Keyport Police Department - Crime Prevention Tips

ATM Safety

Be aware of your surroundings, especially between dusk and dawn. If you notice anything suspicious - a security light out, someone loitering nearby - consider coming back later or using an ATM inside a supermarket or convenience store.

If using the ATM at night, take someone with you.
Park in a well-lit area as close as possible to the ATM. 
At a drive-through ATM, be sure the doors are locked and the passenger windows are rolled up.
If you withdraw cash, put it away promptly; count it later, in private.
Put your ATM card and receipt away promptly; never leave your receipt at the ATM.
Keep your PIN secret - don't write it down, and don't share it with anyone you don't trust absolutely. Your PIN provides access to your account.
Shield the keypad when entering your PIN to keep it from being observed.
Avoid being too regular in your ATM use - don't repeatedly visit the same machine at the same time, the same day of the week.

Vehicle Security

Although a professional car thief can defeat most security measures and quickly break into and steal a locked vehicle, most vehicle thefts and break-ins are carried out by amateurs who take advantage of the carelessness of drivers in leaving vehicles unlocked, valuables in sight, etc. Security conscious drivers lose less than those who are careless. According to the FBI, most cars are stolen because they are easy to steal. Eighty percent of all cars stolen last year were unlocked at the time. And 40 percent actually had the keys in the ignition.

The tips in this section deal with preventing vehicle theft or break-ins, helping to recover a stolen vehicle or property from a vehicle, preventing vandalism, and buying a used vehicle. You can significantly enhance the security of your vehicles by following them.

• Park in open, well-lighted, and populated areas near your destination.
• Avoid parking near trucks, vans, dumpsters, and other objects that obstruct visibility and provide hiding places.
• Avoid parking near strangers loitering or sitting in vehicles.
• Park in lots or garages where you don’t have to leave your keys.
• Park in your garage, if you have one. Don’t leave your vehicle on the street, in an alley, or on your driveway. If you have to park on a street, avoid dark or isolated areas. 
• Turn off your engine, roll up all windows, lock all doors, and take your keys with you even if you are making a quick stop at a store or gas station, or even in your driveway.
• Close all windows and lock the trunk and hood.
• Don’t leave spare keys in your vehicle. An experienced thief knows all the hiding places. Store spare keys in your wallet.
• Don’t leave your vehicle in an unattended public lot for an extended period time. 
• Buy a vehicle with interior hood and trunk lock releases. Install a secondary hood lock if your car does not have one.
• Replace knob-type door lock buttons with tapered ones.
• Install an alarm system that will sound when someone attempts to break in, move, tilt, or start your vehicle. Always activate the system when leaving vehicle.
• Check your vehicle if you hear the alarm sound. But don’t try to stop a person attempting to break in. Get a good description of the person and call the police.

To prevent theft of the vehicle itself:

• Turn your wheels sharply toward the curb when parking on a street.
• Use anti-theft devices that can be attached to the steering wheel or column, or brake pedal. Use one every time you leave your vehicle unattended. Steering wheel locks are inexpensive and are recommended by some experts to be the most cost-effective theft deterrent on the market today.
• Install fuel or power cut-off switches.
• Buy a vehicle with a locking ignition or steering column.
• Chain motorcycles and bicycles to stationary objects when unattended.
• Consider having your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) etched on all the windows.

To prevent the theft of property from a vehicle:

• Never leave any contents or valuables in plain sight. Remove cellular phones, audio systems, computers, packages, sport equipment, cameras, purses, etc. Lock them in the trunk before you park or take them with you. And if you can’t replace an item, don’t leave it anywhere in your vehicle.
• Install locking devices on batteries, wheels, audio equipment, etc.
• Make several slices through your license plate registration sticker after it has been placed on the plate. If the plate or sticker is stolen, call the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) immediately to report the loss and get replacements. 

Injury Prevention

Car Seat / Seat Belt Safety:
Always wear your seat belt and use proper restraint precautions for your age appropriate children while in a vehicle.  Riding unrestrained is the greatest risk factor for death and injury among children & adult occupants in motor vehicle crashes.  Approximately sixty-three percent of children ages 14 and under killed in motor vehicle crashes were unrestrained. 

Car Safety Seats - A Guide for Families 
Keep Kids Healthy 

Motor Vehicle Safety:
Please drive safely.  Motor vehicle fatalities are a major cause of injury or death in New Jersey.

Motor vehicle safety web links:

Defensive Driving

Global Road Safety

Teen Driver Information

DMV Forms 

Bicycle Safety:
Adults, as well as children, should wear appropriate gear such as a helmet, while riding a bicycle.  Always be aware of potential motor vehicle traffic while riding!  Each year, hospital emergency rooms treat 500,000 bicycle-related injuries.  Approximately 800 bicyclists are killed, and 60,000 are injured in motor vehicle-related crashes.  And of those injuries, over 2000 children will suffer permanent brain damage and/or disabilities.

Bicycle safety web links:

Bicycle Safety Tips

More Bicycle Safety Tips

1) Make sure all family members know what to do in the event of a fire. 
2) Draw a floor plan with at least two ways of escaping every room. Make a drawing for each floor (Dimensions do not need to be correct). Make sure plan shows important details: stairs, hallways and windows that can be used as fire escape routes.   
3) Test windows and doors—do they open easy enough? Are they wide enough. Or tall enough?  
4) Choose a safe meeting place outside the house.  
5) Practice alerting other members.  
6) Keep a bell and flashlight in each bedroom.  
7) Does everyone in your family know what to do if your clothes start on fire? 
Stop, Drop, and Roll. If somebody else has their clothes start on fire, help them, have them Stop, Drop, and Roll and use a blanket to smother the flames.

Prevention 
1) Smoke detectors become ineffective after ten years. If your smoke detectors are ten years old or older, it is time to have them replaced.  
2) Always remember to keep matches and lighters stored in a safe place. Many children have a curiosity about fire and can easily start a fire when they find these items. Talk to your children about the danger of playing with fire.  
3) Never store gasoline containers inside your home. Escaping vapors are heavier than air and easily find ignition sources such as pilot lights.  
4) Careless cigarette smoking starts many home fires. Are ashtrays large enough so that a forgotten cigarette will fall in? Ashes should be discarded in metal wastebaskets only, ideally outside the home. Do not smoke in bed. Remember careless smoking is still a major cause of home fires. 
5) Never leave children unsupervised around open flames.

Fire safety Tips

Second Hand Smoke:  
The 2006 Surgeon General's report states that; "There is no risk free level of second hand smoke exposure.  Even brief exposures can be harmful to children."  Keyport has become the first Township in the State of New Jersey to adopt legislation prohibiting adults from smoking in vehicles when children under 17 are present. 
Second hand smoke Fact Sheet

Playground Injury Prevention:  
Each year in the United States, more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger required hospital emergency department treatment for playground-related injuries. 

Water Related Injury Prevention:  
In 2004, there were 3,308 unintentional fatal drownings in the United States, averaging nine people per day. This figure does not include the 676 fatalities, from drowning and other causes, due to boating-related incidents. 

Fireworks Injury Prevention:  
In 2003, four persons died and an estimated 9,300 were treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the United States. 

Violence Prevention:  
Violence prevention's focus is on intentional violence/injuries.  Intentional violence occurs within many of our communities,  schools and homes.  Included are spousal abuse and child abuse.