Neighborhood Watch

IF YOU SEE IT, REPORT IT

We all need to stay alert to suspicious persons, vehicles and activities. If you see something suspicious, report it immediately. Get as many details about the vehicle (esp. tag numbers) as you can and a direction of travel. Criminals prosper when citizens are afraid to get involved. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.

Bibb Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency number: (478) 746-9441
Crimes in Progress (Burglaries, Thefts, Assaults etc): dial 911

Lawn Equipment Theft Prevention

Do not store lawn equipment in open carports. Most lawn equipment thefts occur when items are in plain view from the road and unsecured.

If your only option is store it there, secure it to a permanent structure using cables and locks. Take the time to record the serial numbers and mark your equipment with the initials GA (For Georgia) followed by your driver’s license number. This will immediately tell law enforcement who the equipment belongs to when a suspect is stopped.

Do not leave equipment in the yard when taking breaks. It only takes seconds for a thief to exit a vehicle and steal your equipment. This has happened with items as large as riding mowers.

Keep your equipment in a securely locked storage shed or closed garage. Every security measure you take discourages thieves from victimizing you. Not taking preventative measures encourages them.

Do not leave any equipment or valuables in the open bed of a truck or trailer unsecured. Cables and locks must be used here as well. Thefts often involve lawn equipment unsecured in a truck or trailer.

Keep garage and storage area doors closed at all times. Thieves drive slowly through neighborhoods peering into garages and sheds then return later to steal what they have seen.

Start a NW group for your area. Subscribe to the Bibb Sheriff’s Email Update. Sheriff Modena urges you to report suspicious vehicles, persons and activity to law enforcement immediately. Do not wait until you or neighbors are victimized. Be proactive….not reactive.

Truck winches

Truck winches have been stolen from trucks in all areas of Bibb County. The thefts take place in private driveways, hotel parking lots and work sites. If you have a winch mounted on your vehicle, consider mounting procedures which make theft more difficult. The demand for winches often corresponds to the hunting season calendar.

Retired citizens and shift workers

Retired citizens and shift workers: watch your neighborhood during the day when others are at work. If something looks suspicious, report it. Examples of suspicious activities are; a vehicle driving through the area several times slowly and the occupants looking around, unofficial vehicles stopping at mailboxes, vans or pickup trucks backing up to doors or into back yards, teenagers who should be in school wandering through the neighborhood, vehicles parked on sides of secondary roads with no one around them or a driver who looks as if he/she is waiting for someone.

Homeowners

Homeowners: secure valuable items such as lawn equipment or bicycles to permanent fixtures if they cannot be stored in a locked building, record all serial number and store a copy on disc and paper in a separate location. (Burglars will most likely steal your computer). Mark valuables with “GA” and your Georgia driver’s license (as long as it isn’t your social security number). This will tell law enforcement exactly who stolen items belong to if your burglar is stopped before the crime is discovered. Make sure alarms are in good working order and turn them on when you leave, make sure all doors and windows are locked before you leave your home, do not leave any valuables in your vehicle and always lock the doors, if you have a fenced in back yard, put locks on the gates to complicate moving heavy or large items and to prevent vehicles from entering the back yard. If you hear a suspicious noise at night, get out of bed and look outside……someone may be breaking into your vehicle. If you see a crime in progress, call 911. Sheriff Modena does not recommend confronting criminals. Leave that to the people who get paid to do it.

Going on Vacation?

Notify neighbors and ask them to watch your home closely. Have someone pick up newspaper and mail daily. Make sure the garbage container is rolled out to the street on pickup day. Ask a friend or relative to turn lights on and off during the day on their way home. Arrange for someone to park their spare vehicle in your driveway on a varying schedule. That will confuse the burglar who has been casing your home. Put lights, stereo or a TV set on a timer. Call your law enforcement agency and request a patrolman to check your home during your absence.


Theft Prevention Tips
		IF YOU SEE IT, REPORT IT We all need to stay alert to suspicious persons, vehicles and activities. If you see something suspicious, report it immediately. Get as many details about the vehicle (esp. tag numbers) as you can and a direction of travel. Criminals prosper when citizens are afraid to get involved. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. Bibb Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency number: (478) 746-9441 Crimes in Progress (Burglaries, Thefts, Assaults etc): dial 911 Lawn Equipment Theft Prevention Do not store lawn equipment in open carports. Most lawn equipment thefts occur when items are in plain view from the road and unsecured. If your only option is store it there, secure it to a permanent structure using cables and locks. Take the time to record the serial numbers and mark your equipment with the initials GA (For Georgia) followed by your driver’s license number. This will immediately tell law enforcement who the equipment belongs to when a suspect is stopped. Do not leave equipment in the yard when taking breaks. It only takes seconds for a thief to exit a vehicle and steal your equipment. This has happened with items as large as riding mowers. Keep your equipment in a securely locked storage shed or closed garage. Every security measure you take discourages thieves from victimizing you. Not taking preventative measures encourages them. Do not leave any equipment or valuables in the open bed of a truck or trailer unsecured. Cables and locks must be used here as well. Thefts often involve lawn equipment unsecured in a truck or trailer. Keep garage and storage area doors closed at all times. Thieves drive slowly through neighborhoods peering into garages and sheds then return later to steal what they have seen. Start a NW group for your area. Subscribe to the Bibb Sheriff’s Email Update. Sheriff Modena urges you to report suspicious vehicles, persons and activity to law enforcement immediately. Do not wait until you or neighbors are victimized. Be proactive….not reactive. Truck winches Truck winches have been stolen from trucks in all areas of Bibb County. The thefts take place in private driveways, hotel parking lots and work sites. If you have a winch mounted on your vehicle, consider mounting procedures which make theft more difficult. The demand for winches often corresponds to the hunting season calendar. Retired citizens and shift workers Retired citizens and shift workers: watch your neighborhood during the day when others are at work. If something looks suspicious, report it. Examples of suspicious activities are; a vehicle driving through the area several times slowly and the occupants looking around, unofficial vehicles stopping at mailboxes, vans or pickup trucks backing up to doors or into back yards, teenagers who should be in school wandering through the neighborhood, vehicles parked on sides of secondary roads with no one around them or a driver who looks as if he/she is waiting for someone. Homeowners Homeowners: secure valuable items such as lawn equipment or bicycles to permanent fixtures if they cannot be stored in a locked building, record all serial number and store a copy on disc and paper in a separate location. (Burglars will most likely steal your computer). Mark valuables with “GA” and your Georgia driver’s license (as long as it isn’t your social security number). This will tell law enforcement exactly who stolen items belong to if your burglar is stopped before the crime is discovered. Make sure alarms are in good working order and turn them on when you leave, make sure all doors and windows are locked before you leave your home, do not leave any valuables in your vehicle and always lock the doors, if you have a fenced in back yard, put locks on the gates to complicate moving heavy or large items and to prevent vehicles from entering the back yard. If you hear a suspicious noise at night, get out of bed and look outside……someone may be breaking into your vehicle. If you see a crime in progress, call 911. Sheriff Modena does not recommend confronting criminals. Leave that to the people who get paid to do it. Going on Vacation? Notify neighbors and ask them to watch your home closely. Have someone pick up newspaper and mail daily. Make sure the garbage container is rolled out to the street on pickup day. Ask a friend or relative to turn lights on and off during the day on their way home. Arrange for someone to park their spare vehicle in your driveway on a varying schedule. That will confuse the burglar who has been casing your home. Put lights, stereo or a TV set on a timer. Call your law enforcement agency and request a patrolman to check your home during your absence.
	To add your neighborhood to Bibb County’s Neighborhood Watch Program Call: Lt. George Meadows at (478) 621-6890
	Copyright © 2002 Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. All rights reserved. This information is made available to the public and law enforcement in the interest of public safety. Any unauthorized use of this information is forbidden and subject to criminal prosecution.
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