Foothills Area Command Crime Prevention: August 22, 2014

Foothills Area Command Crime Prevention: August 22, 2014

Examples of Suspicious Behavior
Citizens often ask me "what is suspicious behavior?' when we talk about crime prevention and observing and reporting suspicious behavior.

Suspicious behavior is behavior that is not normal for your block. Below are two examples from the past week.
Two males wearing keys around their necks claiming to be a crew hired to clean homes that were under foreclosure were reported trying keys at the door of a home where the owners were on vacation.  A neighbor observed the two men and contacted the vacationing home owner's relative who confirmed the home owners were on vacation and no one was to be at the home and the home was certainly not under foreclosure. The alert neighbor called police to check on the home and the area.

A female was observed walking from home to home on a residential block and reporting via cell phone which homes appeared to be occupied or unoccupied.  She was not recognized as living in the vicinity.

Both incidents are legitimate APD non-emergency calls and suspicious. Report suspicious activity from a safe place to 242-COPS (2677) When going on vacation:
• Let a trusted neighbor know you will be gone so they can keep an eye on your home and call you and police in an emergency.

• Contact the Foothills Substation at 332-5240 and ask for a Periodic Watch by officers in between dispatched calls.

• Contact me at 323-4644 if you'd like a crime prevention assessment of your home or crime prevention material.

Form a Neighborhood Watch on your block.  Call 924-3600 to request a Neighborhood Watch Starter Kit.

APD Needs Your Extra Eyes on....
Cluster Mailboxes:
Breaking into a group mailbox furnishes a criminal with the entire block's mail and personal information to commit fraud and identity theft.

Report anyone tampering with mailboxes to the US Postal Service Inspector at 877-876-2455 and APD's 242-COPS (2677).

Cell Towers:
Recently wiring was stolen from a cell phone tower in the Foothills Area Command. Metal thefts cause high dollar damage, disrupt services and bring businesses to a halt. This activity hurts our entire community.

For your information...
Foothills Substation Lobby Fliers: Child Safety Tips
Stop by and pick up a flier weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.


APO Citizens Police Academy information is attached.
I recommend this program if you want to learn more about APD in a 'hands-on' setting taught by APD experts in their fields.

Foothills Web Site: We will be 'live' soon - I'll keep you posted.

Once the web site is up, I will send an email with the address to the Foothills community.

My crime prevention notices will be available on the Foothills web site and no longer emailed .


Thank you for supporting APD crime prevention efforts. Stay Safe!

Jill Garcia, Crime Prevention Specialist APD, Foothills Area Command
12800 Lomas Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM  87112 (505) 323-4644

APD Academy
Press Release
August 5, 2014

The Citizen's Police Academy is a tuition free, twelve-week program designed to introduce members of the community to the Albuquerque Police Department. Our next class is scheduled for August 26, 2014. We have room for 40 students.

The Academy is designed to teach citizens about the philosophy, policies, and guiding caption: Citizen's Police Academy Patch principles of law enforcement and ethical conduct governing police services in our community.

Students will receive classroom instruction by personnel from many police department divisions including presentations and demonstrations from Homicide, Crime Lab, Narcotics, K-9, and SWAT.

Once training is completed, students are given the opportunity to complete an eight-hour ride-along with a police officer. This ride-along is usually an eye-opening experience for many students as they get to see the real day-to-day activities of the police.

Student Requirements
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants can not have any felony convictions.
Applicants can not have any misdemeanor or D.W.I. arrests within the last three years prior to application date.
Applicants must pass a background check conducted by the Albuquerque Police Department. Applicant must be a resident of Albuquerque.
Important: Please do not let these requirements keep you from applying. We do not automatically eliminate candidates from attending the Citizen's Police Academy based on the above requirements. All applications are individually reviewed and attendance decisions made on a case by case basis.

You may apply by visiting our online application.

Next Session
When
August 26, 2014, at 6:00 PM

Where
Albuquerque Police Academy 5412 2nd Street NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107 Phone: (505) 343-5000

Class Schedule
Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Class Coordinator
Officer Larry Edmonson Email: ledmonson@cabq.gov Phone: (505) 224-6636

Graduation
Upon successful completion of the Citizen's Police Academy, participants attend a graduation ceremony and are awarded a certificate bearing a replica of the Citizen Police Academy patch. Graduates may also elect to participate in the Albuquerque Police Department's Volunteers Services Program.