A Neighborhood Watch information meeting will be held in the Courtroom and the Township Municipal Center on Monday, August 16, 2010 at 7:30 PM. This meeting was requested by the Woodlawn Drive residents, however, all are invited to attend.

In an effort to help solve some recent Burglaries in Plainsboro the township police have posted these pictures of suspected burglary proceeds. Any victims of recent burglaries in Plainsboro that can positively identify any of the items below are asked to contact Det. Eric Potts of the Plainsboro Township Police Department at 609-799-2333 Ext. 1674.

While many of the items are generic, if you had a gold necklace stolen you cannot assume that the items depicted below are yours, many gold necklaces look similar, you must be able to identify them specifically. If the item is unique and you can positively identify it please call.

Read More→

Vehicle Burglaries are one of the most common crimes in NJ. A vehicle burglary or auto-burglary is like a residential burglary, only it happens within a vehicle. A vehicle burglary occurs when a criminal illegally enters a vehicle not owned by him to commit other crimes within the vehicle (most commonly theft). This issue affects all areas of NJ from large cities down to small suburban/rural towns. Plainsboro is no different, and is periodically hit with vehicle burglaries. Vehicle burglaries are much more common than residential burglaries. This is because of the opportunity, and ease of burglarizing a vehicle in comparison to home. Luckily, cutting the risk of your vehicle being burglarized can easily be achieved by following a few simple tips.

Items Most Commonly Stolen from Vehicles:

- Laptops
- IPods
- MP3 Players
- Stereo systems
- Satellite Radios
- GPS Devices
- Cell Phones and Chargers
- Wallets, Money, Jewelry

Don’t become the next victim! Use these tips to safeguard yourself from thieves.

1.)Lock your doors and roll up your windows! This may sound obvious, but becoming more conscious of ensuring all of your vehicles doors are always locked is vital. Criminals are opportunistic, and are always looking for an easy target like an unlocked car. A common criminal tactic is to casually walk through parking lots simply pulling on car handles to see which ones are unlocked. These are called “crimes of opportunity”. Don’t let your vehicle be the easy target that criminals look for.

Also, no matter how short of a time frame you leave your vehicle it must always be locked. Criminals only need seconds to open an unlocked door and grab any valuables lying in plain view.

Be cognizant of electronic key-fobs. Sometimes placing your keys in your pockets or bags can cause the unlock button to be pressed unbeknown to you.

2.)Don’t leave valuables in your car. Most auto-burglaries have one common denominator- the vehicles have something valuable inside them worth stealing! If possible remove all valuables and all resemblance of valuables from your vehicle every time you exit your vehicle. Create a system to make it convenient, and eventually it will be habit.

3.)Hide or lock Valuable away. If removing all valuables is too time-consuming or not practical for you, there are other steps you can take to safeguard yourself from auto-burglary. Place all items out of plain view BEFORE you find your parking space. You never know who is watching you remove your GPS device from your windshield and place it into your center console. This includes items of non-value that may tip-off a criminal that there are valuable items hidden within your car. Items such as docking stations for GPS devices or IPods may not be valuable, but can give criminals the clue they need to know there are valuables in your car.

Lock items in areas like your glove box or trunk instead of simply throwing the item under a seat or under a jacket.

Plan shopping trips so you don’t unload bags full of valuables into your car and head back into the mall or shopping center. Try not to do this until you are ready to drive your vehicle to another destination.

4.)nline shopping. When possible take advantage of online-shopping. This completely cuts out any issues with loading a vehicle full of valuable items.

5.) Don’t make criminals curious. Avoid using towels or blankets to cover valuable items. This can sometime peak a criminal’s interest as to what is underneath the blanket.

6.) Set your car-alarm if you have one. Look into getting a car-alarm if you don’t. Alarms can be just enough of a deterrent to save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Criminals like to remain inconspicuous and under the radar. A loud audible alarm accompanied by flashing lights may be just enough to scare off a criminal before he takes any valuables.

7.)Where you park your vehicle can sometimes mean the difference between being burglarized and not. When possible park your vehicle in well-lit, crowded areas. Many people do not want to park in populated area to avoid having there car “dinged” up but this could be an open invitation to criminals. Parking your car in the far corner of a parking lot away from all stores or other vehicles is the ideal situation for a criminal looking to remain unseen by others. Look for a well-lit area nearest to the store, hotel, or building you are entering.

Remember, it takes a thief 30 seconds to break into your vehicle and steal your valuables.
BUT: It only takes you 30 Seconds to take your valuable with you or lock them in your trunk.

IMPORTANT: Contact Police with any suspicious activity in neighborhoods, and parking lots.

Det. Eric Potts will be on 1170 AM on Tuesday June 15 at 4:30 PM to talk about the area Burglaries and how to protect your homes.

Protect yourself against home burglaryWhether you live in a house, a condo or an apartment, a break-in can permanently shatter your feeling of security at home.

According to FBI statistics, a house, apartment or condominium is burglarized once every 15 seconds.

Fortunately, burglary is probably the most preventable of crimes. By taking a few simple precautions, you can dramatically reduce the risks.

Of course, every home and every situation is different, and there are no guarantees.

The first step is to determine what kind of threat you are trying to protect against. For example, defending against personal threats, such as assault, requires different measures than defending against burglary.

Most home burglars do not give great amounts of thought to planning the job and assessing the benefits vs. dangers, but understanding how they choose a target can go a long way in reducing your chances of being a victim.

Most burglars look for:

•Something worth stealing
•Easy access combined with low visibility
•A home that is unoccupied

Did you know? More residential burglaries occur during the day because homes tend to be vacant more often.

How to prevent break-ins:
•Fool them by making your home look occupied all the time.

•Use automatic timers on lights when away from home.

•Always park your cars in the garage with the garage door shut. A burglar may otherwise notice a pattern that a closed garage door or no cars in the driveway means no one is home. Closing the garage door and having curtains or blinds on the garage windows also hides some of your belongings.

•Place radios on automatic timers and raise the volume so they can be heard outside.

•Lower the sound of your telephone ringer and answering machine so that they can’t be heard outside.

•Never leave notes on your door that can tip off burglars.

When away for more than a day:
•If possible, have your telephone calls forwarded when you are away from home. Burglars sometimes check to see if someone is home by making a telephone call.

•Have a trusted neighbor pick up the mail and newspaper. If possible, do not have either stopped. That gives information about you being away from home to others whom you do not know.

•If away for an extended period, have a plan in place to have the grass mowed or snow shoveled.

•If you are away from home on garbage pickup day, ask a trusted neighbor to put your garbage cans out to the street and take them back in. You may wish to have your neighbor use your garbage cans while you are out. Burglars sometimes check for empty cans as a sign the family is away.

•There are systems available that will open and close window draperies by timer. Constantly open or closed curtains can tip the burglar off that no one is home.

•Even if you don’t need specific help, always tell a trusted neighbor if you are going to be gone for a few days.

•If you are going to be gone for an extended period, ask your local police to check your home periodically.
In short, make your house look the same whether you are away or at home.

Eliminate hiding places•Make sure there is good lighting around the place where you park.

•Install motion detector lights around your house instead of just leaving lights on at night. The lights coming on and turning off attract the attention of neighbors. Install these lights at least 8 feet above the ground so they are more difficult to disable.

•Install the motion detector lights so they light all doors and windows. Doors, since they are the preferred entry point, should be the first priority to illuminate, followed by windows.

•Remove bushes and shrubs from around the house, especially under windows and next to doors. Keep your yard free of overgrowth.

•If you DO have shrubs and bushes, select ones with thorns to deter potential intruders from hiding in them.

•Install a security alarm system with a loud alarm and/or flashing lights. This will attract the attention of neighbors. If you install an alarm, display the decals, and remember to test the system periodically.

Use common sense caution•Always lock all doors and windows when you leave the house.

•Use a peephole to identify visitors before opening your door.

•Do not hide spare keys outside your home, instead give one to a trusted neighbor.

•Do not provide your house keys to service people.

•Do not invite strangers into your home.

•Do not have money or jewelry lying out in view from a window. If possible, keep jewelry and other small valuables and important documents in a safe deposit box.

•Do not tell strangers your daily routines.

•If you are at home working outside, leave all other doors that are out of sight locked.

•Avoid telling others about the valuables in your home.

•If you have children, discuss home security with them, such as not talking with strangers about their home, its contents or family schedules.

Make your home a harder target
Did you know? The average burglar will spend no more than four to five minutes trying to break into a residence.

•When moving into a new residence, have the locks changed.

•Consult a good locksmith to make sure you have the correct types of locks on your doors and windows.

•Secure your exterior doors and any doors from attached garages by installing:
◦Good quality deadbolt door locks
◦Security-type door strikes
◦Strong, properly installed doors and doorframes that cannot be spread apart
◦Security-type hinge
•Secure your windows by installing additional locks and installing impact-resistant glass on any windows within 42″ of a door lock. This will make it more difficult to break the glass, reach in, and unlock the lock.

•Prune lower branches of trees near your house if they could help a burglar gain access to a second story window.

•Secure your patio door with a pin-type lock, a key lock, or a steel rod inserted into the door channel.

•Secure your garage by installing automatic openers or bolt-type locks on each end of the garage doors.

Take time to become knowledgeable about your situation and your options so that you can best decide what to do. And remember, you can also ask your local police department for advice.

Inventory and mark your belongings.

Mark your belongings with an engraving pen so that they can be traced and return them to you if stolen. These pens are usually available at your local police station. Ask your police department what numbers to use when marking your belongings. Never mark them with your social security number.

Be a good neighbor
•Organize a cookout or other apartment or neighborhood get together so neighbors can get to know one another.
•Organize or participate in an Apartment Watch or Neighborhood Watch program.
•Arrange for a local police officer to complete an apartment security survey, or educate your neighborhood about specific safety concerns.
•If you are an apartment dweller, notify management if you notice burned out light bulbs, dark corridors, broken locks on mailboxes and doors and/or other safety concerns.
•Call the police immediately if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

The Township of Plainsboro is in the process of upgrading its non-emergency telephone service and will be switching over to that new system on Friday May 7, 2010 at approximately 6pm. The police are not expecting any problems but as a precaution, they are asking anyone who should be unable to contact the police on its main number (609-799-2333) should use the Plainsboro Fire department’s main number (609-799-0492). There will be a Communications Officer stationed at the firehouse to answer all calls. Again, use of the Fire Departments number should only occur if citizens CANNOT reach the Police. The 911 service provided to the township will not be affected and service levels will remain unchanged, any citizen with an emergency should use 911.

Join Nixle and get important community information delivered to you via e-mail and Text Message!

nixle

Please review the below powerpoint and contact 609-799-2333 ext.674 for more information on how you can start a Neighborhood Watch in your neighborhood.

Neighborhood Watch Implementation

Plainsboro on Watch is sponsored by our own Plainsboro Township Police Department with the support of the national USA on Watch organization.

■Our Vision
Fostering crime free communities in the Township of Plainsboro

■Our Mission
is to improve the quality of life within all Plainsboro communities through the fostering of an educational and cooperative crime prevention program, along with an informative Homeland Security program, at the neighborhood level by working to encourage awareness and participation.

■Our Mandate
for the program is to be proactive in addressing community problems and in conjunction with residents of Plainsboro Township, provide them with information and skills to protect themselves and their property from the threat of crime.