Crime Tip From the Desk of Sheriff Wayne Ivey
By Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff // July 15, 2013
Criminals love to go window shopping
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — The next time you leave your car, leave it empty.
Criminals love to go window shopping. They walk down neighborhood streets or go through shopping center parking lots looking through the windows of parked cars to see what people have left behind.
All too often, those thieves are given an opportunity – a car owner has left some valuables, maybe gifts for a loved one, in clear view.
It takes only seconds for the criminal to break the car window and take off with the merchandise.
Don’t give thieves that kind of opportunity. Make sure you leave nothing of value in plain view in your car. Take valuables away with you, or put them in the trunk. If you own a sport utility vehicle, cover your valuables.
Remember, when you leave your car, leave it empty. And the thief will leave empty handed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft. That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.
Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.
Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.
