By City News Service

July 1, 2010

San Diegans can now file crime reports with the police department and renew alarm permits online.

The new system is designed to free up time for officers and communications staff to handle other police duties, said police Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman.

The crime report form can be accessed via the city and police department websites, or at sdpdfilemypolicereport.org, Zimmerman said.

After some basic questions are answered, citizens can file reports about thefts, vandalism, harassment and lost property.

Once a form is filled out and submitted, the filer will receive a police report number.

Zimmerman said the reports will then be routed to "the appropriate investigative unit," just like crime reports filled out the traditional way.

In a demonstration, the process was no more difficult than making an online airline reservation, and took about five minutes.

SDPD officers take 86,000 crime reports annually, Zimmerman said.

"We think minimum 10 percent will (now) be filed online, which equates to more time for officers to handle police-related matters," Zimmerman said.

She said 15,000 alarm permit renewals are made annually.

Fee payments can be made with credit or debit cards.

The online renewal system can also be accessed through the main city and police websites, or sdpdpermits.com.

The systems, each of which were paid for with $150,000 federal grants, are currently in English.

Zimmerman said Spanish versions will be added by September, and other languages will be considered.

Posted: Wednesday, August 25, 2010

BY KEVIN JOHNSON
USA Today

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.

Cutbacks in such places as Oakland, Tulsa and Norton, Mass., have forced police to tell residents to file their own reports -- online or in writing -- for break-ins and other lesser crimes.

"If you come home to find your house burglarized and you call, we're not coming,'' said Oakland Police spokeswoman Holly Joshi. The city laid off 80 officers from its force of 687 last month, and the department can't respond to burglary, vandalism or identity theft. "It's amazing. It's a big change for us.''

Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union, said cutbacks are preventing many police agencies from responding to property crimes. "The chiefs are putting the best face on this they can," Pasco said. "But think of this: That next property crime could involve a junkie who killed someone the night before."

In Tulsa, which lost 110 officers to layoffs and retirements, the 739-officer department isn't sending cops to the scenes of larceny, fraud or car theft.

Tulsa police spokesman Jason Willingham says some residents have said they won't bother to report those crimes anymore. "They think nothing is going to be done, so why mess with it," he said.

In the Boston suburb of Norton, police told residents there may be delays or no response at all to some calls, including vandalism. The department posted the new policy on its website.

"We wanted to let people know about this," Norton Police Chief Brian Clark said. "We didn't want people to be surprised."

Bernard Melekian, director of the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, said the actions are a reflection of the hard economic times across the country.

By Doug Page, Staff Writer Updated 11:37 PM Friday, July 16, 2010

DAYTON — Police are depending more on citizen groups to watch for crime in their neighborhoods while facing the prospect of fewer police on streets.

“It takes being involved,” said Lodia Furnas, president of the Burkhardt-Springfield Neighborhood Association. “It’s going to take the citizens to stand up, speak out and work with the officers we have to protect our city.”

Furnas, who has lived in her tidy Huffman Avenue home for 48 years, is something of a legend beyond the confines of the 2nd District.

“She’s what we want from our citizens,” said Dayton police Lt. Mark Varvel, 1st District commander. “She goes out and looks into things.”

At a time when the most violent of crimes — rape, murder, felonious assault, armed robbery — are either decreasing or holding steady, and property crimes — burglary, theft, vandalism — are generally increasing, the Police Department is anticipating dropping from 382 officers to fewer than 350 during the next 12 to 18 months, according to Chief Richard Biehl.

District commanders are looking to citizen groups for help.

“They are our eyes and ears, more so in a time when we are hurting for manpower,” said Lt. Robert Chabali, 3rd District commander. And many of the groups are stepping forward.

“Do we really have a choice?” Barry Hall, president of the Greater Old North Dayton Business Association, asked. “If you don’t stop the spiral, the city will be dead.”

“Without an engaged public, the community won’t get safer,” Police Chief Richard Biehl said.

It’s tough to be engaged when times are tough, the neighborhood is in transition and crime is a growing problem.

“I’ve spent my life fixing up an old house,” said Carol Spicer, who has lived on Jersey Street in the Burhkardt neighborhood for 26 years. “Now it feels like it isn’t worth a dollar.”

Spicer is not alone. She and others have worked through the Burkhardt-Springfield Neighborhood Association to help police clean up their 2nd District neighborhood.

In response to the association, 2nd District commander Lt. Chris Williams started running bike patrols through the area.

“The bike patrol has helped tremendously,” said Lodia Furnas, association president. “It’s a big asset. People can walk out of their houses” without being accosted by drug dealers.

Furnas, a longtime resident of Huffman Avenue, has been a city volunteer for almost three decades. Over the past decade, she has been driving the streets in her red van, looking for prostitutes, drug dealers and others breaking the law. When she finds them, she calls police.

While there has been some push back from the dealers, Furnas — the daughter of a Tennessee high sheriff — said none of it fazes her.

“They say, ‘Do you know who you’re messing with?’ I turn it around tell them, ‘Do you know who you’re messing with’,” she said.

“Once they see Lodia’s van parked on the street, they’re like cockroaches, they run into the woodwork,” said Linda Roberds, an association member who was born in the neighborhood, moved away and returned several years ago to Burkhardt Street.

The role of business

Lt. Larry Faulkner is the commander of the Central Business District that now stretches from downtown to the University of Dayton area. He describes the police relationship with area businesses simply as, “Our mutual success depends on helping each other. We work hand-in-hand on issues affecting them.”

Barry Hall started his auto repair business 30 years ago on Leo Avenue in the 1st District. Twice he has been president of the Greater Old North Dayton Business Association. As a small businessman, he worries about the effects of crime on his neighborhood.

“If people are afraid to live, work or do business in the area, why should you?” he explained. Which has given rise to one of GONDBA’s initiatives: a community awareness website that tracks repeat offenders from the neighborhood through the court system, including their criminal history and the judge’s sentence.

“We’re not trying to affect the verdict,” he said. “We hope to affect the sentencing of career criminals.”

GONDBA also funds a computerized phone tree where officers can alert area businesses of on-going crimes. “If police are looking for a vehicle from a robbery, they can have 200 pairs of eyes looking out the window for them,” Hall said.

South of Fifth Street in the 2nd District, Lt. Williams has inaugurated a program where local businesses offer discounts for items such as alarm systems and door locks.

Across the Stillwater River in the 5th District, the partnership of Good Samaritan Hospital and the city is reclaiming the neighborhood around the hospital with the help of several neighborhood association. Good Sam has put $10 million into the effort, including paying for two patrol officers dedicate to the area. Good Sam officials credit 5th District Commander Lt. Mike Wilhelm’s support for their success.

The role of cops

To Lt. Robert Chabali, 3rd District commander, one important role is to listen.

“We have a number of meetings weekly with neighborhood associations that officers. It’s a chance to exchange information on what we’re doing and what they’ve seen and heard,” he said.

Lt. Williams in the 2nd District and Lt. Mark Varvel of the 1st District send out weekly e-mails to concerned citizens about what is happening in the neighborhoods. The Central Business District’s Lt. Faulkner takes pride in not missing a meeting of any group.

Such meetings, Varvel said, “gives citizens a voice in how municipal agencies respond to their complaints. Some of the groups do a better job of holding city agencies accountable, as they should.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290 or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.</p>

The Problem

A standard garage door, that you think is secure is actually one of the easiest ways into your house.

View this video here.

The Fix

Pin the latch.

View this video here.

1.  Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

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

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

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

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

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let youralarm 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 thewindows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-andyour 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 tolock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a dayoff because of bad weather..

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directionssomewhere 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 alwayscheck 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 safewhere you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll takeit with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarmsystem. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out oftown, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates theflickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com<http://faketv.com/<http://faketv.com/<http://faketv.com/ .)

14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guyand carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

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

16. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. Ifyour neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing andwait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go backto what he was doing. It's human nature.

17. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for afancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

18. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you'rehome, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll driveor walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close theblinds, just to pick my targets.

19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easierthan you think to look up your address.

20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is away to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

21. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, Ihit the jackpot and walk right in.Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California,Kentucky, security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com<http://crimedoctor.com/ <http://crimedoctor.com/><http://crimedoctor.com/  ; andRichard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University ofMissouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglarson the Job.   No Firearms try Wasp Spray Protection for you and your home: If you don't have a gun, here's amore humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you.                      

Wasp Spray

When asked by a concerned person about using pepper spray, the local police department recommended that she get a can of wasp spray instead.  The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close and could overpower you.  The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.

Wasp And Hornet Spray On the heels of a break in and beating in Toledo, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.  A teacher in the art of self-defense has told his students for decades to keep a can of wasp and hornet spray near their door or bed.  "This is better than anything I can teach them."  It is inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray.  The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, "spray the culprit in the eyes".  "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."  Maybe even save your life.  Please share this with all the people in your life.

Resource: http://www.ksat.com/news/23989986/detail.html

Police: Nicolas Gonzales Stole TVs From Northwest Side Homes
POSTED: Tuesday, June 22, 2010

SAN ANTONIO -- An anonymous note on a homeowner's door helped catch a burglary suspect, police said.

Nicolas Gonzalez, 21, has been arrested and charged with burglary, police said.

According to an arrest warrant, some Northwest Bexar County residents found their home broken into in March, police said. Their TVs, among other items, had been stolen.

Police said an anonymous note had a license plate number that led to the arrest.

DALLAS (CBS 11
/ TXA 21)
May 12,
2010 5:13 pm US/Central

He poses as a potential North Texas homebuyer,
but police say one man has stolen thousands of dollars worth of jewelry
from
houses that are up for sale.

The suspect, Steven Breed, has already visited several houses in
Highland Park.

At one Highland Park
open house last month, Breed is believed to have stolen more than
$20,000 worth
of jewelry. The stolen items included an 18 karat gold necklace, valued
at
$4,500 and an 18 karat gold bracelet with ruby, emerald and sapphire
stones,
valued at $15,000.

"We just see this pattern, and if it's not stopped, it'll continue
on," said Detective Marty Nevil, with the Highland Park Department of
Public Safety. "I think it's going to grow."

Investigators believe the 53-year-old poses as a potential homebuyer and
sometimes
gives the name 'Max Holloway'.

The burglary suspect is believed to be driving a black, Ford Focus, with
the Texas license plate
J87-SSW.

Police say Breed either visits properties during an open house or
actually
makes an appointment, with the realtor, to see the home. Once inside, he
roams
around looking for valuables -- usually jewelry.

Police believe Breed may have committed similar crimes in Collin
County and has now moved to Dallas and Highland
Park.

Home sellers in the area say they are on alert. "It makes me a little
concerned," said Teri Sullivan, whose house is up for sale. "I've
definitely been putting things up and being a little more cautious to
make sure
when the showing group calls that it is in fact a realtor bringing
somebody."

Realtors say these types of crimes were happening a few years ago, and
have now
made a comeback. Tom Branch, with Re/Max Realtors, advises his clients
to keep
their valuables in a safe or even off-site at a safety deposit box.

"These people are predators plain and simple. Why break into a house,
when
you can simply walk into one that's open?" Branch asked.

Police are asking realtors to call 911 if they come in contact with
Breed.

I am sharing it with you in the hope that it will inform you ofthe potential of theft to your property and the prevention of it.

Don't be complacent, take a little extra time....be smarter than the thief.

Look at the picture following this letter.

I drove myself and two co-workers to lunch Monday, 2/15/10. I chose a parking spot in the rear of the lot and backed into a space (no pull through available at location). This positioned my Chevy Avalanche with the passenger side doors facing away from the rest of the lot and to the end of the lot. I had a Sony digital camera lying on the console of my truck..

Upon returning from lunch and entering the vehicle we noticed nothing wrong or missing from the vehicle. Tuesday around lunch time I needed the camera and could not locate it. My first thoughts were, "I moved it or it fell to the floor mat or I removed it from my truck."

After searching feverishly for two days, questioning anyone who had been close to my truck, and exhausting every possible location I could have put it, I began to have that sinking feeling I lost it or someone stole it.

My new Garmin GPS had been in the truck the whole time, so I felt as if someone had entered my vehicle they would have taken it also. Fast forward to Wednesday, I approached my truck from the passenger side to place my computer bag (aka my man purse) in the front passenger seat. As I reached to open the door I noticed there was a hole right under my door handle. My first thought was, "someone has shot my truck !"

I began to think about it and inspect it a little closer and the "light" slowly began to come on. I phoned my friend who owns a body shop and asked if he had any vehicles with damage to the doors that looked like a bullet hole. "Yes, I see it all the time. Thieves have a punch and place it right under the door handle, knock a hole through, reach in and unlock it, just as if they have a key. No alarms, broken glass or anything.

I then placed a call to my insurance agent, who is also a friend, and explained it to him. I proceeded to tell him the situation and how I was puzzled that they left my GPS and all other belongings. Here is where it gets scary !

"Oh no, he said, they want the break-in to be so subtle that you don't even realize it. They look at your GPS to see where "home" is. Now they know what you drive, go to your home, and if your vehicle isn't there they assume you aren't and break in your home."

He says they will even leave a purse or wallet and only take one or two credit cards. By the time you realize there has been a theft, they may have already had a couple days or more to use them.

This is another reason they want the break-in to go unnoticed. I didn't realize my situation for two full days! They even give you the courtesy of re-locking your doors for you. I guess they don't want it to be broken into by other thieves !

Had they have found your check book, they could have taken checks from the middle section so they wouldn't be noticed.

Please remove from your GPS unit your home address as "home" ASAP ! Put in your local Wal-Mart address or some where else !  Park your vehicle in a highly visible place. I positioned mine perfectly for them and didn't realize it until it was too late. I hope this is beneficial to you and helps you keep your valuables in your possession and your vehicle from damage. Most importantly, it may keep the thieves from showing up at your home!
 
DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN SIGHT INSIDE THE CAR.

Periodically walk around your car, daily if you are in a shopping center or other parking area. Report thefts immediately....Bank w/missing check numbers, Credit card agencies, Police, and Insurance Companies.