crime prevention strategies
There are many simple safety measures you can take to avoid becoming a crime victim. Please take a minute to review some of the strategies listed below. For more information and additional resources visit the
National Crime Prevention Council webpage.
Safety tips for pedestrians
- Stay alert and tuned into your surroundings.
- Stand tall and walk confidently.
- Choose busy streets and avoid passing vacant lots, alleys, or deserted
construction sites. At night, stick to well-lighted areas.
- Don't walk or jog alone. Take a friend or neighbor along if possible.
- Get to know the neighborhoods where you live and work. Find out what stores
and restaurants are open late and where the police and fire stations are
located.
- Carry your purse close to your body, and keep a firm grip on it. Carry a
wallet in an inside coat pocket or front pants pocket.
- Don't overload yourself with packages, and avoid wearing shoes or clothing
that restrict your movements.
Safety tips for drivers
- Always lock your car and take the keys, even if you'll only be gone a short
time.
- When you drive, be on the lookout for any problems that affect the
neighborhood's well-being-abandoned cars, missing signs, malfunctioning traffic
lights, reckless drivers, or poor street lighting. Follow up and report any
problems to the appropriate authorities.
- Keep your car in good running condition to avoid breakdowns.
- If your car does breakdown, raise the hood and stay in the locked car. If
someone stops to help, ask him or her to phone for assistance.
- Park in a well-lighted area that will still be well-lighted when you return.
- Be alert when using enclosed parking garages. Leave only your ignition key
with a lot attendant if you must leave a key.
- Always carry an emergency kit in your car. It should contain a flashlight,
flares, first aid products, and a 72-hour supply of food and water.
- NEVER pick up hitchhikers.
- Consider purchasing a cellular phone to use in an emergency.
- Before getting into your car, look underneath and inside the vehicle.
Safety tips for homeowners
- Make sure all your exterior doors have good locks-at least deadbolt locks
with a minimum 1" throw.
- Use the locks you have. Always lock up when you go out, even if only for a
few minutes.
- Make sure outside doors and door frames are solid, 1 3/4" metal or
hardwood.
- Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available bars or locks, or put
a wooden dowel or broom handle in the door track.
- Make sure your windows have good locks, particularly those at ground level.
Lock double-hung windows by sliding a small-headed bolt or nail through a hole
drilled at a slight downward angle in a top corner of the inside sash.
- Make sure all porches, entrances, and outside areas are well lighted.
- Trim any bushes or trees that hide doors or windows. Keep ladders and tools
inside when you're not using them.
- Don't hide your keys under the doormat or flowerpot.
- Record serial numbers on valuable property like televisions and DVD players
and store the numbers in a safe place.
- Consider installing an alarm system.
- If you park your car outside of your garage, never leave the garage door
opener in the car.
Safety tips for renters
- Make sure that entrances, parking areas, hallways, stairways, laundry rooms,
and other common areas are well-lighted. Mailboxes should be in a publicly
traveled, well-lighted area.
- Make sure fire stairs are locked from the stairwell side with an appropriate
emergency release mechanism. Laundry rooms and storage areas should be kept
locked.
- Use common area locks and encourage your neighbors to do the same.
* Prevention tips provided by the
National Crime Prevention Counsel
