Chief's Message Our new Crime Prevention Connection newsletter was a great start to the New Year. I hope you found it useful and informative.  Crime Prevention Officers from each district are constantly working to bring you the most up to date information on keeping you and your loved ones safe. By working side by side with you, the community, we are continuing to see great success in reducing crime in our city. Every month crime statistics from around the city are gathered and analyzed. From those detailed reprots, the Crime Prevention Officers look at the latest crime trends in their respective areas. With this information, they develop strategies to keep you and your belongings safe. At the same time, officers and detectives work with the same information to apprehend the criminals before a trend develops. Our ultimate goal is prevention of crime before it happens. The crime prevention unit offers a program called Help Elmininate Auto Theft (HEAT), which aims to teach crime prevention techniques through community awareness events. On March 7th, the department hosted a vehicle identification number (VIN) etching event and provided information on the Watch Your Car program. Recently, a Community Policing Board at the Superstition Patrol Station kicked off a public awareness campaign to reduce residential and vehicle burglaries. This board is made up of Mesa residents, business owners and crime prevention officers who look at crime trends. They partnered with the City of Mesa Solid Waste division and obtained grant funding to purchase crime  prevention signs for display on garbage trucks. You may see several of these trucks displaying the "Lock It or Lose It" signs as they travel through the city. On April 11th, the Arizona Crime Prevention Association is hosting a "Shred-a-thon" in Mesa. Residents are able to bring up to 5 boxes of documents to be shredded at this event. In addition, there will be Mesa PD document crimes detectives available at this event to answer your questions about identity theft and fraud. (Visit www.acpa.net for more information on this event.) Your continual participation in our crime prevention efforts is crucial for our future success in reducing crime in the City of Mesa. Be Aware and Be Safe. George Gascón Chief of Police Spring Into Action Against Identity Theft and Fraud Identity thieves and con artists are always looking for their next victim. And in these tough economic times, they prey on those that are seeking employment or those needing money to pay bills. Your personal identifying information is all a criminal needs to access bank accounts, open up new bank or credit card accounts, buy a car or a home, or get employement...the list is endless.  You can minimize your chances of becoming a victim of ID theft and fraud by being dilligent about protecting your personal information. BEFORE responding to phone calls, text messages, or e-mails, verify the identity of the caller/sender. Don't become a victim of a phishing scheme! Some of the more common schemes we see are: Fake Check Scam - you receive a fake check, although it looks real, representing partial winnings or payment for a product you're selling. You are asked to wire a portion back to the sender or a third party. Foreign Lottery/Prizes/Grants - you are told you have won a lottery or prize or are eligible for grant money, but you first have to pay fees or provide your bank account information. Bank Examiner - someone posing as a detective or bank professional wants you to give them money or access to your bank account to catch a dishonest bank teller or to investigate the bank. Bank/Credit Card Account - you receive a call, e-mail or text message that says there is a problem with your account and you are asked to respond to verify your account and personal information. Work At Home/Mystery Shopper/Employment Scams - beware of ads for employment where you have to pay money to receive materials or give your bank account information for direct deposit of your paychecks. Do not provide your Social Security Number online or put it on your resume. Door-to-Door Solicitations - do not let strangers into your home regardless of their story. Do not do business with those coming to your door offering home repairs or low cost sales items. The Documents Crimes Unit of the Mesa Police Department reminds you to: Request your credit report annually for free. Call 1-877-322-8228 or visit www.annualcreditreport.com. Shred papers with personal information before throwing them in the trash. Reduce the risk of mail theft be taking your mail to the Post Office instead of putting it in your mailbox. Request a copy of your Social Security Benefits statement each year to see if someone else is using your SSN.  Call 1-800-269-0271 or visit www.ssa.gov/mystatement. Do not leave personal information in your vehicle. Do not carry your Social Security Card or paper with your bank PIN in your wallet or purse. Carefully review your monthly bank and credit card statements for unexpected entries. If you are a victim of a burglary, place a fraud alert on your credit report to stop the possible use of your information. If you are a victim of ID theft or fraud, file a police report and be prepared to provide information on the bank, credit, and other accounts that may be compromised. You will need to complete an Identity Theft Packet from the Mesa Police Department to assist the investigation. The Document Crimes Unit of the Mesa Police Department has designated April as "Identity Theft Awareness Month." Please take these steps to help prevent ID theft and pass the information on to your relatives, friends, and neighbors. Please call 480-644-5014 if you have any questions or would like to arrange for a presentation to your group. Crime Prevention Contacts Should you have any questions about securing your home and property, personal safety, business security, Operation Identification, child safety, request a speaker, Neighborhood Watch, or any other crime prevention issues, please contact your district crime prevention officer. All our literature can be found online at www.mesaaz.gov/police/literature/default.aspx. Central District (Broadway north to city limits/Horne west to city limits) Patty Gallagher 480-644-2033 patty.gallagher@mesaaz.gov Dobson District (Broadway south to city limits/Horne west to city limits) Jerry Quarles 480-644-2539 jerry.quarles@mesaaz.gov Red Mountain District (east of Horne and west of Higley/north and south to city limits) Lindy Marino 480-644-3921 melinda.marino@mesaaz.gov Superstition District (east of Higley to city limits/north and south to city limits) Terri Teten 480-644-3692 terri.teten@mesaaz.gov Metro Resources / Elder Abuse / Fraud Karen Stegenga 480-644-5014 karen.stegenga@mesaaz.gov 03-2009