form or store receipt you just tossed away) With this information, (they don’t need the actual card), the crooks can order merchandise by phone and have it sent to a bogus address. Weeks later, you get a huge bill, and the crooks made a nice bundle of cash selling the stuff. You cancel the card and the crooks go on to another victim.

· Electronic bill paying. Some banks offer home banking, where you can do basic banking and bill paying by computer. You install a program (free from the bank) on your computer, set up a private password, and you can pay almost all your bills by e-mail. I pay my phone, cable, PG&E, house payment, telephone, almost every bill I have I pay by computer. Secure, and even saves on postage. If you can pay by computer, it takes alot of risk out of paying bills.

· If you suspect mail theft, contact the police or postal authorities. Don’t wait until bills start to mount up from unauthorized use. We don’t chase lost mail, but if you see someone suspicious in the area, taking mail from a mailbox, get a good description of the person and car, and call the police. Chances are we will catch them with alot of other people’s mail, maybe yours.

· Get your mail as soon as possible. The longer it sits, the easier it is to become a target. Most of the time, mail delivery is about the same time every day, give or take an hour. Try to get your mail, or have your children grab your mail as soon as possible after delivery. If your going to go away, make arrangements to have it picked up, or notify the post office to stop delivery during the time you’ll be away.

· Put your outgoing mail out close to the pickup time, or give it directly to the mailman. (We can all hear a mail truck coming up the street; they have a distinctive sound) That little red flag you raise up on the mailbox not only alerts the mailman that you have mail to go, it also alerts the crooks. Thieves actually drive through residential areas looking for raised red flags on mailboxes. Raised red flags usually mean outgoing checks. Like we said, if it is important, drive a block to a secure mailbox.

· If you close out a checking account, burn or destroy (at least cut up) all the unused checks. Don’t assume that just because the account is closed, someone can’t use the checks and create a paper trail leading back to you. Happens all the time. I still get dispatched to forgery cases with forged business checks from a business that closed over 2 years ago in my city; the bad checks are still around.

· Don’t ever give out personal information over the phone. A crook may call claiming to be a representative of a company, asking you personal information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers, or even password numbers. Don’t give this information out unless you know for sure whom you are talking to. Ask for a call back number, or employee number. Then call back and ask for a supervisor to verify the procedure if you feel uncomfortable about it.

Here are a few tips if you suspect gang activity in your area. (If gang activity is already heavily established in your area, it is harder, but not impossible, to get rid of).

· Don’t ignore a problem. A problem will get bigger if ignored. If allowed to “hang out”, a gang will quickly claim the area as their turf. It won’t be long before graffiti covers everything and gunshots ring out. If you see people starting to hang out at a location, drinking, gambling, and even illegally parking call the police. You can remain anonymous, and if the problem people get “harassed” by the police enough, they will leave for another location where everyone looks away and allows them to terrorize the neighborhood.

· Don’t be intimidated. Gangs work on intimidation and violence. In most areas, people are afraid to stand up to the gangs. I have been to the scene of a shooting where 40-50 people witnessed the shooting, but not one will talk to the police. (Some will come to the police station or call in a tip anonymously later). This intimidation is what fuels a gang and gang activity. By no means should you stand up to a gang physically; you do it through the police and as a neighborhood group. A gang will not remain in an area if their intimidation does not work, where they are constantly reported, where they can be driven out.

· Call your local police department. In this day and age, almost every police department has a gang task force, or at least a gang expert. Talk to the gang unit; tell them of your observations, any graffiti you see forming. They are the experts in your area, and they can tell you if this might be a kid playing with a spray can, or if it is a serious problem forming that they need to be aware of. Gangs forming in an area are like a health problem. If it is caught early enough, it can be solved rather easily. If allowed to grow and fester, it is harder to get rid of.

· If you see graffiti, report it immediately to the owner of the property, the police, or your local code-enforcement division if you have one in your city. If allowed to stay, it invites more graffiti, rival gangs coming in to tag their names, and a turf war erupts. The police know this and they don’t want gangs infesting neighborhoods either.

· Control your temper. The angrier you get, the more of a chance of a confrontation. Go ahead and say what you want inside your vehicle, but don’t flip off or confront the other driver. Don’t get into a stare-down or any type of confrontation. Chances are, if you ignore the other driver, they will just pass you by.

· If someone gets behind you, starts flashing lights or tailgating you, pull over to the next lane when possible and let them go by. Don’t get into a stare down or flip off confrontation. Let them go by to get on someone else’s nerves. Chances are, if you let them go by, you’ll forget about them in moments. If you get in a confrontation, it will bug you and have the opportunity to escalate into more if the situation persist.

· Always Remember: Don’t do something out of anger that you will regret later. It’s just not worth the risk nowadays.

· If by chance someone does start following you, whether from a vehicle incident or any type of incident, DON’T drive home. Drive to the nearest Police station. If you don’t know where a police station is, pull into a gas station, store, anywhere there is alot of people around. Usually, the other person will leave because they don’t want to be identified. If they don’t leave, yell for someone or the clerks to call for the police.

· I still get angry if someone tailgates me, especially if I see someone tailgating my wife. It’s human nature to have pride or to defend our families or ourselves. But it’s when pride overrides common sense when we get into trouble. It’s gotten to be a violent world at times and it’s not worth the risk to show our anger over minor traffic altercations. Take a deep breath, pull over, let the idiot go by even if he’s flipping you off. Then you can laugh a few miles up the road when you see him pulled along the side of the road with a police vehicle with flashing red and blue lights behind him. Revenge can be sweet at times.

YOU have to be your own firefighters! You have to do your own Fire Prevention.

· If you live in a heavily wooded area you had better have your house surface area cleared of weeds.

· If you live in an apartment complex you had better consider the possibility of one of your neighbors smoking in bed and you having to evacuate in seconds.

· You need to have fire extinguishers located throughout your home.

· You need to have Smoke Alarms and Evacuation Routes.

· You need to pay attention to outlets that “crackle and spark” when you use a plug.

· You need to check extension cord and appliance cords that get warm, an obvious sign that the cord is being overloaded.

· You need to use the ASHTRAY IN YOUR CAR instead of throwing lit cigarettes out your car window.

· You need to get those Gas Cans out of the garage.

· You need to check for the smell of propane before lighting barbecues and portable heaters.

· You need to get rid of those Shake Roof Shingles and have your chimney cleaned on a yearly basis.

· You can’t leave young children unattended at home for ANY REASON. Earlier this year a father in a nearby community left for work leaving his two young children home alone for a short time until they left for school. The children started a fire, were quickly overcome by smoke, and never went to school. They went to Heaven. YOU CAN’T LEAVE KIDS ALONE!

· You need to contact your local fire department and see if they offer free home fire safety inspections. Their fire prevention officers can point out ways to not only make your home safe for prevention, but can also advise on what types of fire fighting protection you need in your home as well as the importance of Fire plans and Evacuation routes.