Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
EIGHT SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP FIGHT CRIME
Pretend shoplifters are
stealing from you (they are). With this attitude, you will always
be alert for suspicious activity on the part of other
shoppers, in order to
promptly report it to store employees. If you could do something to
eliminate the sales tax, you probably would. Shoplifting adds about seven
percent to the cost of everything you buy...about the same as sales
tax...and shoplifting is something that you can help eliminate.
Make duplicate keys for everyone who should have access to your house. That way, you can always keep your doors locked. Every month, there are one or more reports of house burglaries where the residents left a door unlocked for someone who didn't have a key; for a child coming home from school, for a friend to stop by, etc. If you leave a door unlocked for a good guy, it is also unlocked for a bad guy.
Remember that burglars enter through windows almost as easily as through doors. LOCK YOUR WINDOWS; just closing them is not enough. Most residential burglaries (about three a day in Okaloosa County) are committed in broad daylight, while the occupants are at work or school. The burglars will try every door and window.
Don't leave valuables in plain view. A thief is not likely to take what he does not see.
Do not have your PIN code anywhere in your wallet or purse. Don't use your birth date, house number, social security number, or telephone number as your PIN (Personal Identification Number). Your wallet is not immune to getting lost or stolen...and keeping your security code private is the only way to make your teller cards immune from dishonest users.
Have your street numbers posted in a highly visible, easily readable manner. If a police car, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle is looking for your house, it is to your advantage to help them find it as quickly as possible. Same goes for the pizza delivery guy or gal. If you've ever driven around an unfamiliar neighborhood at night, you have an idea of how frustrating it can be for cops every night of the year.
Fight the attitude of apathy. Mailbox smashers, tire slashers, graffiti artists, and all varieties of vandals and thieves depend on your apathy. If every honest citizen promptly reported suspicious activity, many of these miscreants would be intercepted. Instead, many people figure it's not worth "bothering" the cops with a "trivial" matter. True, much of the time, the "suspicious" activity turns out benign...but if there is any doubt, go ahead and let us know; that is what we are here for. From time to time, someone will let us know of a strange car that was cruising their neighborhood at 3AM one morning...about a month ago. Our advice is always the same: if it happens again, call the Sheriff's Office or other appropriate law enforcement agency at once. We would sure like to have a chance to find who it is and what they are doing.
Practice the Golden Rule. No explanation should be necessary. This alone would greatly reduce crime (and other problems) in our community.
These ideas are realistic and not difficult to adopt. You can be assured that the criminals in our community are hoping that you will be apathetic towards these suggestions.
For more information on Crime Prevention please call Kathleen Larney, Crime Prevention Officer at (850) 609-2005.
Okaloosa County Sheriff's
Office
1250 North Eglin Parkway
Shalimar, FL 32579
(850) 651-7410