Waunakee Police Department June 2011 Newsletter

Brewers Cards Available:

This summer Waunakee Police Officers will again be handing out Milwaukee Brewers baseball cards to children. The cards have pictures of current Milwaukee Brewers baseball players on the front and a children’s safety message on the back. The program started the week of May 23 and runs through the week of August 29, for a total of fifteen weeks. 

Each week officers will have two new Brewers cards to hand out, for a total of thirty baseball cards for the children to collect.  Kids are encouraged to approach officers and ask for cards.

Waunakee Police Burglary Prevention Tips:

Thanks to concerned neighbors and alert home owners, three persons were arrested by the Waunakee Police Department over the weekend of June 3 in two separate burglaries.

Please read the following tips and call the police if you observe any suspicious activity. If you are ever wavering on whether to call in suspicious activity, please don’t hesitate to call. We will respond and check out the situation.   

1. Light the outside of your home to make it more visible to your neighbors.Outside motion detector lights are a great idea.
2. Trim bushes near doors and windows to reduce hiding places for burglars.
3. Lock all doors and windows. Many burglars are opportunistic, and are simply looking for an open/unlocked door or window. It only takes a couple of minutes for a burglar to enter through an unlocked door or window and take your valuables.
4. Install deadbolt locks and peepholes on all outside doors. Make sure you can unlock all doors quickly from the inside without a key to allow a quick escape from a fire.
5. Install locks on all windows and sliding glass doors. Screens and storms should be latched on the inside. Include locks on garage and basement windows.
6. Don’t keep expensive jewelry, collectables, or large amounts of cash in plain sight within your home.
7. Keep a list of your valuables and their serial numbers. A videotape, photograph, or sales receipt will help with documentation. If items can be marked or engraved, mark them with your last name or driver’s license number. Marked items are harder for a burglar to dispose of and easier for police to recover.
8. Don’t advertise your absence. Never leave a message on your answering machine that says you are away for a few days or on vacation. Before you leave set interior lights on timers. Have someone pick up the mail and newspapers, set out trash, mow the lawn and shovel driveway and walks.
9. Close your garage door. An empty garage says you’re not home. Thieves can easily steal bikes, lawn mowers, snow blowers and other valuables. Burglars could close the garage door and take their time burglarizing your home.
10. At night close your drapes, blinds and window treatments as a deterrent.
11. If you have an alarm use it at all times, especially setting it at night before you go to bed. If you do not have an alarm, consider purchasing one.
12. Try to keep a telephone near your bed.
13. Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight. Don’t store the vehicle title within the car.
14. If possible install a garage door opener with a light. A remote opener and lighted garage will help you enter and leave your home safely.
15. When approaching or leaving your home, look for suspicious persons or vehicles.
16. Never leave keys hidden under doormats, flowerpots, mailboxes or other secret hiding spots. Burglars know where to look for hidden keys. 
17. Citizens are strongly urged to call police anytime they see suspicious activity. Waunakee Officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The MOST important thing you can do is call the police to report a crime or suspicious activity. You have to be the eyes of your neighborhood. And remember you can always remain a pair of ANONYMOUS eyes.
18. DO NOT enter your home if think someone is inside. Notify the police immediately.

In addition to these prevention tips, Waunakee Police Dept offers the following ways that citizens can help the police department.

1. If your alarm or your neighbor’s alarm goes off, call the police.
2. Call the police for suspicious noises or suspicious persons in your yard or a neighbor’s yard.
3. If you think you see a suspicious person or vehicle, call the police.
4. Try to obtain good description of possible suspects as well as good description of involved vehicles including plate numbers.
5. Call the police when you observe activity at a neighbors’ residence when you know they are not home.
6. If you see a neighbor’s door or window ajar, open or broken, call the police.
7. Be cautious when approached by persons that say they are lost or claiming to be a contractor, especially if they are very intent of entering your home. They may be “casing” your house or distracting you while someone else enters your home.

If you are home and a burglar confronts you:

1. Try to remain calm, and comply with the burglars’ instructions.
2. Remember your life is more valuable than any property.
3. Try to memorize a detailed description of the suspect.
4. When the subject leaves, call police by dialing 911.

If your home is broken into:

1. DO NOT enter; the suspect may still be inside.
2. Use a neighbor’s phone or cell phone to call police.
3.  Do not touch anything or clean up until the police arrive and inspect for evidence.
4. Write down any license plates of suspicious vehicles in the area.
5. Note any suspicious persons in the area.

In addition the Waunakee Police Dept offers vacation watches of the exterior of your home if you know you are going to be out of town. To participate in the vacation watch program residents are asked to stop at the Waunakee Police Dept to fill out the form or complete the form online and drop it off before you leave Waunakee. The following is a link to the vacation watch form on our website. http://www.waunakeepd.org/Vacation.html

Reminder: " Slow Down" Yard Signs Available

Safe Communities in partnership with the Waunakee Police Department, is conducting its annual Slow Down Campaign.  Yard signs will pop up in yards across Dane County reminding motorists to “Slow Down, Watch for Kids.”

Why should we slow down?  The faster vehicles travel, the more likely crashes are to occur and the more severe the injuries will be. Children are especially vulnerable in these situations.  Injuries and deaths associated with child pedestrian/motor vehicle accidents increase significantly with small increases in speed.  Collisions occurring at 20 mph result in death approximately 5% of the time and approximately 30% of victims suffer no injury at all. At 30 mph, 45% are KILLED and most are injured. At 40 mph, 85% are killed and all are injured.

According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, pedestrian injuries are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children ages 5 to 14. Each year in the United States, nearly 900 children ages 14 and under die from pedestrian/vehicle injuries and another 24,000 are injured in traffic-related crashes.

If you're interested in posting signs in your yard or neighborhood, they will be available for pick up while supplies last at the Waunakee Police Department 205 N. Klein Dr.

Questions can be sent to newsletter@waunakeepd.org   Questions submitted may be featured in future newsletters.  The person submitting the question will not be identified.