Crime Prevention

Rape

Be aware of your surroundings when walking down the street. Walk briskly and confidently.

At night, try to avoid walking alone, particularly after 9:00 p.m. Stick to main streets with as much car and foot traffic as possible. Avoid public parks, areas with excessive trees and bushes, dark streets and alleys, and other "shortcuts."

Keep an arm’s length away from strangers. If you think someone suspicious is approaching you or following you, cross to the other side of the street and head for the nearest public place.

Know which stores and other public places are open along your route. Whether walking home, to work, or jogging, try to vary your route frequently.

When streets are sparsely populated, make brief eye contact with people as you pass them.

When parking at night, try to park in well-lit spots. Lock your car door and, when returning to your car, have your keys ready.

Never hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers.

Know the full name of each person you date, his occupation, and where he lives.

Never invite a person whom you have met on the street, in a bar, or in another public place to be alone with you.

If you are a victim of rape, report the crime. Counseling, shelters, and other services are available for you, and you may prevent another person from being victimized.

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Street Robbery

Try to avoid walking alone on the street after 9:00 p.m. If you must walk alone at night, use well-lit roads, with as much car traffic as possible, and walk near the curb.

When streets are relatively empty, make eye contact with everyone you pass, and keep yourself an arm’s length away from them. Walk briskly and confidently.

At night, avoid public parks, vacant lots, and areas with excessive trees and bushes.

When waiting for a bus or subway, if the station is deserted, keep your back against a wall in a well-lit section.

When walking to your car at night, have your keys in your hand and be ready to open the door.

Try to avoid using ATMs late at night. If you must, try to pick an ATM in an attended location, such as a supermarket or mall. At the very least, make sure the ATM is well lit, and be aware of any people "loitering" in the area. Try to avoid going by yourself.

At home, before answering the door, check the peephole or side window to make sure you know your visitor.

Keep your doors locked when driving your car. If someone approaches your car while stopped, be prepared to step on the gas.

Don’t carry your purse loosely around your shoulder. Clutch it tightly under your arm or, better yet, avoid carrying a purse and keep a wallet in your pocket instead.

If you are robbed, obey the robber’s instructions. Keeping your cash in a separate money clip or pouch will allow you to hand it over without sacrificing your credit cards, identification, and personal papers. Try to memorize your robber’s physical features, clothing, motor vehicle, and direction of flight. Call the police from the nearest available telephone.

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Commercial Robbery

Keep cash to a minimum with frequent, irregular deposits or a "drop safe." Use visible stickers or signs to advertise your cash control policy.

Install visible closed circuit television cameras near cash registers.

Keep your establishment well-lit at night. Clear any obstructions that prevent someone on the street from seeing what is happening inside the store.

Designate a small bundle of cash "bait money." Record the serial numbers of these bills and make sure you give this cash to robbers.

During a robbery, remember that a robber is a bundle of nerves and, therefore, is very dangerous. Instruct your employees to obey a robber’s instructions calmly and politely.

Have employees memorize a signal or "code" to alert each other to potential or actual robbers.

If robbed, try to memorize as much as possible about the robber’s description, including his vehicle and his direction of flight.

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Assault

Check out the tips for preventing rape and street robbery to prevent unprovoked, "street" assaults.

If you have been abused by, or are in fear of, your domestic partner or spouse, get help. The problem usually becomes worse if it is not addressed. See more information about domestic violence.

Report assault when it happens, even if you do not believe it to be "serious." Assaults that are not reported cannot be considered by police administrators when they make decisions about how to allocate manpower and funds; if there is a problem with a bar, a household, a school, or any other place where assaults are likely to happen, the police need to know about it.

Do not allow yourself to be drawn into arguments about traffic or parking incidents. Keep calm when behind the wheel of your car. If another driver commits a violation or threatens you, take down his registration information and report it to the police. Hundreds of people are killed each year because of "road rage."

Unless they have security forces for that purpose, shop managers and clerks should not attempt to physically detain shoplifters. Most of the "Shop Owner/Patron" assaults began as shoplifting incidents. Instead, get a full description of the shoplifter and call the police. If he refuses to stay, let him go.

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Larceny

Office buildings should develop a comprehensive security policy involving all employees. The policy should include a prohibition against leaving expensive equipment—particularly laptop computers—unattended. Employees should be encouraged to question suspicious or unfamiliar people, or to report them to the security department.

Don’t leave expensive personal property in health club lockers. A better solution is a "fanny pack" or other strap-on carrier that you can keep with you at all times.

Retail establishments should provide individual lockers, with locks, for employee property. Leaving it behind the counter or in a "back room" is an invitation for theft.

Take extreme care of your personal property while shopping and dining. Keep it in sight, and never leave it unattended, not even for a minute.

Report all thefts, no matter how minor, to the police department. Greater reporting will allow us to identify and attack patterns and series of crime.

The best and really only way to prevent larcenies from motor vehicles is never to leave valuables in your car unattended—particularly electronic goods such as cellular telephones, laptop computers and GPS Systems. Preventing the theft of car radios is more difficult; some car stereo manufacturers make detachable face plates or stereos that pull easily from the dashboard, allowing you to take it with you or lock it in the trunk. Parking your car in a driveway or lot rather than on the street provides some minimal deterrent.

The facts are grim: no lock will stop a determined bicycle thief. However, using a lock is better than not using a lock, and you can maximize the protection a lock provides by:

Using a steel "U" lock rather than a cable lock

Locking the frame of the bicycle rather than the tire

Locking your bike at a bicycle rack

Register your bicycle with the Waltham Police Department. If your bike is stolen and recovered, it will be easier to find you and return your bicycle. Registration cards are available at the Waltham Police Department and at bicycle shops across the city. Call 781-314-3580 for more information.

Removing an essential part of the bicycle, such as the seat or one of the wheels, and taking it with you provides some protection against theft.

Don’t assume your bicycle is safe because it is in your yard, on your porch, or in your apartment hallway. Bikes should be locked in a secured area, such as a garage or shed.

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Shoplifting

Greet and serve customers promptly. Shoplifters do not want your attention.

If you suspect someone has "pocketed" merchandise, engage them in conversation for a few minutes. They may "ditch" the merchandise as soon as you leave them alone.

Sales personnel should have a full view of the sales floor area. Rearrange displays, shelving, and lighting to eliminate blind spots.

Keep displays neat and tidy.

Be aware of people wearing loose, baggy clothing, carrying shopping bags or large handbags, or customers under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

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Auto Theft

Door locks and ignition keys are called "first layer" anti-theft devices. Of course, every vehicle has them. They offer no deterrent to a determined thief. Learning how to pop a door lock and force an ignition is part of "Auto Theft 101."

"Second layer" anti-theft devices provide the most protection for your dollar. These include:

Steering wheel locks: metal bars designed to prevent the steering wheel from turning. They do their job, and provide an excellent visual deterrent. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, steering wheel locks decrease the chances of theft by a factor of four.

Steering column collars: steel collars that fit around the steering wheel and prevent a thief from cracking open the ignition. They offer the same benefits as a steering wheel lock.

Audible alarms: triggered by motion or impact sensors. Thieves aren’t likely to stick around when they go off.

Theft deterrent decals: an inexpensive way to bluff a thief into thinking that your vehicle is protected by an alarm or another device.

"Third layer" anti-theft devices include "kill switches" that prevent the flow of electricity to the engine unless a special, hidden switch is activated; and "smart keys," which are computer-coded keys that must be inserted before the vehicle will start.

Finally, "fourth layer" theft devices are electronic transmitters that allow police to track a vehicle after it is stolen. While not very effective in preventing the original theft, these devices increase chance of recovery. By the time the car is recovered, of course, it may be stripped or burned.

Other than theft devices, there are several precautions that can be taken to decrease the chances that you will become a victim of auto theft.

Engrave the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of your car on the car’s front and rear windshields (on an edge), and on key engine parts. This will make it difficult for a thief to resell the vehicle or its parts.

Parking in a driveway or parking garage offers some deterrent to theft. If you have a garage at home, parking your car in the garage and locking it greatly decreases your chances of overnight theft.

If you must park on the street at night, try to park under a street light or otherwise in a well-lit area.

When parking at shopping malls or motels, try to park near the entrance.

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Fraud

Banks are swiftly replacing standard ATM Cards with "Check Cards"—credit cards that deduct directly from your checking account. These check cards, while convenient, present a security problem. Thieves no longer need your Personal Identification Number (PIN) to use the card; if a thief uses it like a credit card, he can drain your entire account by just forging your signature on credit card slips. If your ATM Card has a credit card logo (such as Visa or MasterCard) on it, it can be used like a credit card. If you do not want this feature, notify your bank and have them send you an ATM-only card.

Keep your credit card numbers, and the telephone numbers of your credit card companies, at home and work. If your cards are stolen, call these numbers immediately and report the theft.

Try to avoid carrying more credit cards than you need at one time.

Never write your ATM card PIN number on the card or on a slip of paper in your wallet or purse.

Protect your cards against theft in the first place; see the prevention tips under the larceny section.

Merchants should implement and enforce a policy of requiring a photographic identification when using a check or credit card.

Whether or not the merchant has such a policy, you can force them to ask for photo identification when your credit card is used: instead of signing a new credit card, write the words "ask for photo ID" across the strip on the back of the card. The card is still valid, but you will have to present your identification whenever you use it in a store.

Learn to recognize potential fraud scenarios. Any of the following activities almost certainly involves a scam:

Someone approaches you on the street claiming to have found money.

Any circumstance in which you have to pay money in order to get money.

Someone comes to your door, without notification, claiming to work for the gas company, electric company, water company, or cable company. Always ask for official identification and call the utility company to make sure the identification is valid. Do not let "utility impostors" into your home.

You receive an unsolicited telephone call from someone offering a great deal on some piece of merchandise.

You’re notified in the mail that you’ve won a prize, but you have to pay money in order to claim it.

See our special page on HOME SECURITY

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