Oct. 2 Crime Prevention Tip: Personal Safety

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott declared the month of October Crime Prevention Month. The sheriff's department will provide citizens with daily tips for preventing crime. Here are the tips for Oct. 2. 

Sheriff Leon Lott states that staying safe should be a priority for everyone. However, busy schedules, time constraints and routines often result in us providing criminals opportunities to make us victims.

We would like to give you tips that can help you avoid becoming a victim of crime when you are at home, out and about, or at work. By taking a few simple precautions, you can discourage criminals and reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

If we all remain alert and are aware of what is going on around us, we are less likely to be a target. Being prepared and taking a proactive approach can mean the difference between staying safe or being a potential victim.

Be Prepared
Educate yourself on crime prevention tactics. Think about different situations you may encounter while you are out. Have a plan for your reactions. Always be alert, observant, and aware of the people around you. Be aware of locations and situations that could possibly make you vulnerable to crime, such as alleys and dark parking lots.

In Your Home

• Lock your doors and secure your windows even if you are home or are only leaving for a few minutes.
• Never leave a house key available under a doormat, in a flowerpot, or on the ledge of a door. These are the first places a burglar will look! 
• Use timers so that lights, radios, and televisions go on and off throughout the house to give the appearance that someone is home. 
• Never open the door immediately after a knock. Require identification for everyone – including repair or delivery people, as well as law enforcement. Use a 180 degree peephole.
• When strangers ask to use your phone, do not allow them to enter. Offer to summon emergency assistance or to make the call for them.
• If you suspect a window or door has been forced or broken in your absence, DO NOT ENTER. Immediately call law enforcement and wait at a safe location until a Sheriff’s Deputy arrives.
• If you receive on-going obscene or threatening phone calls, hang up immediately and notify the Sheriff’s Department. If the calls persist, call the telephone company as well. The obscene caller can be criminally charged.
• Always close garage doors before driving away.
• When you return home, do not leave your key in the door after you open it – not even for a minute. Never put your keys down just inside the open door while carrying packages inside.
• If someone is prowling outside your home make the prowler think that several people are home. Call out “Dear, there is someone outside!” Call 911. If it is dark, make sure you have adequate exterior security lighting.
• Cut shrubbery back so it doesn't hide doors or windows. Cut back any tree limbs that a burglar could use to climb to an upper-level window. 

TIP: Very few burglars will enter a home when they believe that people are there. Should you confront one, however, the rule is: 

STAY OUT OF THE WAY. NEVER GET BETWEEN A BURGLAR AND THE EXIT, AND NEVER TRY TO STOP HIM/HER FROM LEAVING.

Summary

• Allow police to become familiar with your facility. 
• Practice good crime prevention. 
• Be “law enforcement friendly”. 
• Utilize local associations to keep abreast of current trends.