Call the Sheriff’s Department Parks Division @ 713-741-8243 for more details.
Taking a Vacation This Summer?
“BURGLARS USUALLY WANT TO AVOID CONFRONTATIONS, SO MAKE YOUR HOME LOOK OCCUPIED!”
If you go out for the day or evening, leave the lights on and the radio playing, preferably on a talk show. Keep your garage doors
closed and locked. If you are going to be gone for an extended period of time, use inexpensive timing devises to turn inside lights,
radios, or televisions on and off at different times. Arrange to have someone pick up your mail and newspapers. Have your deliveries
stopped or delivered elsewhere.
Huntwick residents can submit a Vacation Alert form two weeks in advance of leaving to the Sheriff’s Department Cypresswood
Substation, 6831 Cypresswood Dr., Spring, TX 77379.
What Can You Do To Help Prevent Neighborhood Burglaries?
Good locks, simple precautions, neighborly alertness, and common sense can prevent most property crimes.
Alertness - Did You Know?
Half of all home burglaries occur during the day when alert neighbors could spot the thieves and call the police. Phone 713-221-6000
or 911 (in case of an emergency). So get together with your neighbors and help each other by keeping an eye on each other’s
homes.
Locks, Doors and Windows
Install good deadbolt locks in your door. Use a double cylinder lock with a one-inch throw. Avoid door locks that can be
manipulated by breaking the panels on the door or the glass. Make sure that your outside door, including the one between your
house and garage, are solid 1-3/4 inch metal or wood and fit tightly in their frames. Make sure that the hinges are on the inside.
Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available locks or with a rigid wooden dowel in the track. You could also use a nail
through a hole drilled in the sliding door or your fixed window frame.
For double hung windows, slide a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each top corner of the inside sash.
Outside Your Home
Trim shrubbery that hides doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into second story windows. Make
sure all porches, entrances to your home, and yards are well lit. Motion detector lighting is something to consider.
Keys
Do not hide house keys in your mailbox, planters, under doormats, or on top of your doorframe. Provide a duplicate key to a trusted
friend or neighbor in the event that you may find yourself locked out of your home.
Answering The Door
Install a peephole in your doors. A wide-angle viewer in all entry doors will enable you to see who is outside without opening the
door.
Cell Phone "Do Not Call List"
With regard to the information circulating regarding a cell phone “do not call list”:
The government officials and the telemarketing industry are assuring the public that there will be no list of cell phone numbers turned
over to the telemarketers, and that the telemarketers are barred from calling cell phone numbers. However, Lois Greisman, the
Federal Trade Commission official who oversees the anti-telemarketing registry, states that if consumers are concerned, they may
register their cell phone numbers, either by signing up on the Internet, at www.donotcall.gov, or by calling 888-382-1222. Consumers
signing up by phone need to call from the phone they want to add to the list.
Place a Security Watch on a Vacant House
Houses displaying For Sale or For Lease signs are obviously trying to reach as many interested prospects as possible. These signs
not only extend a welcome mat to potential buyers or renters but also to some of those who have other ideas.
Owners of vacant houses are encouraged to submit a Security Watch request to the Sheriff’s Cypresswood Substation. The
Vacation/Security Watch form can be found in the Huntwick Herald. The Huntwick Contract Deputy will receive a copy of the form
and will place the address on his daily watch schedule. Additionally, neighbors should be kept informed when the house will be
unoccupied and asked to call (713) 221-6000 to report any unusual or suspicious occurrences.
When the residence is occupied, the homeowner should find an unpredictable place to hide valuable items. A safe-deposit box is a
good idea for small items.
Today’s lifestyles sometimes makes it difficult to be as neighborly as we would like to be, but being a good neighbor is one of the
best ways to prevent crime.
Lock it or You May Lose It
Take the time to lock the car, the garage door or the doors to the house. If you don't, you may regret it. While we live in a safe and
secure community, let's not invite trouble. Lock you car when you leave it. The same goes for your garage and home doors.
Especially during the Holidays, thieves will be on the lookout for the careless act that helps them do their holiday shopping.
Remember to exercise caution while out shopping. Be alert to your surroundings in the parking lot, keep your car locked and if
possible, do not leave packages in clear sight.
Security Precautions for Christmas
A Merry Christmas wish followed by words of caution dampens the holiday spirit, but adhering to
the recommended practices may keep you from becoming a crime victim.
Things to remember when shopping
1. Carry only (1) one credit card. File the card number in a secured place at home.
2. Take only the cash you will need.
3. Do not wear expensive jewelry.
4. Ladies: Close your purse and carry it in such a way that you will be aware of someone attempting to open the zipper/snap or
snatch your purse altogether.
5. Use the buddy system (2 or more), if possible, when shopping.
6. Do not leave visible packages in an unattended vehicle – put them in the trunk or bring them inside.
Things to remember when approaching your parked vehicle and when driving
1. The criminal will usually select his victim in a public place. Therefore, be ALERT to things/people around you.
2. When you are leaving a business, notice who leaves with you.
3. When approaching your car, be alert and visually scan the parking lot.
4. If you are in your vehicle and think you are being followed, remain calm but do not drive home. Instead, drive to the nearest
police, fire station, or public place where there are other people present. Get someone’s attention.
5. If you have a car/cell phone with you call 911 while you are driving. Give your location first, then a description of the car that is
following you.
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