Lovell Neighborhood Watch

Resources


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Ready America
Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed
Check lists, brochures, family emergency plan, pets welfare, and more to download.


Maine State Citizen Corps Council
Maine Emergency Management Agency
72 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-4435


FEMA: Disaster information
Get a copy of: Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness
FEMA
500 C Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472
Telephone: 1 (800) 621-FEMA (3362)
TDD: TTY users can dial 1 (800) 462-7585 to use the Federal Relay Service.




National Crime Prevention Council
Other recent publications:
* 2006 Crime Prevention Month Kit
* McGruff® the Crime Dog Presents Winners Don't Use Drugs!
* Proceedings of the 2004 10th National Refugee Crime Prevention Seminar: Developing Strategies for Community Strengthening
* Taking a Stand Against Violence, Drugs, and Other Crime
* Locking Your Home

National Neighborhood Watch Institute

National Sheriffs' Association

USAonwatch.org
Neighborhood Watch Program - National Sheriffs' Association
Celebrating the Success of 35 years of Neighborhood Watch

Drug dealers are selling colored crystal methamphetamine known as
"Strawberry Quick."






Car Key Tip!
Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your drivew ay or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around.... after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And, remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....
This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime. P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone.

Here is a list of reasons why you should start or join a Neighborhood Crime Watch program:
... Be being a part of this group, you will be better informed of what is going on in your neighborhood and the first to know when crimes occur near you.
... It has been statistically proven that these watch programs are effective in crime prevention. The investment of your time in such programs will yield huge returns by making your neighborhood as well as your own home a safer and better place to live.
... These programs educate its group members about what security measures are effective and ineffective.
... These programs can be a good tool for dealing with issues such as barking dogs, loud parties, abandoned vehicles, run down properties, and other issues that attract criminal activity.
... Your neighbors can be a pillar in your home security program. Being an active member of a Neighborhood Crime Watch Program guarantees that both law enforcement and your neighbors will part take in maintaining your home security.

Being a member of your local crime watch program does not require that you carry a weapon and impose street justice. In fact, here is a list of things that a Neighborhood Crime Watch Program is not:
... It is not a form of vigilantism. Members of this group do not chase the bad guys, interrupt a burglary in progress, or track down perpetrators. They look out for problems and report them to police.
... It is not a religious cult. Neighborhood Crime Watch Programs allow members to get to know one another. Members get to know who lives in the neighborhood, who is simply visiting, who is passing through, or who is waiting around for the chance to steal your Ipod.
... It is not a 24 hour a day commitment. You attend a few meetings and then keep your eyes open during your normal at-home activities.
... It is not just for stay-at-home moms. Anybody is allowed to join.
Neighborhood Crime Prevention Programs - Being on the Lookout for Suspicious Activity
If you live in a community that has a Neighborhood Crime Watch Program, it is a good idea to join the program and attend its conferences so that you can share crime prevention ideas with your fellow neighbors. Your local law enforcement office can give you lots of tips on what and who to keep an eye on as part of your Neighborhood Crime Watch Program.
Here is a list of things that you should be watchful for:
... People traveling door-to-door especially if one person stays out front while the other goes to the back side of the house
... Nonresidents carrying belongings down the street to an awaiting car
... Lots of people coming from and going to a particular residence at all hours of the day and night
... Vehicles driving down the neighborhood streets at night time with no headlights
... Unknown people loading items into a car or truck
... Abandoned cars or trucks
... Nonresidents going into the sides or backs of peoples' homes
... Persons unknown loitering in front of businesses or houses or running through the neighborhood without the right jogging clothes
... Unknown people playing around with doors or windows of houses or with any part of a vehicle
... Nonresidents sitting in parked vehicles for extended periods of time
... People doing business from a parked vehicle
... Any signs of forced entry such as open doors and broken windows
... Hoarding of items and goods in and around property (people may be storing stolen property in plain sight in your neighborhood. This is very common in ghetto or hood communities.)
... Excessive and unusual noises coming from residences such as screams, gunshots, dogs barking, or fighting

If you believe any of these scenarios is suspicious, this could mean there is a crime in progress. Your crime watch group should keep an eye out for such things and report them right away to police.
13 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like.. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.
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Protection for you and your home: Wasp Spray:
A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.
The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.
Please share this with all the people in your life.

 

Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity

Here are 20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft -- and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.

By MSN Money staff

Thieves may sell your information on the black market or use it to obtain money, credit or even expensive medical procedures. Unless you're vigilant in protecting your records, you'll have to work even harder to repair the damage to your credit. The average victim spends 30 to 40 hours rectifying the problem.

Some of the e-threats to your identity are:

  • Phishing. You get an e-mail that appears to be from your bank or an online service, most often PayPal or eBay, instructing you to click on a link and provide information to verify your account.
  • Pharming or spoofing. Hackers redirect a legitimate Web site's traffic to an impostor site, where you'll be asked to provide confidential information.
  • Smishing. This is phishing done with text messaging on your smart phone. It instructs you to visit a bogus Web site.
  • Spyware. You've unknowingly downloaded illicit software when you've opened an attachment, clicked on a pop-up or downloaded a song or a game. Criminals can use spyware to record your keystrokes and obtain credit card numbers, bank-account information and passwords when you make purchases or conduct other business online. They also can access confidential information on your hard drive.

You don't need to have a computer to become a victim.

  • Vishing -- voice phishing. You get an automated phone message asking you to call your bank or credit card company. Even your caller ID is fooled. You call the number and are asked to punch in your account number, PIN or other personal information. (See "Your phone may be under attack.")
  • Bank-card "skimming." Crooks use a combination of a fake ATM slot and cameras to record your account information and PIN when you use a cash machine. Your credit or debit card also can be skimmed by a dishonest store or restaurant worker armed with a portable card reader. (See "Is your waiter a thief?")
  • Crooks will steal your wallet or go through your mail or trash.

More than half of identity theft cases involve credit card fraud. Checking accounts are the second most popular target. But some crooks have other plans:

  • At least 250,000 people have been the victim of medical identity theft in the last several years. (See "Diagnosis: Identity theft.") Crooks use fraudulently obtained personal information to get expensive medical procedures or dupe insurance companies into paying for procedures that were not done.
  • The victims of about 5% of reported identity theft cases are children. The fraud often goes undetected for years -- until the young adult applies for credit. (See "Stolen innocence: Child identity theft.")

20 tips to protect yourself

You can take steps to protect yourself from identity fraud:

  • Keep your confidential information private. Your bank or credit card company won't call or e-mail to ask for your account information. They already have it.
  • Keep an inventory of everything in your wallet and your PDA, including account numbers. Don't keep your Social Security card or any card with your Social Security number, such as an insurance card, in your wallet.
  • Monitor your bank and credit card transactions for unauthorized use. Crooks with your account numbers usually start small to see if you'll notice.
  • Keep your vehicle registration and insurance forms in a sealed envelope in your glove box and lock it and your car when at home or away.
  • If you conduct business online, use your own computer. A public computer is less secure, as is wireless Internet.
  • Look for suspicious devices and don't let anyone stand nearby when you use an ATM. Take your card and receipt with you. Keep your PIN in your head, not in your wallet.
  • If you're job hunting using resume Web sites, don't apply unless the employer has a verifiable address.

Protect your computer from vulnerability:

  • Keep system and browser software up to date and set to the highest security level you can tolerate. Install anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection, and keep them up to date as well. When possible use hardware firewalls, often available through your broadband connection router.
  • If you use wireless Internet access, make sure that you get help from someone who understands wireless security when you set up your access point or router.
  • Back up your data and store it way from your computer.
  • Don't open e-mails from strangers. Malware can be hidden in embedded attachments and graphics files.
  • Don't open attachments unless you know who sent them and what they contain. Never open executable attachments. Configure Windows so that the file extensions of known file types are not hidden.
  • Don't click on pop-ups. Configure Windows or your Web browser to block them.
  • Don't provide your credit card number online unless you are making a purchase from a Web site you trust. Reputable sites will always direct you to a secure page with an URL starting with https:// whenever you actually make purchases or are asked to provide confidential information.
  • Use strong passwords: at least six characters, including at least one symbol and number, and no reference to your name or other personal information. Use a different password for every site that requires one, and change passwords regularly.
  • Never send a user name, password or other confidential information via e-mail.
  • Consider turning off your computer when you're not using it or at least putting it in standby mode.
  • Don't keep passwords, tax returns or other financial information on your hard drive.

7 steps to clean up the mess

If you suspect your identity may be compromised, place a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus. When you place an alert, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report. After that, take advantage of the free annual reports the bureaus are required to give all consumers. Stagger your requests so that you get a report every four months.

If you are the victim of identity theft, take the following steps:

  • Make an identity-theft report to the police and get a copy. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Also, contact the office of your state's attorney general; you may be able to file a report there.
  • Close accounts that have been tampered with. Contact each company by phone and again by certified letter. Make sure the company notifies you in writing that the disputed charges have been erased. Document each conversation and keep all records.
  • Consider purchasing identity theft insurance. It cannot protect you from becoming a victim of identity theft, but it can help you pay the cost of reclaiming your financial identity.
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