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Have a Safe Holiday

Anita Renfroe is a comedian who cleverly wrote The Lyrics to “Momsense”, a song that she commonly sings at speaking events to the tune of William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini (or the theme to the Lone Ranger if you are still wondering!) If you feel like you hit the ground with your feet running and the hour and a half that follows is like being on a racetrack you may want to Google the song and enjoy a laugh! For the sake of not getting too lengthy, below are just the first 17 lines to give you the idea! Get the tune in your head and then sing along…
Get up now…Get up now…Get up out of bed…Wash your face…Brush your teeth…Comb your sleepy head…Here’s your clothes…And your shoes…Hear the words I said…Get up now…Get up and make your bed…Are you hot?...Are you cold?...Are you wearing that?...Where’s your books and your lunch and your homework at?...Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat…Don’t forget you got to feed the cat!

So much to do, so little time they say and often we look for a place to cut some of that time out. Let this blog serve as a reminder that regardless of how rushed you may be, on the road is NOT the place to make up time, especially now that school is back in session!! During school zone (7:15-8:15 a.m. and 2:45-3:45 p.m.) priority is given by the traffic and patrol divisions to enforcement in these areas. As you travel please be mindful of the following laws that are in place to protect our children;

Speeding in a school zone is illegal. The majority of school zones in Dothan are 20 miles per hour. Drivers cited for speeding in a school zone can expect to pay enhanced monetary fines and have 2 points added to their driving record.

Overtaking and passing a school bus is illegal. The law says the driver of a vehicle must stop upon meeting from either direction any school bus which is stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging on any roadway, school property, or private property. This applies on four lane roads as well, the only exception is a DIVIDED highway (for example with a grass median), traffic on the opposing side is not required to stop.
Did you know? Did you know the driver of a school bus can provide a violators tag number to the traffic division and the registered owner of the car will be cited? Drivers cited for passing a school bus can expect to pay $150 to $300 for the first conviction. The second conviction penalty is $300 to $500, at least 100 hours of community service and a suspended license for 30 days.

Lastly, remember to follow orders given by School Crossing Guards.
The law says the driver shall slow down and yield right of way to a pedestrian in a cross walk.

Gregory J. Benton
Chief of Police

School is in Session!!

PC Scams to watch out for! 

We have talked about various scams and ways in which criminals obtain your identity in the past. Based on reports that come across our investigators desks we try to occasionally update with specific scams because with the evolution of technology that occurs daily, criminals also update their techniques and tactics. There are two new scams we want to warn everyone about in which money is being scammed, and malware (virus or trojan) is being spread to unsuspecting computer users... by live operators under the guise of helping to remove a malware infection. 

In the first scenario, you get a call to your residence warning you that you have a virus on your computer. The caller claims to be a "Microsoft Support Partner" who will, for a few hundred dollars, help you remove the infection.  Most of us would, of course, be wary of this but the less computer literate of us may be swayed by the scammer’s aggressive tactics and techno-babble.  The scammer then takes your credit card number and talks you through installing a remote connection program on your PC where they infect it with trojans, backdoors, and anything else that will help them to continue to scam you and steal your money, your passwords, and your identity.  This is a small but growing trend so make your less computer savvy family and friends aware of it.   

In the second (less dangerous but still costly) case, you get an email or see an ad for an online computer help website that promises to help speed up your computer and/or remove malware.  You call the number and get connected to a support person. Several long minutes of meaningless jargon later, you are told that you have malware (even if you don't) and that for a couple hundred dollars they can remove it for you.  The "tech" then takes your credit card number and performs a few tasks that could be accomplished by any of several free applications that can be downloaded from the internet. Be very wary of these online "speed up" or "PC support" sites.

The Dothan Police Department is excited to announce that the 2010 National Night Out is quickly approaching! The concept of the National Night Out began in the 1980’s in an effort to heighten awareness and strengthen participation in local anticrime efforts. The founder of the program believed that a high-impact type of crime prevention event was needed nationally and so began National Night Out, ‘America’s Night out against Crime’.

In a recent blog we talked about protecting your home and I hope that some of the proactive steps recommended have now become a habit in your home! If you read the blog you may have noticed the beginning talked about looking out for your neighbors and asking them to look out for you. To reiterate this point we remind you that as a community YOU know what is out of the ordinary and YOU absolutely make a difference in protecting not only your home but also your community!

Identity theft, either you have been the victim of this or you know someone who has a horror story about it. When someone becomes the victim of identity theft it can be costly and timely to repair the damage done. This is a topic we must stay informed on as it has now become one of the nation’s most common crimes. Identity theft is an act of fraud committed when someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity. This fraud is most commonly committed in order to access resources or benefits in that person’s name or to obtain credit in that person's name.

Based on reports we have taken in our city, we would like to brief you on the common mistakes that may allow someone to obtain your identifying information. Phone solicitation, which seems to commonly affect the elderly, is a common technique used for fraud. If during the course of a phone conversation the caller makes a request for any of the following; social security number, name, banking information or date of birth, these pieces of information should never be given. Keep in mind that these callers work into asking for this information with very convincing information. Recently, several citizens reported receiving a call on a weekend to inform them their check card would be deactivated for security purposes. The check card holder was allowed to choose prompts which would allow them to keep the check card active. This was completed or at least tempting for many card holders as it was a Saturday and the thought of no check card until Monday would present quite an inconvenience! Well of course as the “activation process” continued, card holders were asked to enter the check card number, expiration, etc. and YES, this was a scam. The best advice for this type of call is to hang up immediately and contact your bank to inquire if problems actually exist with your card

Scams are another way in which people may not necessarily lose identity but may lose money. Current scams that are common place online are lottery scams, inheritance scams and overseas scams. The lottery and inheritance scams are ones in which the victim is notified they have won a lottery or earned an inheritance and will receive a lump sum amount once they pay a tax. The overseas scam is one in which someone is contacted

by a caller who claims to be wealthy but unable to send money immediately to a relative in America who is in need. The intended victim is asked to deposit a check they receive for $3,000 to $5,000 dollars and then wire $500 to the third party. Unfortunately by the time the check is returned for being a non-existent account, the $500 is long gone with no way to be recovered.

In summary, protect yourself by keeping private information private! Use protective software for computer transactions and beware of any offer that includes the promise of money!  

Gregory J. Benton

Chief of Police

Dothan Police Department

210 North Saint Andrews Street

Dothan, Alabama  36303

(334) 615-3000

E-mail dpd@dothan.org

Several years ago a vehicle company came up with a clever series of commercials that are still searched for online daily, you know the one’s… a cute little monkey in the trunk of the car that saves the day when someone tries to steal the car or break into the car. If you have one of these furry creatures there is no need to read on! In all seriousness, just as we discussed home safety in the last blog, there are measures that you can take to keep your vehicle safe.

Let’s talk about these measures. We want you to think of your vehicle in two modes, occupied and traveling or unoccupied and parked. When it comes to your vehicle there many tips that we can offer to help you stay safe.
While Your Vehicle is Occupied and Traveling:

•    Lock your doors! While driving it is important to lock your doors to prevent someone from entering your vehicle, for instance when you are stopped at a traffic light. Also if you have small children and your vehicle features a child lock mode, use this as well.

•    Don’t put your name, address or vehicle make on the keychain with your keys. If your keys are stolen or mislaid the person in possession knows what type of vehicle to look for!

•    Keep the interior dome lights working so that when you are getting in and out of the vehicle it is well lit.

•    Drive with purses or packages in the floorboard or better yet the trunk. While stopped in traffic, passengers of cars along side of you can easily look over and see a purse lying on the seat which may seem to be an easy target.

•    Do not involve yourself with an aggressive driver. Most of us have been cut off a time or two, and most of us have looked in the rearview mirror to see a vehicle that actually appeared to be attached to our bumper! While it may be tempting to swap an eye for an eye, don’t do it! It is best to allow aggressive drivers room to distance themselves from you. If you can safely call the Police Department with the vehicle description, tag and direction of travel do so and we will make every effort to intervene.

While Your Vehicle is Unoccupied and Parked:

•    Lock your doors! Many people leave their doors unlocked in public as well as in their driveway. The simple act of ALWAYS locking the doors may be the deterrent that keeps your vehicle from being victimized.

•    Do not keep the keys in the vehicle, especially in plain sight, i.e. in the ignition!

•    Park in well lit areas.

•    As mentioned earlier, packages and purses should be in the trunk if possible, if not well concealed. GPS and similar electronic items have been “Hot Items” lately. They are easily seen when mounted in the windshield and can be grabbed in a second. These type devices should not be in plain view.

•    Use a locking gas cap.

•    Know your tag number. State law requires the tag receipt be in the vehicle. Comply with this law but make a photocopy to keep in another place in the event the vehicle is stolen.

Lastly, as we mentioned last time when discussing protecting your home, you can help solve crime! Inventory the property in your vehicle such as the CD player, electronic devices, speakers, etc. and record all serial numbers. Engrave your property with your name as this will aid in the recovery of stolen property!    

Gregory J. Benton
Chief of Police