Crime Tip From The Desk Of Sheriff Wayne Ivey

By  //  September 25, 2013

protecting ourselves and our homes

ABOVE VIDEO: Wayne Ivey and local sheriff officials discusses ways for you to be safe and utilize resources available to the public in the world of today. 

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — As we continue our weekly “Crime Tip” series on personal safety lets turn our focus to protecting ourselves and our homes when we attend events, park our vehicles for extended periods of time, and travel out of town on business or pleasure.

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When parked in a parking lot or parking garage be mindful that criminals will place a shopping or event advertisement on the rear glass of your car. If you get out, the criminal is concealed nearby and will quickly jump into your car to steal your vehicle and belongings. (Shutterstock image)

The following Crime Prevention Tips were actually forwarded to me by Lt. Ron Cook of our West Precinct to be included in our weekly message to our citizens.

Each member of our agency fully understands and embraces the importance of getting vital crime prevention information to our community and is committed to keeping Brevard County a great place to call home.

So lets start this week’s Crime Tip with safety measures to consider when parking at public events such as sporting venues, church, or even the airport when traveling.

TODAY’S CRIMINALS

Never leave information in the vehicle’s glove box that contains your home address.

Today’s criminals will burglarize your car to get your home address and garage door opener. They will then travel to your residence and use your garage door opener to gain entry into your residence knowing that your home is potentially unoccupied.

Today’s criminals will burglarize your car to get your home address and garage door opener. They will then travel to your residence and use your garage door opener to gain entry into your residence knowing that your home is potentially unoccupied.

Never program your home address into your GPS as criminals will burglarize your parked car and use the GPS to guide them to your home while you are still at the event.

AN EASY THEFT FOR ANY CRIMINAL

All too often as I walk through parking lots I observe vehicles with a GPS mounted on the dashboard or window.

This is an easy find for the criminal and can also lead them straight to our homes. If you are traveling use the address of a nearby business to guide you to the area of your home.

This keeps the criminal from being able to use a pre-programed home address in the GPS they have stolen to target you.

ESTABLISH A CODE

Be mindful of what you program into your cellular telephone!! If your purse is stolen the criminals have your cellular telephone and all of your credit cards as well as your home address.

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The criminal can then text your spouse from your phone and pretend to be you. They will use a scam such as “you forgot the alarm code or bank PIN number” and obtain the information from your unknowing spouse. (Shutterstock image)

They can scroll through your contact list and find your spouse’s name and number.

The criminal can then text your spouse from your phone and pretend to be you. They will use a scam such as “you forgot the alarm code or bank PIN number” and obtain the information from your unknowing spouse.

When storing names and family members in your phone use just their first name and not nicknames like Hunnie, Baby, Wife/Husband, etc. Also establish a code with your spouse to be used when soliciting information so that they know for certain who they are talking to.

BE MINDFUL OF CRIMINALS

When parked in a parking lot or parking garage be mindful that criminals will place a shopping or event advertisement on the rear glass of your car.

Each member of our agency fully understands and embraces the importance of getting vital crime prevention information to our community and is committed to keeping Brevard County a great place to call home. This week’s Crime Tip includes safety measures to consider when parking at public events such as sporting venues, church, or even the airport when traveling.

Most people will not see the advertisement until they have already entered their vehicle, started their car, and are preparing to back out of the parking space. When the paper advertisement is observed by the driver they will often put the car in park and exit the vehicle to remove the item that is obstructing their view.

The criminal is concealed nearby and will quickly jump into your car to steal your vehicle and belongings. There are numerous cases where the victim is struck by the car and injured because the criminal is trying to steal their car and runs over them.

If this is occurs while you are trying to exit a parking space please don’t exit your vehicle but instead make sure your doors are locked and safely exit the parking space and area as quickly as possible. Once away from the immediate area the piece of paper can be safely removed.

NEXT WEEK SNEAK PEEK

Next week we will discuss elevator and stairwell safety when frequenting businesses, traveling, or even coming to and from our condo. As always thank you for taking the time to read our Crime Prevention information and for sharing our weekly tips with your friends and family.

Remember, you are an extension of our agency and are helping to save a life every time you share vital crime prevention information.

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.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey

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.