Braxton
Community
VILLAGE
WATCH
September 2011News Letter
Let’s Go Shopping
The Honey Do List
Couponers…. get ready…..GO! Wow! Buy one get one. Free food. 90% off. Oh, look an unattended purse. Couponing is great. You can save tons of money; however, shop with vigilance. While you are distracted at the great prices on the shelves, thieves are looking at the easy target in your basket. You turn around and your purse is gone. Or, you go to pay and your wallet has vanished from your purse. Never leave your purse in the basket unattended.
Tired of waiting to get that faucet fixed, room painted, carpet cleaned, hole in the wall repaired, or tornado and hurricane damage repaired? Calling a repair person may cost you thousands of dollars outside the cost of the bill. Not all service providers hire the best of help, and some may help themselves to your valuables. When getting ready to have someone come service your home, remove your jewelry, jewelry boxes, wallets, and purses from the kitchen table or nightstand. Hide them in a safe place or lock them in the safe. The price of gold is over $1,500 an ounce and thieves can make some quick cash. Several years ago, my sister had her diamond ring, ear rings, and a gold necklace stolen from her home during remodeling. Total lost for her was $14,000 plus the remodeling cost. In August 2011, a Braxton Village resident had some items taken while a company was cleaning her carpets. What can you do? Remove valuables to a safe location. Ask the service people entering your home for an ID or driver’s license. Write down their information. Never pay upfront cost. Never provide personal information. Participate in Operation ID*. If items do appear to be missing, you’ll now have some information to give to the police department on a possible suspect and descriptions of the items.
* Operation ID is an inventory and marking system of your personal items. More details on Operation ID will follow in the October news letter and annual CW meeting. Get a head start now and do some internet searches.
Now that you have survived inside the store and are in the parking lot with you load of goodies, a crime is still waiting to happen. Usually the last item you grab from the cart is your purse. Criminals cruise parking lots, especially Walmart, looking for the easy targets. You may not notice the person walking past you as odd, but if you leave your purse in the cart while you load groceries or putting the kids in safety seats, your purse might not wait for you. These criminals will steal your cash, cards, and ID within those few seconds and five minutes later, they rack up thousands of dollars in purchases. If you must take your purse with you shopping, remember to never leave it unattended. Always keep it on you closed, snapped, or zipped. Make it a habit to place your purse in the car first, after taking out the keys, before putting away shopping bags. If possible, only bring what you need to go shopping and leave the purse at home. The News and Observer has reported an increase in Sunday newspaper theft. Self serve machines are high targets thanks to extreme couponing. Not only the Sunday paper, but your prized coupon book has a target on them. Coupon books can be taken from your cart just as easy as your purse or wallet. So remember, keep those items close to you at all times. Don’t leave them ½ an isle down from where you are shopping. I see this every time I go shopping, and you will too, now that I’ve mentioned it.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS
Holly Springs Police (Non-Emergency)
557-9111
Save the Date
Braxton Village Home Owners Association
http://braxtonhoa.com/
E-mail: braxtonwatch@gmail.com
Facebook: Braxton Village Community Watch
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over – Through September 5th. National Safety Council and local authorities will enforce drinking and driving law during Memorial Day weekend. Community Day - September 10th 10am-2pm –at the Shearon Harris E&E Center. Get an inside tour of how a nuclear power plant works. Community Watch Annual Meeting - September 29th 7pm. Your chance to ask the Holly Springs PD questions and enhance our watch program.
Braxton Village Community Watch September 2011