I know, the page hasn’t been updated in quite a while. My fault. Other things in life have gotten in the way and for that I apologize. I was going to do a nice Christmas page followed by a New Years page and a few things got in the way, which effected my enthusiasm.
To make it up to you, here’s a little belated Christmas present. Print it out, send it to a friend, shred it, delete it, it’s up to you but if you consider a few of the things listed here,
it might just have a positive effect on your life.
From the book, from A to Z, a couple tips….for your life.
ALARM SYSTEMS…for your vehicle and your home. If you don’t have one, get one. Nothing beats the sound of that alarm going off when a crook is in the middle of trying to break into your home or car. Recently, some brain surgeon got the idea to use a torch to burn a circle in window glass to get to the latch and open windows to get inside houses in the middle of the night. (While you’re inside asleep.) Never makes a sound and this guy has been successful in taking cash, jewelry, and laptop computers. (While you’re inside asleep.) Never makes a sound. That ought to make single women feel at ease! All of the homes he has hit had locked windows and doors. (Hoorah) Because none of these homes had an alert barking and growling dog to intervene it leads me to think this guy is casing homes before he hits…the only sound not being heard is from an ALARM system activating when the motion sensor is tripped. Want piece of mind? Get an alarm system!
ARREST WARRANTS / LICENSE SUSPENSIONS…get a ticket for a little nickel and dime offense and don’t go to court or pay the fine? You’ll be making a mountain out of a molehill. When you least expect it you’ll get pulled over for something and find out that either your license is suspended or you have an arrest warrant in the system. If you think its cool to get arrested in front of your family because you didn’t take care of business before, then have at it. Avoid that by showing up in court and taking care of business. If you have a ticket you never took care of, call the court district that issued it, to find out what the status of the case is. You could avoid a lot of embarrassment.
ATM ROBBERIES… Don’t use the ATM alone, at night, or with suspicious people around. Don’t leave your car running and unlocked while you use the ATM. Pay attention to who is around you and if possible, use the ATM’s located inside supermarkets. Oh yeah, don’t let people be standing over your shoulder seeing what your PIN number is.
DON’T write your PIN number down on your card.
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT… Your “attitude” depends a lot on your contacts with the police. Yes there’s grumpy rude cops out there who give other cops a bad name but you have the right to file formal complaints on this kind of conduct. If you “cop” an attitude with every cop you run into, you will PAY the price. I don’t get mad, but I do get even if the situation warrants it. It takes a lot to push my buttons but every now and then someone comes along just looking for trouble. Just like Burger King, have it YOUR way my friend. You want to be treated with respect? What goes around comes around. Most cops I know will be the bigger person and avoid a conflict but what may have started out as a traffic stop to give a warning, could result in a costly ticket citing “everything in the book” because the driver was a sarcastic belligerent pain in the —. Don’t go to battle on the street. You’ll lose. If you have a beef with a cop, follow the right channels and file a formal complaint with a supervisor. Just so you know, bogus and false complaints can end up in civil court and you’ll lose much more than pride. Don’t call the sergeant and complain about the rude cop, when the tape recorder on his belt caught you calling him every name in the book provoking a confrontation.
AUTO ACCIDENTS… The key word is accident. No one plans on them. They happen daily. Don’t get hostile or belligerent with the other party. Don’t start a fight. Just accept the fact no one got hurt and exchange information with the other party. For the most part,
Cops will respond and take a report when there is extensive property damage or injury to one of the involved. Minor fender benders? Exchange your license and insurance information with the other party and call your insurance agent. Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s recommended to have your vehicle registration and proof of insurance in a safe place within your vehicle where it is easy to locate. (Don’t have it clipped to your visor where someone could look in your car and get your address.)
BRANDISHING… Brandishing a weapon in this day and age is serious business. If you display a weapon in a reckless or threatening manner you’re gonna go down. We get numerous calls for school kids brandishing replica handguns at people. Guess what, it’s the same charge as if it was a real gun. Kid’s, if you stick to shooting hoops after school you’ll have a much happier life. Adults, get a life. If you’re stupid enough to carry a gun around with you in public you deserve the felony charge that goes with it! Leave the guns at home!!!
BUSINESS ALARMS… If you own a business and you don’t have an alarm system, you might as well leave a sign illuminated that says “Take all my merchandise!” Get an alarm!
CARJACKINGS… This is one of the most dangerous crimes in the book. A car jacking is one of the reasons we wrote Cop-Talk in the first place. Lock your doors. Constantly look around you. Leave a car length between you and a car you stop behind so you have an escape route. If you have a child in the back seat and you get “jacked” tell the crook your child is in the back. Most jackers don’t want to be kidnappers as well. Invest in an anti carjack device. Some emit a signal to specially equipped receivers in patrol cars letting the cops know they are following a stolen car. Some cause the car to “shut down” after 30 seconds allowing you time to get a safe distance away but not allowing the carjacker the same luxury. These devices are highly recommended. Whatever you do, DON’T confront or fight a car jacker unless you want to risk losing your life.
CAT BURGLARS…Unlike a regular burglar who breaks into your home while you’re away, the Cat-Man gets off on the thrill of doing it while you’re in the house. Your biggest friend? An alarm system with motion sensors. Get one!
CELL PHONES… Don’t drive and dial. Pull over and dial. Program dispatch numbers for your local police, fire, and ambulance into memory. Otherwise calling 911 will go to a central agency that could be nowhere near where you are and there could be a delay in getting LOCAL help in an emergency. Cellphones have saved the lives of joggers, boaters, pilots, hikers, you name it. They are worth their weight in gold if you use them for emergencies only. If you get into the trap of “1000 free minutes” or “unlimited this and unlimited that” sales schemes you’ll wind up with $300.00 a month phone bills due to hidden charges such as roaming and long distance. Use it for emergencies only and get piece of mind. When you don’t have one and need it, you’ll wish you had it. Prepaid plans are a great way of ensuring no hidden charges or excessive use. $25.00 bucks a month is pretty cheap insurance for those unexpected emergencies we find ourselves stumbling into.
CHILD ABDUCTIONS… How a parent can leave a small child unattended is beyond me. Go to one of our past stories of the week (where have all the parents gone) and you’ll get a better feel for what I mean. TEACH your kids to NEVER talk to strangers. Don’t let your small child walk home alone to or from school. Don’t leave your small children in the car while you shop. Have your kids fingerprinted and photographed at safety programs offered by your local police department. Keep recent photographs of your children. Report all suspicious subjects or circumstances to the police. Want recent ones? A man sneaks into a girl’s bathroom at an elementry school. A man sneaks into the girls shower room at a community pool. A little girl disappears after a boyfriend supposedly dropped a little girl off at a bus stop for school. Oh wait he lied, he just sent her on her way from home. Alone. A 15-year old walks home late at night after being at a party and is brutally beaten and murdered alongside a desolate road. Impressive parenting. KNOW where your kids are, and who they are with ALL the time. And to the stupid argument of “you can’t know what your kids are doing every minute, then I say “Don’t be a parent!”
CIVIL MATTERS… If it smells to good to be true then it is…..Don’t buy stuff without a receipt and warranty unless you want to get stuck with a lemon. Don’t make agreements with people unless it is covered in writing. Unless of course you trust your friends. I trusted a guy once when I bought a computer for my brother to help write Cop-Talk and it was the biggest piece of junk you could imagine. I had a warranty and a receipt but this guy was a scam artist and even if I had gone to small claims court I would have got nothing. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip. It hurts even worse when you get burned by a friend. I gave an entire system to a friend who was going to be a staff writer for Netcops. She had a lot going on in her life and couldn’t contribute. When it came time to get the computer back it was excuse after excuse and the world she built around AOL was apparently more important than our friendship. You live and learn sometimes….
As Judge Judy will tell you, GET IT IN WRITING!
CRIME PREVENTION…
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure….Prevention should be directed at your home, your vehicles, your business, and yourself. If you can “break into” your home because you locked your keys inside, so can a crook. Same with your car. You don’t think they know where the hide-a-keys are at? How safe is that “Pet-door” in the side garage door? Never imagined a 150lb guy sliding through there eh? Left your sliding glass door open because it was hot last night? Took a minute for that guy to slice the screen mesh away with a pocket knife. Left your garage door open? Shame on you. Left your vehicle unlocked last night and now you’re mad because your wallet and laptop computer are gone? Lock it! Light it! Alarm it! Crooks hate making noise. Crooks hate light and illumination. Crooks hate getting caught.
LOCK IT, LIGHT IT, ALARM IT!
The best thing you can do for yourself is have your home evaluated for RISK by a crime prevention officer. Join neighborhood watch, and use COMMON SENSE.
We’ll pick up with CURFEW for you parents of teenagers.
More to follow soon….I have to get to work
