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•TURN ON YOUR porch lights at night to discourage would-be intruders.
• Trim tree branches and shrubs away from exterior doors and windows of your home or apartment, so burglars have fewer places to hide.
• If you spot a person committing a crime or suspect mischief in the neighborhood, immediately call 911.
The lessons of National Night Out – an anti-crime campaign held Tuesday in thousands of places across the United States, including several Wyoming Valley communities – remain valid day after day, night after night.
Luzerne County’s cities and boroughs would be safer places if more people adopted even a few of these common-sense strategies. Better yet, imagine if area residents widely embraced the notion behind National Night Out: Crime fighting is a community affair.
Yes, police bear the brunt of the dirty work – tracking down the bad guys and applying the handcuffs. But each of us, regardless of physical ability or age, needs to play a role in keeping graffiti artists in check and curbing the spread of vandalism, break-ins, prostitution, illicit drug sales and gang activity.
• Install dead-bolt locks on outside doors.
• Create a list of your possessions (include serial numbers) to give to police in the event of a burglary.
• Don’t keep valuable jewelry or significant amounts of cash at home.
• Close your garage door.
For more than a quarter century, National Night Out activities have fostered better relationships between residents and police. The campaign, led by the Pennsylvania-based National Association of Town Watch, has spawned yearly activities such as front porch vigils, flashlight walks and safety fairs.
Locally, Night Out events were expected to be held last evening in places such as Laflin, Wilkes-Barre Township and Plains Township. But what about the morning after? And the next night?
To help reduce criminal activity, join the year-round efforts of one of the region’s many neighborhood or block watches. (In Wilkes-Barre, call 208-8900.) Gather crime-fighting tips through Web sites such as www.nationaltownwatch.org and www.ncpc.org.
If you are worried about what’s been happening on your street, take action.
Don’t be the dim bulb on the block.
To help reduce
criminal activity, join the year-round efforts of one of the region’s many
neighborhood or block watches.