Summer safety suggestions Published May 8, 2007 By Sheriff Community Oriented Policing Effort SPOKANE, Wash. -- As warmer weather and longer hours of daylight invade the Spokane area, law enforcement professionals want to remind area residents of several ways to reduce the chance they have of becoming a crime statistic. Most criminals are opportunists and will strike an unwary victim at any time of day. In the summertime, this frequently means cruising neighborhoods looking for an open garage door while the resident works out of sight in the backyard. Resist the urge to leave garage doors open when you are not physically present to protect the valuables stored inside. Pawn shops are full of mowers, snow throwers and scores of different types of hand and power tools that only took a few seconds to steal. Likewise, numerous reports are received each summer where a victim loses a purse, camera, checkbook or other valuable from inside their home because they were in the back yard and left the front door unlocked. Like robins to springtime lawns, salesmen of questionable character invade Spokane-area neighborhoods with a variety of stuff to "sell." Window cleaner, vegetables, magazines, all are offered door-to-door by sales staff that usually arrive 10 to a van. While some of these offers may be legitimate, reports are frequently received where items turned up missing after the sales person was allowed inside a home to use the bathroom or phone. Resist the urge to be a good host and keep these transient sellers out of the home. If their sales tactics become too aggressive or they appear to be "casing" your home, call 9-1-1 and request that a deputy or police officer come to verify they are legitimate. It is not unheard of to have a home burglarized within a day or two of this type of sales pitch. Warmer weather means many area residents will return to trails, parks and waterways in Spokane County. Parking areas for these sites are perennial targets for thieves bent on vehicle prowling. Keep valuables locked in the trunk or leave them at home. Thieves more often than not break into vehicles where they see something to steal, rather than risking arrest by breaking into a car to look for something to steal. By the same token, summertime movies and trips to the mall can be a source of frustration for visitors who return to their vehicle to find broken glass and missing property. Thieves know that someone who visits a theater will be gone an hour or more, and they make productive use of that time by relieving owners of their valuables. Leave cameras, checkbooks and other items of value at home, or lock them in the trunk. Park where there is a lot of foot traffic - a lot of potential witnesses will help limit your risk. Vacations, and even day trips, should include plans to have someone collect newspapers or mail. Lights on in a home's interior at night can make it look occupied, and a car in the driveway (even a neighbor's) makes it look even more so. Let a trusted neighbor know you will be away, and ask them to report suspicious vehicles and persons who appear to be in the neighborhood for no specific reason.
