Foothills Area Command Crime Trends/Prevention: November 21, 2013

From APD:

Foothills Area Command Crime Trends/Prevention: November 21, 2013

Please share with your Neighborhood Associations/HOAs, Neighborhood Watch groups and apartment communities,

Mail Thefts
APD’s White Collar Crimes Unit reports an increase in forgery/fraud cases resulting from mail thefts from cluster boxes. These are trending at night and by the next day offenders are cashing stolen checks.

To reduce your odds of being a victim, take your mail to a US Postal Service mailbox or inside the post office. Keep extra eyes on cluster mailboxes and spread the word to your apartment communities and neighborhood groups. Do not hesitate to call 242-COPS (2677) to report suspicious persons who may be attempting mail theft.

I am coordinating with APD’s White Collar Crimes Unit to host a workshop at the Foothills Substation for citizens to how to avoid being victims of scams, cons, fraud and identity theft. We are planning the workshop for February 6, 2014 at 6:00 pm and more information will follow in January about how to register.

Warm-Up Vehicle Thefts
APD is seeing more of these cases and our Auto Theft detectives are hitting the streets at 6:00 am to prevent auto thefts and apprehend offenders. Offenders have been known to ‘case’ residential areas in pre-dawn hours looking for telltale exhaust from vehicles sitting in driveways unattended and ‘warming up.’

I have informational fliers, crime prevention brochures and Vehicle Information Cards for the public in the Foothills Substation lobby to help you reduce your odds of being an auto theft victim.
Robbery Awareness Training for Businesses
Our Robbery Unit offers a 90 minute training session for businesses to train managers or employees on how to prevent robbery and what to do if your business is robbed. If you have an upcoming annual safety meeting at your business and would like a training session call 924-6000 and ask for the Robbery Unit.

Robberies to Individuals: What You Need to Know!
APD is seeing cases involving offenders watching and targeting their victims as the victim exits a store or bank to the parking lot. Sadly, females with children are being targeted and offenders are also looking for potential victims leaving banks with lots of cash. APD’s Robbery Unit has seen 3 cases in 3 weeks of victims who were watched and selected as targets by robbers.

To be safer, practice SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, ask for an ESCORT TO YOUR VEHICLE, do not carry a PURSES OR PACKAGES that allow you to be distracted, SCAN the parking lot before you exit your vehicle or the bank/store. If it doesn’t feel safe to you upon arrival, leave and return with a buddy or at another day or time. Notify management that you don’t feel safe in their parking lot. PUT YOUR CELL PHONES AWAY when walking through parking lots in order to focus on your surroundings and destination. Avoid appearing as a weak target.

APD will be starting up Holiday Tactical Plans city-wide which will involve heavy presence in parking lots at retail/big-box centers.

Be safe and thank you for supporting our officers and the Crime Prevention programs,

Jill Garcia, Crime Prevention Specialist
APD Foothills Area Command
12800 Lomas Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
Foothills Substation Front Office: 332-5240
My Direct Line: 323-4644