Take a listen to some podcasts of school safety tips from our great Police on the Scene website.
Click on the Police on the Scene link for more great podcasts on a variety of crime prevention topics!
Back to school safety tips
Aug 26
As many communities across Wisconsin are preparing for another school year, we would like to pass along a few safety reminders.
School Bus Laws - When a school bus has it flashing lights and stop arm activated – all vehicles must stop on a road without a median. On roads with a median – only those following the bus must stop.
To and From School – drop off children as close to school possible, exiting at the curbside and school side so they do not have to dart across the street. When picking up children, arrange to meet them at a safe spot away from the congestion of cars. Many schools have drop off/pick up quidelines and be sure to follow those.
Strangers – avoid putting your child’s name on anything that is visible to others. This tends to allow someone to call your child by name and could give a false sense of security. Talk to your children about strangers and to never give the impression that they are home alone after school.
Home security - lock your home and close the garage door when taking children to school, even if you are returning right away. Report any suspicious people, activity, vehicles that you may see. Many burglars target neighborhoods during the day.
The annual conference is approaching fast! The board is very excited for this year’s conference as we have a strong agenda with many national speakers and with the number of early registrations so far, we expect attendance to exceed last year’s numbers!
2010 WCPPA conference detailed agenda
Don’t forget to nominate that crime prevention officer, program, and/or organization for recognition at our awards banquet.
We are also pleased to announce a 4-hour train-the-trainer on the Good Drugs Gone Bad toolkit against pharmaceutical abuse to kickoff this year’s conference. We have partnered with CESA #4 to offer this training at no cost! This training will be held on Tuesday, September 21.
LaCrosse area Good Drugs Gone Bad train-the-trainer
Lock it or Lose it!
Aug 8
“Lock it or Lose it” has been preached by crime prevention officers throughout Wisconsin. There are many communities across Wisconsin that have been experiencing thefts from unlocked vehicles that could have been easily prevented by using the locks. Many of these crimes tend to be crimes of opportunity.
Oftentimes officers are asked what items are being taken in these thefts. The WCPPA recently hosted a statewide training featuring a nationally recognized speaker on problem-oriented policing. He had a very catchy acronym…CRAVED… to describe the items that are attractive to thieves and burglars.
Concealable
Removable
Available
Valuable
Enjoyable
Disposable
Those items that are CRAVED are endless!!! I think we all have items that are CRAVED. They include money, Ipods, GPS units, CD’s, mp3 players, electronics, medications, and the list goes on and on…..
Please take the time to secure your homes and vehicles. By locking our vehicles and homes…we effectively remove that opportunity!
Also if you are interested in “target hardening” your property, crime prevention officers across Wisconsin offer security surveys and the Home Depot stores of NE Wisconsin have been partnering with WCPPA members by offering “How-to” clinics in installing locks and lighting.
For further info on any of those programs, please contact your local crime prevention officer.
National Night Out 2010
Jul 30
National Night Out, “America’s Night Out Against Crime” was started in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch as a way to heighten awareness and strengthen crime prevention efforts. Initially the event involved residents turning on their porch lights and gathering together in the evening.
Since that time more than 12,000 communities across the United States have joined the effort through hosting cookouts, parades, and community wide events.
Communities across Wisconsin – from Wauwatosa to LaCrosse to the Town of Menasha – participate through Neighborhood Watch type gatherings to large scale community wide events.
National Night Out is Tuesday, August 3, please take some time to turn on your porch lights and meet some of your neighbors or check with you local police or sheriff’s department to see if they are hosting an event.
July 23, 2010, Milwaukee, Wis. – The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau is warning homeowners who were affected by last night’s severe weather to be wary of untrustworthy contractors trying to take advantage of your situation.
“It’s a sad fact that ‘storm chasers’ and scammers typically follow natural disasters,” says Randall L. Hoth, president/CEO of the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau. “In your haste to do repairs, don’t forget to research companies before you hire them. If you don’t, you could have an even bigger disaster on your hands.”
The Wisconsin BBB has more than 80 accredited businesses throughout the state in the water damage restoration industry. Click here for a list of BBB accredited businesses, which the user can filter by city or zip code. BBB accreditation means a business must abide by the BBB’s eight standards of accreditation.
Hoth offers these tips when hiring a contractor:
- Beware of “fly-by-night” contractors or “storm chasers” who swarm the area after a storm. They may not be properly licensed or insured, may be using inferior materials and may be hard to locate later if there is a problem with their work.
- Check out the company with the BBB. Call 800-273-1002 or visit www.wisconsin.bbb.org to check out the BBB’s rating on the company. Ratings can range from A+ to F and will tell you how many complaints (if any) the company has, how long it has been in business and where it is located.
- Ask for and check references. Trustworthy businesses should be able to direct you to references that will vouch for their credibility. Follow through and confirm the company’s reliability with multiple references before you hire.
- Beware of price gouging. Some unethical businesses may be marking up their products or services by as much as 500 percent. If you can wait to do any repairs until this busy time passes, do it.
- Make any temporary repairs, then take the time to hire ethical business contracts. Beware of companies who claim your home is structurally unsafe and needs expensive repairs.
- Check with your insurance company, and make sure to take pictures and document any repair needs as soon as possible.
- Compare bids, but determine which company will provide the best quality and not just the lowest price. Some “storm chaser” companies will offer rock-bottom prices, but may be unlicensed or providing inferior services. Legitimate contractors can provide a “Certificate of Insurance” that verifies they have current liability and workmen’s compensation coverage. Every consumer should verify that contractors are properly insured and licensed before allowing them to work on their property.
- Remember that reputable companies don’t ask for the entire fee up-front. Never pay more than one-third of the cost before repairs are complete. Also, pay by check or credit card instead of cash. These more secure methods of payment ensure that you will be more likely to track and retrieve your money in case of a scam.
For more information or further inquiries, please contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.wisconsin.bbb.org or 414-847-6000 (metro Milwaukee), (920)-734-4352 (Appleton) or 1-800-273-1002 (elsewhere in Wisconsin).
The following post appears courtesy of Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs.
While there are various ways to approach crime prevention, McGruff the Crime Dog is world famous for his advice on how to stop crime before it happens. McGruff’s famous catchphrase: “Take a Bite out of Crime,” has turned into one of the most recognizable ad campaigns in America. Throughout the past 30 years, McGruff taught people across the country how they can help prevent crime.
Discussing crime prevention with a mixed audience of children and adults may be a challenge. Unless, of course, you have a spokesperson – er, spokesdog – as appealing as McGruff. The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), has partnered with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and McGruff to teach children about crime prevention. McGruff has made thousands of appearances in newspapers and on the radio, television, and Internet to encourage everyone to take common-sense steps to reduce crime.
OJP and NCPC have had a long and productive history of working together to fight crime in America’s communities. They have joined together to address many new challenges over the years, including juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, internet safety and identity theft.
As we celebrate McGruff’s birthday, and wish him many more productive years, we join with Attorney General Eric Holder in recognizing the important role of evidence-based crime research and policies in preventing crime. We look forward to continuing our work with McGruff and our other partners to ensure that we are smart about how we “Take a Bite out of Crime.”
Courtesy: Fox Business.com
Even if you’ve become religious about shredding your credit card statements before you toss them away, criminals can still find ways to cheat you out of time and money. Investigators want you to watch for five of the fastest growing sources of identity theft and credit card forgeries:
#1: The Fraudulent Fraud Department
A scammer calls you, claiming to be from your bank’s credit card fraud investigation team. They rattle off your entire credit card number and mailing address, then ask you to confirm your recent $499 charge to an online retailer. When you say you didn’t make that charge, the caller asks for the three digit code from the back of your credit card. That’s all they need to unleash a flurry of charges to your account.
#2: The Server Skim
In restaurants and hotels, you’re likely to part ways with your credit card at some point. A fraud ring’s accomplice, often a hapless service worker paying off a gambling debt, runs your credit card through a handheld “skimmer” while out of your view. The contents of your magnetic stripe get transmitted to an accomplice who clones your card for big ticket purchases.
#3: The Nosy ATM
You think you’re playing it safe by looking for an ATM that’s part of your bank’s preferred network, in a well-lit neighborhood, under security cameras. What you might not notice are the extra chunks of plastic stuck to the teller machine. A magstripe skimmer can fit directly over an ATM’s own card reader, while a pinhole camera above the keypad captures your security code.
#4: The Suspicious Screen Saver
A good piece of malware doesn’t just show up on your computer by accident. Instead of sneaking in as a virus, the most effective identity theft tools pose as useful applications. Free screensavers and games can hide keystroke loggers that transmit every character you type to a remote location, revealing personal information like credit card numbers and bank passwords.
#5: The Awful Auction Escrow Service
You’ve just placed the winning bid for an eBay item, and the seller asks if you wouldn’t mind saving them some cash by paying through a special link instead of through the auction site’s own checkout system. Instead of buying a trinket, you’re really sending your credit card account details directly to an online fraud ring.
And if you’re not already wary, wait until your home phone and your cell phone both start ringing off the hook with strange, recorded sales pitches. Identity thieves tie up your phone lines while they drain your accounts. Your banks’ fraud departments won’t be able to reach you to confirm large charges, nor will you be able to use your own phone to call your card issuers. Security experts recommend keeping at least one private or emergency phone number, like a cheap, prepaid cell phone, to prevent this kind of identity hacking.
Happy Fourth of July!
Jul 4
Fireworks safety and the law
Jun 30
Each July Fourth, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks – devastating burns, other injuries, fires, and even death. With that in mind, the Wisconsin Crime Prevention Practitioners Association would like to remind everyone of the laws regarding the use of fireworks.
State law allows the sale, possession and use, without a permit, of sparklers not exceeding 36 inches in length, stationary cones and fountains, toy snakes, smoke bombs, caps, noisemakers and confetti poppers with less than ¼ grain of explosive mixture. A commonly used rule of thumb is that a permit is required if the device explodes or leaves the ground. However, municipalities may enact ordinances that are stricter than state law.
The WCPPA along with our local fire prevention partners would like to remind everyone of a few safety tips:
- Observe local laws.
- Use fireworks outdoors ONLY.
- ALWAYS read and follow label directions.
- ALWAYS have an adult present; NEVER allow younger children to handle or light fireworks. Sparklers can be dangerous if children are unsupervised.
- NEVER experiment with or make your own fireworks.
- Dispose of sparklers properly by soaking them in water before discarding; have a full bucket of water nearby.
- Watch what you wear; loose clothing can catch fire.
Follow these safety tips, not only during the upcoming celebration, but at all times, and you will help keep the environment safe and “sparkling.”
For more information on Wisconsin Fireworks law, please visit the WI DOJ website http://www.doj.wi.gov/site/fireworks.asp
