Maintenance of Law and Order cannot be done by the Police Department alone. It must be a partnership between the police, who provide professional assistance and authority, and citizens, who take an active interest in the safety of their community.

The Alburtis Police Department participates in many different community oriented programs.  The basic goal of the Alburtis Police Department’s Community Service Officer is to lessen the ability of criminals to commit crimes by educating the community in ways to avoid becoming a victim of crime. Our Community Service Officer provides public presentations on:

• Stranger Danger
• Child Safety
• Bicycle Safety
• Personal Safety
• Station Tours
• Home Security
• Business Security
• Traffic Safety
• National Night Out Against Crime
• Senior Safety
• Scam Awareness
• Bank Robbery Prevention

The Alburtis Police Department has many active Crime Prevention Programs. The police department is also active in bike safety and other presentations as requested or needed. We also promote crime prevention at community events.

Alburtis Police Department also participates in the National Night Out Against Crime (NNO).  This is a nationwide, annual event encouraging neighborhoods to band together and “give neighborhood crime and drugs a going away party.” NNO is the first Tuesday in August. In 2008, Alburtis Police Department held the first NNO event-a pool party/movie night. The event had over 125 people in attendance and we would love to see the attendance increase. If you would like to help with the National Night Out event please contact Officer Chris Lubenetski by phone at (610) 966-4777 or at CLubenetski@alburtispd.org.

• If you are interested in a presentation or do not see the subject you were looking for, contact Officer Lubenetski by phone at (610) 966-4777 or email CLubenetski@alburtispd.org.

Links to:
           National Crime Prevention Council                            
           National Association of Town Watch (NNO sponsors) 

Crime Prevention Tips

The crimes we fear the most occur the least. Armed robbery, severe assault, murder and rape, while highly publicized are relatively rare; the average citizen is unlikely to become a victim.  Prevention consists of common-sense measures; avoid dangerous areas, especially alone at night, use street lights for visibility, stay in view of others, walk in groups when leaving public events, and call for police assistance if you have any reason to feel suspicious.

When we speak of crime prevention, in most cases the crimes to be prevented are burglary, car prowls and vandalism. They are the most common crimes and most likely to happen to the average citizen, regardless of location or social status. Burglary is a crime of opportunity.
Burglars and car prowlers seek easy targets, empty homes with easy, hidden entry, unlocked cars with visible valuables inside. Defense against burglaries and car prowls (and the companion crime of vandalism) rest on three principles:

        1. Reduce the criminals motivation
        2. Reduce the criminals opportunity
        3. Increase the difficulty of committing the crime successfully
 

Reducing Motivation:

• Notice strange people in your neighborhood, and make sure they know it!  Burglars often park their cars and case the area, noting which houses are unoccupied and how they might enter unnoticed.
• Hold a block watch party. Getting together with your neighbors builds a sense of community and interdependence. The posted block watch signs tell a potential burglar that people are watching and the neighborhood cares.
• Lock your vehicle!!! Do not leave valuables (cell phone, CD holders, purses/wallets etc) visible inside the vehicle.
• Mark your major possessions with an engraver. Use your Pennsylvania driver’s license number or some other unique manner of identification. This makes your item identifiable and more difficult to pawn.
• Use your imagination to protect your home and property. One person posts a sign “day sleeper” in his window, another puts a large dog dish and a pair of men's boots outside her back door. Leaving a radio or TV turned on creates the illusion that the house is occupied. Timers are now available that will vary the times that lights are turned on and off so the house seems occupied.
• Sign up for security checks of your residence if you are going to be out of town. Put a hold on your mail and paper delivery while you are gone.

Reducing Opportunity:

• Keep your hedges and bushes trimmed. Houses with large bushes offer cover for a burglar who breaks a window. Make it impossible to stand next to your house without being seen.
• Install perimeter lighting. Make sure a burglar cannot approach and entrance in darkness. Inexpensive lights are available which detect motion. Installed on a back porch, they illuminate the area if anyone approaches.
• Get to know your neighbors. They more you know about them, the more you will notice anything unusual. Establish an attitude of mutual watchfulness with them.
• Report anything suspicious. You are our most effected eyes and ears. The police are interested in anything suspicious, whether or not a crime is being committed. If anything strikes you as suspicious (slow moving vehicles, suspicious persons, vehicles being loaded with valuables etc) report it by calling 911. Don’t worry about causing a problem, it is our job to check these things out.

Increasing Difficulty:

• No home is burglar proof, but any home can be made difficult to enter. The object is to make it impossible to enter without breaking a door or window.
• Keyed locks are available to add to most existing aluminum sliding doors and windows. They can be fitted into existing tracks and prevent opening without a key.
• Deadbolts cannot be forced with a credit card. We recommend a 1.5" throw (how far it goes into the door frame), this makes it harder to force the door open. Remember, a deadbolt keyed on both sides is doubly difficult. The burglar might get in a window but needs to get the loot out the door. For safety, leave a key near the door when you are home.
• Harden doors by fastening the striker plate with six-inch screws passing into the stud wall. Replace one screw on each hinge with a protruding nail and leave the opposite screw out. If the hinge is pulled, the door still cannot be removed.
• Anti-jimmy bars, as simple as a piece of wood, can be laid in sliding window tracks to prevent their opening. More sophisticated bars can be locked into place.

Reducing vandalism:

Often, vandalism is caused by young people in the immediate neighborhood. If you suspect that is the case, remember to keep a rational perspective. You can help solve the problem by speaking with the parents, reporting the activity to the police, and getting to know the potential offenders.  Continuous effort is necessary to solve the problem. Even when an arrest can be made, the irate homeowner may not be satisfied with the results. Remember that persistence pays and over reaction hurts. Threatening violence or displaying a firearm does not help and exposes you to liability and criminal charges.