Sacramento County Sheriff s Department The Central Division Link

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1 Sacramento County Sheriff s Department The Central Division Link A Crime Prevention Monthly Publication Serving The Unincorporated areas of South Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones Division Staff June 2011 Home Security Safety Tips-By Sergeant Don Bricker Captain Erik Maness- Commander Lieutenant Dave Torgerson- Assistant Commander Sergeant Luis Aguilar- Problem Oriented Policing Supervisor Laura Grossman- Crime Prevention Specialist/ Newsletter Editor Service Center B 65th Street Sacramento, CA Monday-Friday (Excluding holidays) 9AM-5PM Terri Kral- Office Mgr In the last article we discussed the many different burglary defense devices available to you as a home owner. This month I want to discuss why those devices are needed and show some of those devices in use. These devices don t cost a lot of money, are very easy to install and can be bought at your local hardware stores. Burglary Prevention Advice Your home is your castle...or is it? Is your home really safe once you leave for work or school? Your home is considered a sanctuary where you should feel safe. Your home is the only environment where you have control over who can get close to you or your family. Protecting your home and family from criminal intrusion should be high on your list of priorities. Home Burglary By far, the most common threat to our home is burglary. According to the FBI, a burglary occurs somewhere in the United States every 15.4 seconds. By definition, the crime of burglary is a non-confrontational property crime that occurs when we are not at home. However, becoming a burglary victim can leave a family feeling vulnerable and violated. To avoid becoming a burglary victim, it is important to first gain an understanding of who commits them and why. The majority of home and apartment burglaries occur during the daytime when most people are away at work or school. The summer months of July and August have the most burglaries with February having the fewest crimes. Burglaries are committed most often by young males under 25 years of age looking for items that are small, expensive, and can easily be converted to cash. Favorite items are cash, jewelry, guns, watches, laptop computers; DVD s, video games, CDs and other small electronic devices are high on the list. Quick cash is needed for living expenses and drugs. Statistics tell us that 70% of the burglars use some amount force to enter a dwelling, but their preference is to gain easy access through an open door or window. Although home burglaries may seem random in occurrence, they actually involve a selection process. They will choose an unoccupied home with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and with the best escape routes. Continued on next page

2 Doors and Locks The first step is to harden the target or make your home more difficult to enter. Remember, the burglar will simply bypass your home if it requires too much effort or requires more skill and tools than they possess. Experienced burglars know that the garage door is usually the weakest point of entry followed by the back door. The garage and back doors also provide the most cover. Burglars know to look inside your car for keys and other valuables so keep it locked, even when parked inside your garage. Use high quality Grade-1 or Grade-2 locks on exterior doors to resist twisting, prying, and lock-picking attempts. The most common way used to force entry through a door with a wooden jamb is to simply kick it open. Use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points Use a quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt Use a quality, heavy-duty, knob-in-lock set with a deadlatch mechanism Use a heavy-duty, four-screw, strike plate with 3-inch screws to penetrate into a wooden door frame. Windows Windows are left unlocked and open at a much higher rate than doors. An open window, visible from the street or alley, may be the sole reason for your home to be selected by a burglar. Ground floor windows are more susceptible to break-ins for obvious reasons. Upper floor windows become attractive if they can be accessed from a stairway, tree, fence, or by climbing on balconies. Windows have latches, not locks and therefore should have secondary blocking devices to prevent sliding them open from the outside. Inexpensive wooden dowels and sticks work well for horizontal sliding windows and through-the-frame pins work well for vertical sliding windows. In sleeping rooms, these window blocking devices should be capable of being removed easily from the inside to comply with fire codes. Block accessible windows open no more than 6 inches for ventilation Make sure someone cannot reach through an open window and unlock the door Make sure someone cannot reach inside the window and remove the blocking device Use anti-lift devices to prevent window from being lifted out Use crime prevention or alarm decals on ground accessible windows Sliding-Glass Patio Doors Sliding glass doors are secured by latches not locks. They are vulnerable to being forced open from the outside because of these inherently defective latch mechanisms. This can be easily be prevented by inserting a wooden dowel or stick into the track thus preventing or limiting movement. Other blocking devices available are metal fold-down blocking devices called "charley bars" and various trackblockers that can be screwed down. Use a secondary blocking device on all sliding glass doors Keep the latch mechanism in good condition and properly adjusted Keep sliding door rollers in good condition and properly adjusted Use anti-lift devices such as through-the-door pins or upper track screws Use highly visible alarm decals, beware of dog decals or block watch decal. Continued on next page

3 Lighting Interior lighting is necessary to show signs of life and activity inside a residence at night. A darkened home night-after-night sends the message to burglars that you are away on a trip. Light timers are inexpensive and can be found everywhere. They should be used on a daily basis, not just when you re away. Exterior lighting on the front of a property should always be on a timer to establish a routine and appearance of occupancy at all times. The practice of leaving the garage or porch lights turned on all day on a single family home is a dead giveaway that you are out of town. Use interior light timers to establish a pattern of occupancy Exterior lighting should allow 100- feet of visibility Use good lighting along the pathway and at your door Use light timers or photo-cells to turn on/off lights automatically Use infra-red motion sensor lights on the rear of single family homes Alarm Systems Alarm systems definitely have a place in a home security plan and are effective, if used properly. The reason why alarms systems deter burglaries is because they increase the potential and fear of being caught and arrested by the police. Home and apartment burglars will usually bypass a property with visible alarm signs and will go to another property without such a sign. Alarm systems are effective deterrents with visible signage Alarm systems need to be properly installed, programmed, and maintained Alarm systems need to have an audible horn or bell to be effective Make sure your alarm response call list is up to date Instruct your neighbor how to respond to an alarm bell Alarms are only useful if you use them everyday Home Safes Since the prices of good home safes are falling, having a safe in your home is a wise investment. Home safes are designed to keep the smash and grab burglar, nosey kids, dishonest babysitter or housekeeper from gaining access to important documents and personal property. Home safes need to be anchored into the floor or permanent shelving. Use the safe everyday so it becomes routine Protect the safe code and change it occasionally Install it away from the master bedroom or closet Video surveillance systems A good video surveillance system is another valuable tool, often overlooked by most homeowners, as the belief is that they cost too much money or are difficult to install. The truth is there are many systems available to the public, at a reasonable cost and can be set up by most do-it-yourself people. A video system can show you if someone has been snooping around your yard, car, or other areas of your property. If you have video cameras installed inside your home, it can show you if someone has been inside snooping around or stealing property. In the worst case, if your home has been burglarized, the video evidence will be extremely helpful to Law Enforcement and most likely aid in the capture and conviction of the thief. Continued on next page

4 Be a Good Neighbor Good neighbors should look out for each other. Get to know your neighbors on each side of your home and the three directly across the street. Invite them into your home, communicate often, and establish trust. Good neighbors will watch out for your home or apartment when you are away, if you ask them. Get to know all your adjacent neighbors Invite them into your home and establish trust Agree to watch out for each other's home Do small tasks for each other to improve territoriality While on vacation - pick up newspapers, and flyers Offer to occasionally park your car in their driveway Return the favor and communicate often Start a neighborhood watch program Contact Laura Grossman if you interested in starting your own Neighborhood Watch group Sheriff s Volunteer Of The Quarter-Terry Douglas Terry Douglas has always been a hard worker. Following his 20 year retirement from SMUD, Terry opened his own fencing business, and then worked another 11 years as a bus driver for Sacramento Regional Transit. Long before he started his Service Center career, Terry donated his time and talents to the Sheriff s Department by volunteering to drive the SSD Command Post Bus from January-November Unfortunately, due to the department s budget constraints, the Command post became obsolete, leaving Terry without a volunteer assignment. Then in May 2010, Terry was referred to Central Division, and thus began his tenure at The Florin Station. Terry started out working with Crime Prevention at community events, and went on to learn the process of Child ID fingerprinting. Office Manager, Terri presents Terry Douglas with his award Additionally, Terry volunteered to attend a special driving awareness class, in order to drive the VIPS truck on community patrols. Whenever it is announced that we are seeking volunteers for special assignment..whether it is cleaning files, organizing toy donations or collecting expired medicines, Terry is always ready and willing to help. The Central Division community is a better place because of the time Terry, has invested to serve it. We thank Terry for his dedication, selfless spirit and his loyal commitment to the community. Congratulations on a well-deserved award for Volunteer of the Quarter January-March 2011

5 THE PATHWAY HOME Donations for our Wounded Combat Troops. The Pathway Home at Yountville is an independent nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals for the care of our warriors who return from Afghanistan and Iraq with serious combat related injuries. Our support is vital to helping our Combat Troops recover from the stressors of war. The Pathway Home recently adopted a Military Service Dog program for our Wounded Combat Troops. This is a newand highly successful aspect of care for our warriors! Donated goods will be accepted at the Central Station, th Street during normal business hours. Items the Warriors need are laundry soap, shampoo, grooming items, non perishable foods, healthy snack foods, unopened bottles of vitamins (Glucosamine, Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, Fish Oil, ect.), Protein bars/powders, coffee, tea, note books, journals, sweats, socks, batteries (AAA, AA, D, C), tough dog toys (tug toys, fetch toys), healthy dog treats (no dog food), or anything you think a wounded warrior or their dog may enjoy! You may also make cash donations directly through the official PATHWAY website at If you are unable to drop off your donated items, call Crime Prevention Specialist, Laura Grossman at to make special pick up arrangements.

6 Got Graffiti? Recently, graffiti was reported to us in the South Sacramento area so, it was arranged to have the Sheriff s Work Project crew, supervised by Deputy Eric Brown, come out to paint over the malicious artwork and gang related graffiti. If you experience graffiti, remove it immediately! If you are unable to remove it, call Crime Prevention Specialist, Laura Grossman at to make arrangements to have it removed.

7 Report Drunk Drivers-Call 911 Spotting and Reporting Drunk Drivers Tip Sheet How to report a drunk driver 1. Call 911 and tell them you wish to report a drink driver. You do not have to give your name. 2. Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road and cross street and direction the vehicle is traveling. 3. Give a complete description of the vehicle, such as make, model, color and license plate. 4. Describe the manner in which the vehicle is being driven. 5. Do not follow or try to stop the car or detain the driver. Leave that to trained professionals. How to Spot a Drunk Driver The following signs can help you detect an impaired driver on the road: Turning with a wide radius Straddling the center of the road or lane marker Appearing to be drunk (i.e., eye fixation, face close to windshield, drinking alcohol in the vehicle) Almost striking an object or another vehicle Weaving or zigzagging across the road Driving on surfaces other than a designated roadway Swerving or abruptly turning away from a generally straight course Turning abruptly or illegally Driving slower than 10 mph below the speed limit Stopping without cause in a traffic lane Stopping inappropriately Following others too closely Drifting or moving in a straight line Erratic braking Driving into opposing or crossing traffic Signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions Slow response to traffic signals, including sudden stops and delayed starts Driving with headlights off Safe and Sober Graduation Every year there are stories from somewhere in our country where a graduation has Taken a tragic turn. Unfortunately, those stories far too often involve the use of alcohol and the end to a promising life. Discuss with your graduate, the importance of having an alcohol-free celebration and the consequences of even one beer. Being an underage and/or intoxicated driver can have impacts that are far reaching and can affect their driving privileges, employment opportunities and even their future higher education ambitions. However, the most dire of consequences are those where the lives of others are affected or even taken by a person driving under the influence. Congratulations to all graduates and remember to make this the beginning of the future filled with great success and promise.