SECURITY TIPS

DRIVING:
                            
    

·        While driving, make sure your doors are locked and, be careful how far you roll down your windows especially, while sitting at a stop light. When you have to stop and put the car in park, re-lock the doors. You may be at an ATM machine, drive-thru, etc., and you never know who may be nearby. Also remember to put your purse in the trunk or under your seat, keeping out the things you will need, debit card, money, documents, etc.

·        While driving never pick up someone on the road and, if you see someone broke down be very careful how you deal with that situation. Maybe you see an old lady having car trouble, be very careful.  Thieves will use people who many might feel comfortable with (oh, this is a dear old lady). Or maybe it’s an old man, girl, or a good looking woman or man. If you want to help, drive a piece away from the person having trouble, call the police and, wait for the police.

·        Make sure your cell phone is working properly. If you are broke down on the road, you will want to be able to contact the police, family, tow truck, triple AAA, etc. If your cell phone is low charge or dead, then you are in trouble. If your cell phone has problems keeping a charge, get it fixed so you will not have this problem.  When you really need the phone (if it will go bad) this is when it will happen, when you are broke down.

CAR:

                 
                                      

Ø Do you know how to change your tire, put gas in your car, add water to your radiator, and put oil in the engine? If the answer is no, get someone to teach you how to do these simple things because you may be alone and need to do these things. You need to know what type of oil, transmission fluid, radiator fluid you need. You can put this information on your cell phone or write it down and put it in your glove compartment.

Ø We are not endorsing AAA auto, however, a service like this is good to have so that if you break down or lock your keys in the car, you can get help. Your car insurance also carries this service and road side service too. Check with your insurance company to see what they cover.

Ø In the winter time, keep a blanket in the car, cell phone charger; make sure your tires are good. Perhaps you may want to have something to cover your windshield so they don’t get covered in ice. Make sure your battery is relatively new. Cold weather has a way of letting you know what is not working correctly on your car. Get those things checked before the cold weather comes.

WORK:

   
 

ü When you are driving to and from work, don’t always take the same route. If someone is stalking you or trying to steal from you, they will follow you to know where you live or work. Pay attention to your rear view mirror to see if anyone is following you at any time. When you take a different route, let your family know what route you are taking (even if you change it every day) so that if something happens to you, your family will know what direction you traveled in.

ü If you park in a garage, a distance from your office or you park your car in an area where there is not a lot of traffic, try to walk out with someone you know very well. Call a family member to let them know you are leaving and, let them know when you are safe in your car. If you work late, have a family member walk out with you.

ü If you work late have a member of your family come and wait for you. Thieves will wait for the building to close but, they may know that the exterior doors may not lock down until an hour after the workers leave. A thief will hang around the lobby or a different floor waiting for someone to leave out. They may rob and rape you on the elevator.  This is equally true if you have elevators in the garage.

ü Let your family know if you have to work late, let them know when you will leave your work, the route you will take, make sure no one is following you.

ü Also remember this, sometimes cleaning companies that clean offices and buildings sometimes hire trustees. This is not to say that such persons black or white are bad persons and out to do you harm. However, they made a mistake which landed them in jail. You don’t need to look at cleaning personnel as bad persons. Just be aware of your surroundings at all times

SHOPPING:

§  When you are in the grocery store, keep your purse or bag on your arm. Many times women are in the stores to get the best price for an item. They may have coupons and they are comparing the coupon with the product on the shelf. Women sometimes forget that their purse is sitting in the buggy and open a lot of times. Thieves love to see this because you made their job of robbing you so much easier.

§  When you are pushing you buggy to the car, remember to know that your purse is in the buggy too. When you put your bags in the car, put your purse in the trunk first. Then load the bags in the car. Thieves are watching you load the bags while, they unload your purse.

§  When you pay for your items, don’t let the thief see that you have a wallet with plenty of money in it. In some cases you can put your debit card, money and store card in your pocket. Sometimes, you can leave your wallet under the seat and take with you, your purse with your coupons and the money you want to spend at that store. This is important because when you leave the store, the thief is watching you. He or she will approach you to ask you for a little piece of money so they can get something to eat. If you have your bag with your valuables, the thief may knock you down and grab your purse.

GAS:

                      
 

    When you are getting GAS at the gas station, we may leave our bag on the seat with the door open. We say to ourselves, we will only pump $20.00, how long will that take right? Wrong, a thief will only need seconds. Remember, the thief may have someone helping him to distract you while the other person steals your bag or valuables.

    Do you have a lock gas cap? Gas is very valuable today so, spend up to $20.00 to put a lock gas cap on your gas tank. It does not take long for someone to steal five gallons of gas out of your car. The thief sees you going into the store. He knows you will be in the store 15 minutes to 3 hours. He steals the gas as he is watching you walk in the store.

HOLIDAY TIME:

v Park in an area with a lot of light while you shop in the malls, strip centers, single stores, etc., Put your bought packages in the trunk. Remember, have your money, credit cards in a safe place. The chances are greater at holiday times that someone will approach you. As you buy big ticket items like a TV, computers, sound systems, golf clubs and bags, x-box games and the like, make sure no one is following you home. As you are driving home make several turns to ensure that you are not being followed.  

HOME:


          

 

o   Persons are so happy to buy and carry their big screen TV home, so is the thief. There are several ways that he knows what you have in your house. He sees the big box at the road for the trash man to pick up. This box may sit at the road 1 or 2 days. When you take the item home, he sees you unloading it. The third way we may not think about too much, we have our doors open with the screen doors locked, we like to have our house to have the open look, blinds, big windows.  Some people don’t like to feel closed in by having the house sealed up with them in the house. You may want to have those big ticket items not so visible. You may want to pick up these big ticket items at a time you are pretty sure you can get them in the house with no one seeing you.


  


 

o   Make sure your home is well lit on the outside at night. A thief does not like light because this enables him to be seen. So have your house well lit on timers and make sure those timers are set for day-light saving time.

o   Some people have trees and bushes all around the house. Don’t make it easy for the thief to hide while he scopes out your house. Trim the trees and bushes so that he is not able to hide.



 

o   Leave an extra key with a trusted neighbor or colleague. Make sure you really know your neighbor. It might be best to leave the key with a family member, even if you have to drive a few miles to get it.

o   Keep doors locked even when you or family members are at home. This is so important because you may be home in a back room, not knowing that someone is in your home to do you harm or to steal.

                    
 

o   Have window locks installed on all windows. If you have children, this may mean you have to check those windows continually. Children like to open the windows to hang out and talk to their friends. 


                    

o   Have locks installed on your fuse boxes and external power sources. A Thief can use this well to his advantage but, if he cannot get in the box, this works to the home owner advantage.

o   If you have burglar or intrusion alarms, check and use them. This cannot be overstated. You want to protect you and your dwelling. If an intruder hears the alarms going off, he generally will leave and hit someone else home.

o   Keep at least one fire extinguisher on each floor, and be sure to keep one in the kitchen. Show family members and household help how to use them.

o   Periodically check smoke detectors and replace batteries when necessary.

o   Keep flashlights in several areas in the house. Check the batteries often, especially if you have children in your home. (They love to play with flashlights!)

o   A family dog can be a deterrent to criminals. But remember, even the best watch-dog can be controlled by food or poison.  

o   Know your neighbors. Develop a rapport with them and offer to keep an eye on each other's homes, especially during trips. You may want to ask your friends and or family to stay in your home until you return.

o   While at home, you and your family should rehearse safety drills and be aware of procedures to escape danger and get help.

o   Educate family members and domestic help in the proper way to answer the telephone at home. Your children may tell someone on the phone that no one is home or when someone will return, not thinking that the persons they are talking to wants to rob them or do some other harm to the family.

o   Know where all family members are at all times. This requires that members of the family check in with other members of the family.

o   Use these same guidelines while on leave or in travel status.