INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Preventing Identity Theft

Here are some sure signs your identify has been stolen:

1. You were buying Junior a gift on eBay and you noticed your house is listed for sale.
2. You got a call asking when you want the pool installed, buy you live in an apartment.
3. You tried to pay for groceries with a credit card and they called for SWAT.
4. Your wife/husband just served you with divorce papers, but you don't remember ever getting married.
5. You get a post card from yourself that says, "Wish you were here!"
6. You're wanted in Mexico and you've never left Lakeland.

Anyone who has ever been the victim of identity theft can relate to these situations. They can also tell you that while humor is good for the soul, there is nothing but troubles ahead for the victims of identity theft.

The National Crime Prevention Council and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance have produced a Guide to Preventing Identity Theft that you can download here in .pdf format. We recommend everyone take an opportunity to practice the following tips to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

• Do not put outgoing mail, especially bill payments, in personal curbside mailboxes that are unsecured. Use United States Postal Services mailboxes, preferably inside a post office.
• Protect your important personal information like driver's license or social security number. Do not give this information to anyone unless absolutely necessary.
• Shred financial records before throwing them away.
• Be alert for anyone calling you from your bank and trying to get your assistance in a bank investigation by asking for your personal information.
• Do not store your passwords or PIN numbers with your credit or debit cards. Commit passwords and PIN numbers to memory.
• Be suspicious of any e-mails from legitimate looking businesses that seek personal information. "Phishing" for information via e-mails is a rapidly growing trend in identity theft.

Contact your local law enforcement agency immediately if you think you are the victim of identity theft.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

"Brother Can You Spare Me a Dime" - Policing Panhandlers in Lakeland

A recent Letter to the Editor in The Ledger addressed a problem with panhandlers on East Memorial Boulevard. Such nuisances create a lower quality of life in our community, for who wants to be accosted by these individuals when we are taking our families out for dinner.

I experienced this problem first hand myself while dining downtown several months ago. An individual who obviously just arrived in town via the most recent freight train or bus approached my wife and I looking for a handout. I promptly and assertively told him to leave us alone as such activity was not permitted in town. He then turned to another table just a few feet away where a repeat performance of his plea for assistance produced a $20 bill from the diner's wallet.

Asking for assistance is not a crime, but aggressive panhandling is a violation of a City Ordinance. We do respond to calls for service of this nature along East Memorial Boulevard when merchants request our assistance. We rely on getting calls from the public when panhandlers become aggressive or when merchants want an individual removed from their property. Our limited resources simply do not permit us to maintain a heavy presence in the area in hopes of preventing such incidents.

So how can we prevent future acts of aggressive panhandling? Let's start by understanding human nature. Panhandlers go where they know they can get a quick buck or two. It is a bit like hunting or fishing - you go where you have the greatest chance of succeeding. What is needed is for people to realize that your "gracious" act of giving money to someone who is panhandling is actually perpetuating the problem rather than making things better.

Stop giving money and the panhandlers move on.

The other aspect of this problem is linked to something we have blogged about repeatedly - how we deal with the homeless problem in Lakeland.

Many of the panhandlers on Memorial Boulevard are looking for places to sleep, food from restaurant dumpsters, and opportunities to beg for money. Our community simply does not have enough social services providers to meet the needs of the many homeless individuals who travel to Lakeland because we are known across the country for being so generous to anyone coming into town looking for a handout.

Problems such as homelessness and aggressive panhandling expose the deep social ills that we routinely expect to be solved with a quick call to the police. We will not arrest our way out of this problem - we need to continue as a community to find ways to deal with homelessness and the related problems of aggressive panhandling.

Something to think about the next time you see someone giving money to a panhandler...

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lock It or Lose It

WTVT Fox 13 News did a feature story Tuesday evening on Lakeland's "Lock It or Lose It" campaign this holiday season. This link will take to you their website where you can see the printed story and link to the video.

We continue to encourage everyone to lock their cars while shopping, hide valuable left inside the car to keep they out of sight, and park in well lit areas. A few simple crime prevention acts can keep your holiday season from being ruined this year.

Remember... Lock It or Lose It!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Remind You to "Lock It or Lose It" This Holiday Season

Want to see how quickly thieves can take valuables from your vehicle? Click on this link for a public safety announcement to prevent vehicle burglaries this holiday season.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Disasters Produce Various E-mail Scams

Det. Dan Jonas with our Criminal Intelligence Unit has shared a reminder from the FBI that e-mail scammers tend to kick into high gear following natural disasters. Hurricanes and other tragic events, like the Virginia Tech shootings, the bridge collapse in Minnesota, and the mine disaster in Utah, are often followed with a flood of e-mail scams. These e-mails are sent with the criminal intent of soliciting for contributions for a charitable organization or some other good cause. Consumers should consider the following:

• Do not respond to unsolicited (SPAM) e-mail. Simply delete it.
• Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting via e-mail for donations.
• Do not click on links contained within unsolicited e-mail.
• Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
• To ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make contributions directly to recognized organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
• Validate the legitimacy of the organization by directly accessing the recognized charity or aid organization's website rather than following an alleged link to the site.
• Attempt to verify the legitimacy of the non-profit status of the organization by using various Internet-based resources, which also may assist in confirming the actual existence of the organization.
• Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions; providing such information may compromise your identity and open you to identity theft.

Our community has always been quick to respond with financial assistance and other support after disasters. Following these common sense tips can help ensure your assistance goes where it is intended and prevent you from becoming a scam victim or identity theft victim. For more information, visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

-Asst Chief Bill LePere

"But Officer - I Was Only Gone for a Minute"

While reading the summary of crime incidents from the past weekend, I learned about an incident in which a citizen left their car unlocked and running so they could dash into the store to make a quick purchase. To their surprise upon returning to the vehicle, a purse left carelessly inside on the seat was now missing.

Officers hear this statement all too often in such situations, "But Officer, I was only gone for a minute."

Due to the lack of thinking on the part of "victims" in such situations, the police are now responsible for writing a report about a crime that was preventable, and a pin marker will appear on the next crime map for something that should have never occurred. It really amounts to a waste of police resources that could be used for other more pressing matters.

In fact, just over half of thefts from motor vehicles occur when careless drivers leave their cars unlocked, or windows down, or valuables left in plain view. Last year that accounted for nearly 600 of the approximately 1,200 thefts from motor vehicles investigated by the police department.

It is against the law to leave your unattended vehicle running while you run into the store, but officers need to observe the violation in order to charge someone; and, we prefer to give warnings when we do discover a violation rather than issue a citation.

Not every car burglar can be identified as easily as the suspicious character to the right. Please do your part and help prevent these crimes. Even if you are going to be away from your car for just a moment, turn it off, lock it, and remove anything of value from the prying eyes of anyone lurking in the parking lot.

Remember - Lock It or Lose It!

-Asst Chief Bill LePere