Home Safety Tips

Alphonzo Upchurch – WOS Community Safety
• Get to know your neighbors, then you will know who the strangers are. You would be surprised to know how many people that don’t even know their neighbors. ( My wife and I have been homeowners in WOS since 2004 after relocating from Washington, D.C. and have met more residents than people that have resided here for over 25 years.)
• Sponsor a Neighborhood Watch and/or join the Cellular On Patrol (C.O.P.) See C.O.P. training schedule. For information about C.O.P. and how to join check http://www.sanantonio.gov/sapd/cop2.asp#train Help us to make WOS a safer place to live. We presently have eleven (11) COP members. We need more members to help make WOS safer.
• Be sure the outside doors of your home has strong deadbolt locks.
• Keep spare keys with a trusted neighbor, not under a doormat, planter, or on a ledge.
• Lock gates, garage doors, and shed doors after every use. Don’t make it easy for an intruder(s).
• Illuminate or eliminate places an intruder might hide: the spaces between trees or shrubbery, stairwells, alleys, hallways, and entryways.
• Set timers on lights when you’re away from your home for an extended period of time so it appears to be occupied. Inform your neighbors when you are going on vacation. Stop mail and paper delivery.
• Keep your bike and sports equipment secured inside your home, when they’re not in use.
• Avoid confrontations with burglars.
• Call 911 for an emergency and 207-SAPD for non-emergency police calls.

Online Safety for Children

The following are a few tips you can teach your children about online safety:

• NEVER give out personal information unless a parent says it’s OK. This includes your name,
address, phone number, age, race, school name or location, or friends’ names. Also no photos.
• NEVER share passwords, even with friends.
• NEVER meet a friend you only know online in person unless a parent says it’s
OK. It’s best if a parent goes along and to meet in a public place. (Older teens that
may choose not to tell a parent and go alone should at least go with
a friend and meet in a public place.)
• NEVER respond to messages that make you feel uncomfortable
or hurt your feelings. Ignore these messages, stop all communication, and tell a
parent or another adult you trust right away.

Parents, this could happen to anyone. Even straight-A students who never get into trouble can fall victim to a child predator. They’re kids, they trust everyone. Teaching your kids street smarts is essential. Child predators treat sexual assaults as a job. They have one goal. The grooming process begins with a bond online. The predator knows what to say and how to say it. Remember they are only judged by the text they write. They are patient. Child Predators don’t care if it takes a year to build a bond. Other tips can be found at http://safetynet.aap.org and http://www.microsoft.com/protect/family/guidelines/default.mspx to name a few.

Family Assistance Crisis Team (F.A.C.T.)

If you or anyone you know is getting hurt by a partner, there are people who want to help. During the week, case managers are available at each SAPD sub-station and SAPD Headquarters to talk with you. Volunteers are on duty at the sub-stations Friday and Saturday nights from 8:00 pm -3:00 am. Call (207-7425) or come to the Prue Road sub-station (5020 Prue Road) or to the closest SAPD sub-station to the location of the incident for help and information.
As a victim of domestic violence, you face huge challenges every day. Volunteers are a resource for you. They can listen discuss choices and concerns, help you set up a safety plan. They are not present to tell you what to do about your relationship. This is your decision, you know best about your life.
The F.A.C.T. program allows concerned citizens to respond to victims of domestic violence. Volunteers attend an intensive training course provided by professionals who have experience in domestic/family violence and crisis intervention. Volunteers offer crisis intervention services, help with safety planning and information on community resources.
If you want to talk to someone in a safe and confidential way, talk to a F.A.C.T. volunteer. It is a crime for anyone to hurt you. Domestic violence is a crime which is not acceptable in our community.

Help SAPD Help YOU

No police agency can function effectively without the assistance of concerned, responsible citizens. The police are depending on you to call and tell them whenever you observe suspicious persons or actions.
Some people fail to call the police simply because they are not aware of what seemingly innocent activities might be suspicious. Others may notice suspicious activity and be hesitant to call for fear of seeming a “nosey neighbor” or a “crank.” Still others may take it for granted that someone else has already called.
Anything that seems slightly out of place for the area or during the time of day in which it occurs is described as suspicious. Such as items being loaded into a truck in the rear of a business after business hours or a stranger attempting to enter your neighbor’s home, when you know they are on vacation.
Call SAPD immediately about all suspicious activity and do it yourself anonymously if you wish. Don’t worry about being embarrassed if your suspicions prove unfounded. Think instead about what might happen if you don’t.
Not every stranger who comes into our subdivision is a criminal. There are many legitimate door to door salesman, repairmen and servicemen moving about in our neighborhood all the time. But criminals take advantage of this by assuming the identity of legitimate business representatives. If you observe someone going door to door and after a few homes you observe one or more of the persons try a door to see if it is locked or goes into a back or side yard. It is probably a burglar. Get the description of the suspects and vehicle if any, then call 911. DO NOT APPROACH THE SUSPECTS.

When calling the police, the following information is helpful, if possible to obtain. What when and where, Is anyone injured, Vehicle description and tag number, Direction of flight, (police could possibly capture them as they attempt to leave the scene) and Description of person(s) including clothing. When describing suspects, notice age, race, sex, height and weight. Compare your weight and height to theirs. Pick out some unique characteristics such as walk with limp, tattoos and etc.

Laptop Security

Quick Facts

Thinking of taking your laptop on the road? It's a great way to work and stay in touch when you're out and about, but you need to take some steps to keep your laptop safe–and in your possession. Here are some things you can do to keep track of your laptop:

Treat it like cash.
Get it out of the car…don't ever leave it behind.
Keep it locked…use a security cable.
Keep it off the floor…or at least between your feet.
Keep passwords separate…not near the laptop or case.
Don't leave it "for just a sec"…no matter where you are.
Pay attention in airports…especially at security.
Use bells and whistles…if you've got an alarm, turn it on.
Check online safety tips @ www.onguardonline.gov

Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Site http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft