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.
