October is National Crime Prevention Month designed for members of communities to assist in preventing crime. The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) hosts events annually to raise awareness, share resources and remind communities to look out for each other. There are things you can do to help prevent crime and make your community safer.
Report suspicious activity.
If you see someone attempting to forcibly enter a house or car, report the activity to the local police agency. Reporting the suspicious activity may save someone’s personal belongings and possibly even their life. If you see someone running from a house or business, report the person leaving the location. When possible, snap photos of the suspect and at a minimum write down a few notes about the person’s description.
Look for suspicious vehicles.
If you see suspicious cars in your neighborhood, especially vehicles parked for prolonged periods of time, report the vehicles to the police. Vehicles that are new or clean but have old or excessively dirty plates should also be reported. The plates may not belong to the vehicle in question and your report may help police track down criminals.
Report drunk or texting drivers.
Often when people see others on the road driving badly, they do not say anything. Reporting drunk drivers can save victims lives and gets drunk drivers off the roads. Further, if you see someone driving poorly or texting while driving, contact the police to report the incident. When people do not pay attention to the road while driving, they are putting others in danger.
Reporting a crime is not difficult and takes only a few minutes of your time. Remain aware of your surroundings at all times, and be on the lookout to help make your community safer.
The Merdes Law Office has been helping Alaskans for more than 30 years. And while we hope you never need us… We’re here if you do.
