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It seems like 2011 has zoomed by, the holiday season is upon us again. I would like to welcome home our returning residents. As many of you make preparations to visit friends and family this season, I would like to offer a few safety tips.

It is a good idea to put a stop or hold on newspaper deliveries. A driveway with several newspapers in it is a great indication to those with criminal intent that no one is home. By doing this you reduce your chance of becoming a victim of a crime. As a good neighbor, if you see a home in your community with several newspapers in the driveway, contact security and we will come out and move the papers to a less obvious location.

As your security provider we offer a “Property Check” form that can be obtain and returned at any gatehouse. You may also submit a “Property Check” form via the Internet at www.gateaccess.net. By completing this form, your home will be checked at least twice a week for any suspicious activity. Also, have the POA Office to update any contact information that may have recently changed.

Holiday driving often means spending several hours behind the wheel. Long journeys can be tiring, and fatigue can be fatal. Get plenty of sleep before your journey, and try to drive at times of the day when you are normally awake. If possible, share the driving duties.

Driving during the holidays does not have to be stressful or dangerous. By preparing properly, having your vehicle checked before travelling and allowing plenty of time for long trips you can help ensure your safety on the road.

As a reminder, whenever you leave your home – no matter for how long – always lock yours doors and set your alarm. Being a proactive community will make the most significant difference. Remember never hesitate to call security. Report any suspicious persons and activity to security at 627-1600. Never leave valuables in your vehicle.

The smallest piece of information may be the biggest part of the solution. The strides we make as your security provider is based on your involvement in safety awareness as a community.

I would like to take a moment to say, “Thank you” to everyone that has called my office in the last month to report a suspicious person or vehicle. It is truly a great feeling to know that there is an extra pair of eyes watching over PGA National.

As you know, summertime is here again. The kids are out of school and it’s time for the family vacation. It’s also a time for those with criminal intentions to search for their next victim(s). Between the months of June and September, PGA National experiences a spike in its major crimes in comparison to the rest of the year.

Residential burglaries and auto burglaries are examples of major crimes. In 2010, there were seven (7) residential burglaries and eleven (11) auto burglaries between those months. All vehicle burglaries were the result of unlocked doors – crimes of opportunity. In the cases of the residential burglaries, the point of entry was in the rear of the residence and on several occasions the suspects broke a glass sliding door.

In continuing with our promise to provide optimum security service, we’ve increased the number of, “Foot Patrols”. I felt it was necessary for us to step out of the patrol vehicles and step into the community. We will be conducting random foot patrols in all of PGA National. Our primary areas of focus will be those communities that back up against the golf courses. We will be out looking for any suspicious activity. So don’t be alarmed when you see us walking around your community. Nothing has happened, we’re just checking on you.

As residents of PGA National, you are our biggest asset in curtailing crime in your community. We depend on you to be our extra pair of eyes and ears. So please continue to call and report any suspicious person, vehicle, or activity.

If you have plans to go on that family vacation, remember to stop by any gatehouse and pick up a Property Check form. You can also submit a form on the Internet at www.gateaccess.net

As a PGA National resident, you must be ever vigilant. Whenever you leave your home – no matter for how long – always lock yours doors and set your alarm. Make sure your garage door is closed. Remember never hesitate to call security. The smallest piece of information may be the biggest part of the solution. Report any suspicious persons and activity to security at 627-1600.

Recently one of the communities here in PGA National instituted a Crime Watch program. The first public meeting was held, crime watch signs are in place and citizens are becoming more attuned to what transpires around them.

Personally I believe this is a good idea. While the overall crime rate is still currently very low in PGA National, that is not the case in many surrounding communities. The economy being what it is means there are just that many more people walking about looking for opportunistic circumstances to commit crime. These are the garden variety thefts that appear, to those who commit them, to be of low risk.

While PGA National is very well patrolled by both your security department and Palm Beach Gardens police, this is a huge community with over 5,000 homes and many businesses. It has about 43 separate communities and many HOAs. More eyes and ears are always welcome to help us do an even better job. To be fair, many residents do take an active interest in their community and call us with information they believe could be useful. We certainly have encouraged this in the past and in no way want this to end. There are, however, certain advantages to an organized approach through a crime watch program.

Neighborhood crime watch is one of the most effective ways to prevent crime and reduce fear. Bonds form between neighbors, security and police. In the end, the entire community is better served.

How do you start a crime watch? It’s really easy. The basics are:

• Organize a small group of neighbors to discuss concerns, the level of interest and the possible neighborhood problems.
• Schedule a date, place and time to hold your first crime watch meeting.
• Contact the Palm Beach Gardens Crime Prevention Unit and Wackenhut security for assistance.

“Making the neighborhood safe” is the goal of any crime watch. Neighbors watch out for each other. They know the area like no one else and will be the first to observe anything out of order. Many times this also serves as springboard to address other community concerns.

If what has been discussed sounds right for your neighborhood, give it a try. Both your police department and your security department will be there to help you.

It is the duty of this office to make PGA National residents aware of any potential problems that could lead to opportunities for crime. The subject I want to discuss is one that I have already touched on in previous articles, but it is important, so I think it is appropriate to bring it up once again.

Theft from automobiles is on a meteoric rise in all the communities surrounding PGA National. Here, at home, we have only had one auto burglary and one attempt. In both cases doors were not locked and alarms not set.

Palm Beach Gardens PD remains vigilant in their patrols here as do we. Still, according to PD, the auto burglary rate is soaring from Military Trail and East. In fact, two nights ago a pair of auto burglars were arrested in the Trinity Church parking lot when caught in the act of breaking into vehicles. A third person got away but he is being sought. The police are doing all they can to assist the community with this problem.

That brings me to our Car Smart Program here at PGA National. After a few trial runs we began this program at the beginning of May. Everyone should, by now, be familiar with the program itself. We simply pick a community; look in every vehicle parked on or off street, and see if there are any valuables in sight. If there are we try to make personal contact with the owner to let them know. We put a “Car Smart Card” on every vehicle in the area, whether valuables are in sight or not, for two reasons. One is so we don’t single out the cars with valuables. The second is to send the message to would be thieves that we are watching and taking an active interest in the safety of our resident’s possessions.

We have now observed well over a thousand vehicles all over PGA National. At the start of the program we ran between 16 and 23 percent of all vehicles surveyed had valuables in plain sight. Over the past month or so this percentage has dropped to between 2 and 15 percent. Every personal contact we have made, without exception, have been thankful to be notified and made aware of a potential problem. We are slowly working our way through PGA and, hopefully, it will become second nature for residents to stash their belongings and lock their car.

Remember, auto burglaries occur almost exclusively to unlocked vehicles. Why make noise breaking glass when you can find the next one unlocked?

Anyone having any questions concerning this program please feel free to contact me at the Communications Center, 627.1600.

It has come to my attention that a number of “white collar” scams are being used by diverse criminal organizations, not only in our immediate area, but throughout the country.

I belong to a local professional organization comprised of directors of security as well as local law enforcement officials. The goal is an exchange of information to allow everyone to perform their duties with as much information at their fingertips as possible to do this efficiently. Meetings are held every month to keep abreast of the latest crime trends, what is being done to combat them and any new ideas members might have on the subject. This formal organization also fosters additional communication in between formal gatherings concerning information distributed in real time that might help prevent illegal activities at other sites. We are appraised on thefts, burglaries, suspect/vehicle descriptions and modus operandi from other communities that are forwarded in hopes they may be prevented elsewhere and also shed light, if apprehensions can be made, on earlier reported crimes. Information sent can also be in the form of scams currently making the rounds in hopes that greater awareness will translate to less victims. Two such scams are currently making the rounds and definitely bear being brought to the attention of PGA National residents.

The first you may find almost unbelievable, I know I did. I can only tell you this, while not proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by this writer, it comes from an extremely credible source within the intelligence community who has the proper connections that could verify the accuracy of this account. It is very simple. You get a phone call from an area code 809, 274 or 876. A message is left telling you to call back. That voice mail concerns the death, illness or arrest of a relative, or that you have won a prize. When you return the call you will get a recorded message keeping you on the line as long as possible. This is because they are charging you up to $2425.00 per minute. No, this is not a misprint. It is a foreign company set up in the Dominican Republic. Currently, there are no regulations capping what a foreign company can charge per minute. My source told me this was verified by the local phone company, AT&T and snoops.com. It seems neither phone carrier want to become involved because the call was actually placed from here to one of the area codes. That is the key to this scam; we place the call. I am sure, with all the area codes now out there, there are new and ingenious scams being dreamed up as this is written. We all have to be very, very circumspect when it comes to any kind of public communication. I know I will be.

The second scam is more straight forward and plays on the underlying honesty and willingness to cooperate with authorities. A phone call is received by a person identifying themselves as a governmental employee. The reason given for the call is that the recipient of the call has failed to respond to a jury summons and a warrant is being issued for his/her arrest. Of course, the person called protests saying they never received a summons and there must be some mistake. At that point the caller states that possibly this can be straightened out without an arrest but that further information will be needed, such as their date of birth and social security number. If this is obtained by the caller, the recipient has just become the subject of identity theft. This scam has been reported, so far, in 11 states. No governmental agency, will, out of the blue, be asking for these types of identification. As a general rule, give out no personal information. If they have legitimate business, know who you are, shouldn’t they already have it? The same must be said for any unsolicited phone call whether in person or by message. Verify everything and avoid the nightmares later.

SUMMER CAR SAFETY

Accidents happen.  Every summer in Florida we read where someone has left their baby or their pet in their car during the summer months.  When your car is parked in the sun your car heats up very quickly.  The temperature in your car can get up to 200 degrees, depending on the temperature outside, the kind of vehicle you have, and how long it has been in the sun.  This becomes a deathtrap for your child or pet.

When driving with a pet or a child in the car always make sure before you step out of the car, someone is responsible for the well being of your child or pet.  Don’t assume the other adult, child or guardian that is with you, will make sure they are safe.

Do not leave them in the car thinking you will “only be a minute”.  It is easy to get distracted and be unaware of how much time has passed.  Small children and animals are not able to open a window or a door like you can.  Typically they will be quiet when the heat overcomes them so there won’t be any overt signs i.e.: crying, barking, that will indicate they are in distress.  Cracking the window does not help; it doesn’t prevent the temperature in the car from rising.

Leaving children and pets inside a closed car is dangerous, deadly and illegal.  If you notice this situation, please call 911.  We all bear the responsibility of keeping our children and pets safe.