Safety Tips & Crime Prevention
4 RULES OF PERSONAL SAFETY
1. PREVENTION
How to reduce the chances of being a victim:
- The single most important thing in crime prevention is staying alert and aware of what is going on around you and your surroundings.
- We can and should incorporate a 2,500-year-old Chinese saying that is still used by the Chinese and is included in the U.S. Marine Corp. training manual: “A commander may be forgiven for being defeated in battle, but never for being surprised.” To some extent alertness is an inherent personality trait. However, it can be learned and improved upon if we accept the fact that we live in a world filled with danger.
- Know what’s behind you and pay particular attention to anything out of place. Develop eyes in the back of your head.
2. AVOIDANCE
How to avoid a dangerous situation:
- Don’t allow your mind to wander, thinking about your job or all the things you have to do, when walking or driving. When you are angry, frustrated, depressed, unusually happy and carefree or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, your chances of being a victim increase.
- Your strongest ally in a confrontation is your brain. When you lose your keen sense of awareness, through distraction or chemicals, you lose vision. When you are in “your own little world” you become an easy target for an assailant. The attacker will use the element of surprise and opportunity. Don’t give them this advantage.
- Be assertive in your actions and the way you walk. Give the appearance that you know what you are doing and where you are going.
- Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you uneasy, avoid that person or leave the area.
- Know the neighborhoods where you live, work and shop.
- Know the locations of police stations, fire stations, public telephones and restaurants or stores that are open late.
3. ESCAPE
Do what ever it takes to get away:
- Make as much noise as possible to attract attention to yourself and your assailant. Chances are the attacker will be surprised at your actions and want to get away.
4. COMBAT
If you can’t escape, fight.
- Car or house keys to the face, especially the eyes
- Pen or pencil to the throat
- Open hand strikes to the nose or chin
- Kick or grab the groin area
- Stomp instep of the attackers foot or scrape the shins
Follow these simple rules and your chances of becoming a victim decrease. Immediately call the police to report suspicious incidents.
AMBER ALERT
COMMUNITY ACTION
The AMBER Alert™ Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.
The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.
AMBER is officially an acronym for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, but was named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996.
Immediately after a child has been kidnapped and is considered endangered, law enforcement officers launch an Amber Alert by informing broadcast media of critical details, including a description of the suspect and his vehicle.
Radio and TV stations use the Emergency Alert System to interrupt their programming with the emergency information.
For more information on Amber Alerts:
CRIME STOPPERS
Call Crime Stoppers to leave a tip at 918.336.CLUE (2583) or find the app, CSTips.
WHAT IS CRIME STOPPERS?
Crime Stoppers began in Albuquerque, N.M., in September 1976. Members of the local community, in partnership with the media and law enforcement, began an effort to provide crime-solving assistance to law enforcement.
A cash reward was offered to anonymous persons who telephone the Crime Stoppers hot line with information which led to the arrest and indictment of the person(s) responsible for felony offenses.
The Crime Stoppers program has enjoyed great success boasting an average conviction rate of 95 percent on cases solved by Crime Stoppers’ tips. The Crime Stoppers programs worldwide have solved over a half a million crimes and recovered over $3 billion worth of stolen property and narcotics.
Today, there are more than 1,000 Crime Stoppers programs in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Bahamas, British West Indies, Micronesia and other nations.
WHY DO WE NEED CRIME STOPPERS?
Crime Stoppers is based on the principal that “Someone other than the criminal has information that can solve a crime” and was created to combat the three major problems faced by law enforcement in generating that information:
- Fear of reprisal
- An attitude of apathy
- Reluctance to get involved
Crime Stoppers resolves these problems by:
- Offering anonymity to people who provide information about crimes
- Paying rewards when the information supplied leads to arrest
3 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF CRIME STOPPERS PROGRAM
THE COMMUNITY
Citizens are responsible for forming a Crime Stoppers non-profit corporation, whose directors establish policy, determine amount and method of reward payments, work closely with the police and the media and generally oversee the program. The directors are also responsible for fundraising and all volunteer service. Tax money is not sought.
THE MEDIA
Crime Stoppers methods, objectives, successes and phone numbers are publicized on a regular basis by the media. An unsolved “Crime of the Week” is given special treatment with details published in newspapers, on radio and in certain cases a re-enactment on television.
THE POLICE
A special Crime Stoppers phone with a well publicized number is provided to the community. Callers are assigned a special code number and NEVER give their names. If, after the investigation, the information leads to an arrest, the caller is entitled to a reward.
Call Crime Stoppers to leave a tip at 918.336.CLUE (2583).
DRUG ENFORCEMENT
The Bartlesville Police Department expends considerable efforts and manpower on drug enforcement, working to identify areas of high drug activity and bring violators of the state and local drug laws to prosecution. Working in partnership with concerned citizens, the department seeks to help protect neighborhoods from all crimes, including those that are drug-related.
Do you have a drug house in your neighborhood?
Drug houses don’t just happen in other neighborhoods. There are drug houses in all types of neighborhoods. There are four things that make a drug house:
- Product
- Buyer
- Seller
- Location
Most neighborhoods have very little control over “product,” “buyer” or “seller.” Drug dealers look for locations where neighbors do not communicate and isolate themselves. This makes it easy to intimidate those neighbors that notice drug activity. Drug dealers like neighborhoods that say, “It can’t happen here.”
Money is a key element for the drug dealer. If they establish a drug house in a neighborhood where kids and adults have money to buy drugs, business will thrive.
What are the warning signs of drug activity in the neighborhood?
Do any of these sound familiar?
- Excessive foot traffic to and from a house or property
- Loitering in or around a house
- Frequent and unusual traffic patterns such as: Stop – Enter – Leave
- Traffic frequently stops and a resident comes out and talks briefly with occupants of car
- Threats of intimidation connected to a residence
- Open exchange of drugs and money
- Gang activity in the neighborhood
- Graffiti on structures in the area
- Sudden increase in criminal activity
Prevention is the best way to stop drug houses!
You can reduce the chance that a drug house moves into your neighborhood. Start a Neighborhood Watch and get to know your neighbors. Meet and know your Community Police Officers. As problems develop in the neighborhood, work with law enforcement to resolve them quickly.
What should you do if there is a drug house in your neighborhood?
One of the tools of the drug dealer is intimidation. There is safety in numbers.
- Start a Neighborhood Watch or build a cooperative effort with other neighbors.
- Using the House Watch sheet on the back of this pamphlet, log all activity connected to the suspected drug house.
- Talk to your area police officer and give the information from your House Watch sheet to them.
- Speak with property owners about problems that the tenants are causing for the neighbors. If you are having problems, the property owner is probably having problems too.
- Report all problems to the appropriate agency. Police, Fire, Health, Public Works are just some of the agencies that you may call with problems.
If you have any information about drug house activity in your neighborhood or would like to contact our office, contact Cpl. Nick Gonzalez at ncgonzalez@cityofbartlesville.org or 918.338.4026.
EMERGENCY 911
ENHANCED 911 SYSTEM
Bartlesville Police Department is the Public Safety Answering Point for the enhanced 911 system. All 911 calls in Bartlesville and the other communities in Washington County are answered by Bartlesville Police Department dispatchers.
Our system includes the Automatic Location Identification and the Automatic Number Identification, which captures the location and number of a 911 call and displays it on the call takers console. This feature allows a dispatcher to call a number back or dispatch assistance when the caller is disconnected or cannot respond.
WHO ANSWERS 911 CALLS?
Bartlesville police dispatchers answer all 911 calls, including fire and EMS calls. Some local telephone exchange numbers are actually in Osage County. In those cases, the information is taken and transferred to Osage County Sheriff’s Office.
CAN I CALL 911 FROM A CELLULAR OR PCS TELEPHONE?
Yes, 911 is a free call on most cellular systems. Depending on who your cellular provider is and the location that you are calling from, your 911 call could be answered in another jurisdiction. If you have a Bartlesville telephone exchange telephone number and you call from in Bartlesville and the call is answered by another agency, notify your cellular provider about the problem. Be aware that current technology will not provide the dispatcher with your location so be prepared to provide that information when you call.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
Sometimes the addressing information in the telephone company’s database is not current, so the correct name and address do not always display. The dispatchers should confirm your name and address when they answer the call.
Sometimes calls from large PBX systems will not display the actual location of the telephone. If you call from a large office building or plant that has multiple trunk lines, be prepared to give the dispatchers the directions to the office or work area where assistance is need.
If you should call 911 by accident, please stay on the line and explain the situation to the dispatcher. If you hang up, the call has already been captured and the dispatchers will try to call you back to inquire about the problem. If they do not get a response, a police officer will be dispatched to check on an unknown trouble call. A few moments of your time can save a great deal of effort on the part of several emergency services personnel.
Register with smart911 so your information is complete in case you have an emergency.
For non-emergencies, call 918.338.4001.
THEFT PREVENTION
HOME & BUSINESS SAFETY
No home is burglar-proof. But most burglars are opportunists looking for an easy target. Your secured home is much less “attractive” than the one down the street that isn’t protected. Your local burglar can tell you that.
Check out your home from the burglar’s point of view. Start on the outside.
- Do trees and shrubbery obscure doors and/or windows?
- Are entrances to your home unlit?
- Are openings to your home (skylights, crawl spaces or vents) unprotected?
- Are entrances unlocked, including the garage and inside doors?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have a problem to correct. Now, let’s look at your home from the inside.
- Are exterior doors secured using a deadbolt lock, minimum one-inch thick?
- Does the basement door have extra protection, such as a padlock?
- Does the garage door lock?
- Does the garage entrance to your home have a deadbolt lock (with a minimum one-inch throw)?
- Are all exterior doors (including the garage) strong enough to withstand excessive force? Exterior doors should be solid wood or metal.
- Are all strike plates and frames for each door strong enough to withstand excessive force?
- Are sliding doors and windows secure against forced locks and/or lifting out of their frames?
- Are hinges pinned to prevent removal?
- Is there a peephole viewer (180 degrees) on the main entrance door?
- Are double hung windows secured with a pin or extra lock to discourage jimmying?
- Do the casement window latches work properly, without excess play?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you have a problem to correct. To further protect your belongings and help recover stolen items:
- Clearly mark your valuables with an identifying number. The Police Department has two engravers available for check out.
- Make a list of your valuables including description, model and serial numbers.
- Take photos or video tape valuables such as art, jeweler and electronic equipment.
- Place the list and photos in a safe place.
- Establish a security closet inside your house for storing valuables. The closet door should be as secure as your exterior doors, with a deadbolt lock and pinned hinges on a solid wood door.
- Post your house number clearly and keep it well lighted at night. This will help emergency personnel responding in case of an emergency, as well as assist in the reporting of one.
- Be a good neighbor. Watch out for suspicious activity on your block and call for help immediately when your observe it.
Now that you know what to look for in securing your home, find out how. The Bartlesville Police Department can show you the techniques to use to “pass” your security survey. The Police Department offers the service of conducting a free security survey upon request. For an appointment call 918-338-4028.
REMEMBER, no home is burglar-proof, but experience has shown you can reduce your chances of being burglarized by reducing easy opportunities.