Crime Prevention Tip of the Week

Key Sense and Answering the Door:

• Do not hide house keys in mailboxes, planters or under doormats or rocks. Give a duplicate key to a trusted friend or neighbor in case you are locked out.
• Do not put any personal identification on key rings.
• Leave only your ignition key with service mechanics, parking garage attendants or valets.
• If you lose the keys to your home or when moving into a new home, change the locks immediately.
• Install a peep hole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door. A short chain between the door and the jamb is not a good substitute because it can be easily broken.
• Install a security screen door (not a regular mesh screen door) and keep it locked at all times.
• Don't open the door to anyone you do not know without first verifying who they are.

More crime prevention information can be found here.

Mesa PD Mobile APP is in final stages!!

The final build is almost here. We are hoping to have this public ready within the next 4-6 weeks.

Crime Prevention Tip of the Week

By making a few simple changes to the outside of your home, you can make your home less desirable to thieves.

• Trim back shrubbery that hides doors or windows to 3 feet. Trim trees up 7 feet. Doing so gives no place for thieves to hide. Cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into a second story window. Plant thorny or aggressive plants under windows and along fences.
• Light up the outside of your home at night. Make sure all porches, entrances and yards are well-lighted. Light is not a burglar's friend.
• Make sure your house number is clearly visible from the street during day- and night-time and from the alley behind you if you have one. This helps police and fire respond to emergency calls.
• Storage sheds and outside buildings should be securely locked.
• Fences make it difficult for a burglar to carry away large items, but are only effective if the gates are locked. Always keep your gates locked.

More crime prevention information can be found here.

Get To Know...

Through this feature you will get to know a bit about the men and women who work for the Mesa Police Department.

Danyelle is in the spotlight this month. She is an Administrative Support Assistant at our Public Safety Training Facility. We recently asked her the following:

Q:  Tell us about your typical work day?
A:   My days vary as the training schedule varies each week. I am responsible for answering calls and greeting students and instructors. I also register sworn and civilian members in training classes and document their completion once they are done. I'm glad to help wherever I'm needed...no job is too big or too small!

Q:  What do you do when you aren't working?
A:  When I'm not working I'm usually spending time with my husband of 21 years and our 3 children; Nick is 20, Dillon is 18 and Emma is 16.

Q:  Where did you work before joining Mesa PD?
A:  Prior to here at Training, I worked as a 911 operator with Mesa PD and then in the Hiring Unit as an Administrative Support Assistant. I have been here for 10 years. Before Mesa PD, I worked as an assistant manager and photographer at Sears Portrait Studio.

Q:  What music is on your iPod/mp3 player?
A:  My music varies from Contemporary Christian to Country to 80s and 90s to Rap/Hip Hop and everything in between...I have music for every mood!

Q:  What is your favorite meal?
A:  I can't pass up a good steak and pizza plays a close second.

Q:  What is your favorite TV show?
A:  I enjoy crime shows like CSI and Criminal Minds, but don't really have a favorite.

Q:  If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why?
A:  Anywhere that allows my sweet husband and I to get away is fabulous...it can be the beach or the mountains or even at home! Life is so busy and it's nice to just step away from the busy-ness.

Q:  If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
A:  I'd like to time travel. Sometimes I'd love to go back to a time when the kids were small and I can be reminded of how sweet they were and fast forward a few years to see that we all survive these teen years!

Q:  What is your greatest accomplishment?
A:  I overcame a difficult childhood and my husband and I figured out our normal and have provided a solid, loving and consistent home for our children.

Q:  What sound do you love?
A:  I love to hear my babies laugh...even now that they're all taller than me.

Q:  If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
A:  hmmmm...this is a hard one. I'm at a transitional time in my life as my kids are almost grown and am trying to figure out what direction I want to go in for this new season!


Watch for future installments of the "Get To Know..." feature!

To Catch A Thief!!

Nice nab by Officer McClellan!! While working a License Plate Reader (LPR) patrol car, Officer McClellen, stopped this suspect with a warrant for his arrest out of Nevada. The ensuing investigation resulted in the recovery of stolen property (including a weapon) from recent burglaries in our city. This suspect has a long criminal history in Nevada. Thanks to Officer McClellan, he is off of our streets!

Mormon Treasure Finally Home

On Tuesday, January 15th, 2013, Mesa PD Central Patrol district detectives returned the rare Mormon treasure to its owner, Helen Schlie. The rare 1st Edition of The Book of Mormon was printed in 1830 and has been in the Schlie family for 40 years. Mesa detectives tracked the book across the country, ultimately finding it and the suspect in Virginia. Suspect charged and book recovered. Job well done!

Crime Prevention Tip of the Week

A safe tweet is a happy tweet!

By default, your Twitter profile is public and all your updates can be seen by anyone, without your permission. However, you can control who sees your Twitter messages by selecting the "Protect My Tweets" box in your account profile. By doing so, only approved followers can see your updates.  Here are a  few safety tips for using Twitter:

• Do not share that you are going out somewhere. This tells everyone that you are not home. As with Facebook, wait until you've returned to say what a great time you had. This applies to weekend trips or vacations as well.
•  Do not let the world know you are alone. Do not advertise if you are looking for a roommate.
• Do not give out your location. One of your followers could turn out to be a stalker or sexual predator.
• In cyber-space, the 20-year-old girl you are tweeting with could actually be a 60-year-old man who really wants to meet you.
• Employers are now using Google, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites to check up on their employees or even their next new hire. Colleges are also searching online for information about students they are awarding scholarships to. Things posted in cyber-space are like a bad penny....they keep turning up. 
• Do not tweet anything you wouldn't be comfortable seeing on a giant billboard.

 Additional info on Twitter safety, including tips for kids, can be found here.

Atta' Boy

Nathalia from Mesa wrote:

I needed the police this week for the first time in my whole life. I want to give a shout out to Mesa police, specially officer Rudolph, for the professionalism, tact, and efficiency. I am confident we will catch the idiot that got into my house but, regardless, I am very impressed with you guys and feel safer with you on my side. Thank you for being there for us!

Thanks for the comments Nathalia!!

CRIME STATS - DECEMBER

The following are the top 5 calls for service and arrests for each patrol district -- 12/01/2012 through 12/31/2012.

DOBSON		CENTRAL
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	436	Subjects Disturbing	413
Check Welfare	286	Check Welfare	358
Loud Music/Noise	224	Suspicious Activity	191
Suspicious Activity	214	Other Agency Assist	189
Other Agency Assist	161	Loud Music/Noise	172
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Robbery	1	Aggravated Assault	3
Aggravated Assault	12	Breaking & Entering	13
Breaking & Entering	16	Theft	65
Theft	69	GTA	1
GTA	7	Alcohol/DUI	162
Alcohol/DUI	111	Other Assaults	60
Other Assaults	38	Disorderly Conduct	35
Disorderly Conduct	22	Drugs	53
Drugs	46	Fiscal/Forgery	13
Fiscal/Forgery	14	Loitering/Runaway	10
Loitering/Runaway	6	Sex Offenses	3
Vandalism	17	Vandalism	15
All Other	123	All Other	262
TOTAL	482	TOTAL	695

RED MOUNTAIN		SUPERSTITION
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	388	Check Welfare	296
Check Welfare	353	Subjects Disturbing	269
Suspicious Activity	273	Burglary Alarm	231
Loud Music/Noise	267	Suspicious Activity	229
Burglary Alarm	232	Other Agency Assist	213
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Aggravated Assault	10	Robbery	3
Breaking & Entering	9	Aggravated Assault	5
Theft	100	Breaking & Entering	4
GTA	1	Theft	98
Alcohol/DUI	67	GTA	2
Other Assaults	42	Alcohol/DUI	51
Disorderly Conduct	29	Other Assaults	37
Drugs	63	Disorderly Conduct	18
Fiscal/Forgery	20	Drugs	21
Loitering/Runaway	16	Fiscal/Forgery	11
Sex Offenses	5	Loitering/Runaway	6
Vandalism	27	Sex Offenses	3
All Other	119	Vandalism	6
		All Other	64
TOTAL	508	TOTAL	329

2012 Holiday DUI Task Force Stats

Click on graphic for larger version.

Crime Prevention Tip of the Week

Three basic rules of personal safety:

 DO stay alert. Keep your mind on your surroundings; who is in front of you and behind you. Don't get distracted by listening to music through ear buds or texting or talking while walking. If you're worried about crime, ask a friend to accompany you when you go out.

DO communicate the message that you are calm, confident and know where you are going. Stand tall, walk purposefully and make quick eye contact with people around you.

DO trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in a place or situation, leave.

CRIME STATS - NOVEMBER

The following are the top 5 calls for service and arrests for each patrol district -- 11/01/2012 through 11/30/2012.

DOBSON		CENTRAL
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	394	Subjects Disturbing	422
Check Welfare	332	Check Welfare	329
Loud Music/Noise	211	Other Agency Assist	216
Suspicious Activity	177	Suspicious Activity	192
Other Agency Assist	158	Loud Music/Noise	179
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Rape	1	Homicide	3
Robbery	11	Rape	2
Aggravated Assault	10	Robbery	2
Breaking & Entering	5	Aggravated Assault	16
Theft	77	Breaking & Entering	8
GTA	2	Theft	73
Alcohol/DUI	73	GTA	3
Other Assaults	39	Alcohol/DUI	70
Disorderly Conduct	13	Other Assaults	52
Drugs	42	Disorderly Conduct	26
Fiscal/Forgery	16	Drugs	58
Loitering/Runaway	14	Fiscal/Forgery	18
Sex Offenses	5	Loitering/Runaway	8
Vandalism	23	Sex Offenses	3
All Other	137	Vandalism	24
		All Other	286
TOTAL	468	TOTAL	652

RED MOUNTAIN		SUPERSTITION
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	395	Check Welfare	299
Check Welfare	389	Subjects Disturbing	252
Loud Music/Noise	259	Suspicious Activity	201
Suspicious Activity	228	Burglary Alarm	198
Burglary Alarm	211	Other Agency Assist	189
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Robbery	1	Rape	1
Aggravated Assault	14	Aggravated Assault	10
Breaking & Entering	14	Breaking & Entering	7
Theft	71	Theft	84
GTA	2	GTA	2
Alcohol/DUI	47	Alcohol/DUI	59
Other Assaults	62	Other Assaults	25
Disorderly Conduct	49	Disorderly Conduct	20
Drugs	44	Drugs	22
Fiscal/Forgery	15	Fiscal/Forgery	8
Loitering/Runaway	14	Loitering/Runaway	13
Sex Offenses	4	Sex Offenses	3
Vandalism	25	Vandalism	17
All Other	131	All Other	82
TOTAL	493	TOTAL	353

Citizen Police Academy

The next Citizen Police Academy will begin on February 20 and run through May 1. This academy gives members of our community an inside look at law enforcement and provides them with an understanding of the operations and resources of the police department. Classes meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 10:00 pm.  Information and registration packet can be found here. This is not the recruit academy.

Car Seat Safety Event

January 26
9am to Noon
Target, 2151 N. Power Road
Have your child's car seat inspected to make sure it's installed correctly by a certified child passenger safety technician. This is the 15th annual event from Safe Kids Maricopa County and their sponsors. View flyer here.

Police Story....written by a Mesa citizen

Our Mesa Police Officers are the finest! Thank you Jason & Cheryl for writing this email to Mesa Police Chief Milstead ~

To Chief Milstead:

I'm writing to commend your department and specifically Lieutenant Michael Beaton and Officer Britney Brimhall on their conduct and efficiency during a recent event at our home in Mesa. My wife, Cheryl, and I were duly impressed by the speedy response and quick and efficient resolution of our situation and were delighted by the great empathy and compassion with which we were treated by your officers.

On the evening of Saturday, December 8th, while I was away from home, my wife was confronted by a trespasser in the back yard of our Mesa home. She called 911 and Lt. Beaton & his team arrived within minutes. The trespasser attempted to enter our home and eventually became violent, stealing a shovel from our storage shed and using it to break our kitchen window. Lt. Beaton & his team neutralized the situation, took the suspect into custody very efficiently & stayed on the scene with my wife until well after I arrived.

When I arrived, Lt. Beaton and Ofc. Brimhall immediately advised me of the situation and put me at ease about the safety of my wife - their confident and calm demeanor impressed me and made me feel that we were in good
hands. Throughout the process, they displayed great personal care and respect toward our residence and our belongings and took extra time to talk to my wife and I, answer all of our questions, ensure that we were clear on the situation and our rights, advise us on next steps, and reassure us of the safety of our home and neighborhood and the availability of the Mesa PD should we ever need help again.

The kindness and consideration with which we were treated made it obvious that your officers care deeply about their job and the people that they protect.
Had your officers not arrived on the scene so promptly, the situation would have almost certainly escalated into further violence. Your department has our gratitude - we feel very safe in our home knowing that people like you are on the job.

We are new to Mesa, AZ, having just moved from Seattle, WA in July, and your department has helped us feel that we chose the right city in which to make our home. Thank you for building and running such a great police department and please pass on our thanks to Michael and Britney and the rest of the team!

Jason & Cheryl

Crime Prevention Tip of the Week

Did you know that there are more than 350 different types of social networking sites on the Internet? Did you know that sexual predators love these sites because they can pretend to be someone they aren't; they also count on neglect and ignorance of parents when it comes to their child's Internet access.

Most sites take member safety and privacy seriously; however, predators still manage to sneak through. As parents, we should be vigilant in monitoring the use of the Internet by our children. The following are a few suggestions to help you and  your child have a safe online experience. Additional information can be found here.

• Keep the computer in a place where there is high activity, i.e., the kitchen or family room. Don't let the child have a computer in their bedroom.
• Talk to your child about what information is okay to give online. Make sure they do not give out personal information that is not necessary, including school names, home town, where they live or work, places they hang out, or any other information that could be used to identify and locate them offline.
• Watch what their friends are posting about them. Friends could innocently give away too much personal information on your child. Get to know their online friends.
• Encourage your child to tell you if someone writes something that is mean, makes them feel uncomfortable, is suggestive, obscene, belligerent or threatening.
• What you post online, stays online. Even if you delete it. Never post anything you wouldn't want a potential employer, college or sports team to see.
• Never make plans to meet someone you first met online. They may not be who you think they are.