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Crime
Prevention
Captain Michael Miller runs the Ventnor City Police Department Crime
Prevention Unit. To obtain a security survey of your home or business,
contact the Ventnor Police Department at (609) 822-2101.
Captain Miller has these tips for the residents of Ventnor City:
“Be
aware of so-called “Imposter Burglars”. These con-men and women
usually try to distract a homeowner by coming to their door to solicit
common construction jobs. Sometimes they will pose as roofers, pavers,
carpenters or other tradesmen. They will tell the homeowner that the
property is either in need of repair or offer a low price for
improvements. They will lure the person outside of their home to show
them the supposed problem, and while distracted, others will enter the
home and steal certain items. An alternative scenario is that they
will actually contract the job, take a sizable deposit and then never
return to do the work. Residents can protect themselves by being aware
of unsolicited bids and reporting suspicious workmen and activity to
the Police Department.
Most
burglaries are committed by opportunistic thieves. In two out of ten
burglaries they don't even have to use force - they get in via an open
door or window. Reduce
the risk of a burglary happening to you by taking some simple
precautions:
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Residential Burglar Alarms make a thief think twice
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Visible window locks deter burglars because it would force them to
break a window bringing attention to themselves
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Double
hung windows should have secondary locking mechanism allowing for
window to be opened for air but not wide enough for a person
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Good
exterior lighting or infra-red sensor lights can deter a thief
-
Put
indoor lighting on timers
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Keep
valuable out of sight
-
Have a
neighbor or family member regularly check on your home while you are
away
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Never
keep a key in a convenient place (under door mat, flower box, etc.)
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Never
leave a garage or shed unlocked
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Gates
and fences should be strong and in good shape and be able to be
locked to prevent burglars from getting in the back yard where they
can work undisturbed
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Make
sure your front and back doors are secure and in good shape. Doors
should be made of solid core construction
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Have a
strong fire retardant safe bolted in a secure location within the
home to safeguard personal items, jewelry and important papers
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Post
code your property with a personal identification number or code. In
only 9% of cases where something has been stolen is property
returned
If you get home and
notice signs of a break-in:
Bike
thefts are a year round problem. Bikes should always be secured when
unattended with a strong, wire cutter resistant lock. The largest
percentages of bikes stolen are from unlocked garages or sheds. Taking
the time to place a lock on these storage areas will bring down the
numbers of bikes stolen dramatically. You should also record all
bicycle serial numbers and keep them in a safe place so that in the
event a bike is stolen, it will make tracking and recovery a little
easier.
Never
give out any personal information over the phone from unsolicited
callers. Things such as credit card numbers, dates of birth, social
security numbers or mother’s maiden name can be used to activate or
utilize credit in your name.
Don't
forget to check on the elderly and the sick, especially in extremely
hot and cold weather conditions.
From
time to time you may receive telephone calls from persons representing
themselves as persons collecting money and donations for Police
Organizations. While we can not discredit all instances as scams, we
can tell you that all of the members of the NJ State PBA, to which the
Ventnor Police Department is a member, are prohibited from phone
solicitations. The only donations that benefit your local community
directly are collected through our annual mail drive that is sent out
in late spring or early summer. Be skeptical of any other types of
solicitations and request an information packet before sending any
money. If you feel that the phone call is inappropriate or a scam, try
to obtain their phone number, location and a name and then contact the
Ventnor Police Department and we will follow up to ascertain if this
is a legitimate solicitation.
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