Theft Prevention

First a couple quick comments.

There are some minor changes coming to the website.

BOARD REPORTS

We always do a monthly HOA Board Report and present to the residents and Board at our HOA meetings. From now on that report will be available here the day of the meeting. On the right column there is a new Category called MONTHLY HOA BOARD REPORTS. So here’s your chance to get our report BEFORE the meeting.

If you have questions or comments the contents of the report please feel free to bring them up at the meeting.

PCSO PRESS RELEASES

There is currently a tab for all of the press releases pertaining to our area or any major events in Pinal County. That tab is going away in a couple of weeks so if there is anything you want now is the time to get it.

There is a new Category on the right called PCSO PRESS RELEASE and this is where they will be from now on. Since the material becomes dated very quickly, they will be rotating and probably only going to be up for a couple of weeks.

NUTS AND BOLTS

If you read the post 2011 Year in Review you would have seen that Theft topped the list for crime calls from San Tan Heights in 2011. During our first four weeks of 2012 it’s right up there again.

What do the numbers mean in the big picture? We are lower than the national average for our type of geographical location and we also have a problem with theft.

STATS

• Stats: Nonmetropolitan Counties in 2009 Theft, Burglary and Vehicle Theft
  • Taken from US Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/law_enforcement_courts_prisons/crimes_and_crime_rates.html
  • Excel spreadsheet for the stats
  • 1 in 302 people were victims nationwide in this (similar to ours) geographic location; apples to apples.
  • If average home in STH has 3 people (9600 total) our rate for 2011 was 1 in 77

Most Theft and Burglary are Crimes of Opportunity

 Don’t Create the Opportunity

We have some excellent information under our More Resources tab so please check it out. Below are some very quick and easy fixes to make your home and family safer.

HOME

• Keep your front and back lights on at night.
  • Tell your neighbors to do the same. If every yard is well lit, most thieves will move on to the next unlit street. Darkness is their friend, not yours.
• Remove the hiding places thieves use by keeping shrubs and bushes trimmed.

CAR

• Park in well lit area
• Window tint
  • If you have to park on the street or your driveway, consider tinting your windows. If a thief has to struggle to see inside your car they will move on.
• Keep valuables out of site.
  • If you’re going to keep valuables in your car, put them in your trunk BEFORE you get to your destination.

ID Theft – this is complete article all by itself, stay tuned,,,

MOBILE DEVICES

Smart Phones are more like computers and the vulnerabilities are there, too. This article will answer the question, “why do I need anti-virus on my cell phone”?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/technology/personaltech/protecting-a-cellphone-against-hackers.html