Community E-lert - Holiday Crime Prevention

City of Medina Washington sent this bulletin at 11/20/2020 11:43 AM PST

 

    

DATE:         November 20, 2020

 

TO:              E-lert® Recipients                      

 

FROM:        Steve Burns, Chief of Police

 

SUBJECT:  Community E-lert® Community Awareness Update      

Community E-lert® is a registered trademark of the City of Medina Police Department. This announcement is provided as a public service to residents of Medina and Hunts Point.  It is our intention to distribute these E-lerts following an occurrence or condition that may have public safety or community well-being implications. 

 

  

HOLIDAY CRIME PREVENTION

 

As we move into the holidays, the Medina Police Department would like to remind you about staying safe and alert. Because of COVID-19 precautions, many of us are ordering more online so we need to be extra alert to package theft. And there is a lot that we can do!

 

 

10 Tips for Holiday Safety and Crime Prevention: package

1. Do not leave presents or other valuables inside your vehicle.  If you must leave them in the vehicle, secure them in the trunk.

2. Do not leave packages on your doorstep.  If you know something is being delivered, try to arrange to be home or have it left with a neighbor you know will be home

3. Set up notifications to track your packages

4. Try to remove your mail from the mailbox as soon as possible after daily deliveries

5. If you are going to be out of town, arrange with the Postal Service to have your mail stopped or have someone pick up your mail

6. If your home is equipped with an alarm system, activate it whenever you are away and always lock your doors and windows, even when you are home

7. Make sure all doors and windows have secondary locks (window pins, deadbolts, dowels, etc.) and use them!

8. Ensure that dark areas and entrances have outdoor lights that are turned on after dark or are activated by sensors

9. Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed so they do not conceal doors and windows. Remember, overgrown foliage can provide a hiding place for criminals

10. If you plan to be out of town for the holidays, the Medina Police Department offers the “Housewatch” program to residents.  If you sign up for this service, police officers will regularly check on your home and look for anything out of place.  To sign up go to the City of Medina website (www.medina-wa.gov), click on “Online Forms”, and then “Housewatch Request Form”.  You may also us to tell us that you will be away. 

In addition, the Medina Police Department encourages our citizens to always report suspicious activity.  If you see suspicious activity notify us immediately by calling 911.  Our call takers in the 911 call center will take the information and dispatch an officer. Often, the officer will be responding before you end the call.

Package theft

Suspicious activity or behavior is anything that strikes you as wrong or unusual – such as:

 

  • Staying in the same place for a long time, in or out of a vehicle
  • Sitting in a vehicle observing an area closely
  • Driving around the same area frequently, speeding up or slowing down
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Looking around furtively without apparent cause
  • Carrying unusual objects that seem out of place with surroundings
  • Acting strangely and wearing bulky clothing, especially out of season
  • Fleeing when noticed
  • Lurking near mailboxes

 

If you have any questions or comments regarding this information, please contact the Medina Police Department at 425-233-6420. You may also contact us via email, Chief Burns can be reached at sburns@medina-wa.gov and Captain Scherf at dscherf@medina-wa.gov.