Najib El Blog, Crime Alerts

Scam Alert – Tax Time

SCAM ALERT from the Constable’s Office – It’s tax time and tax scams will be on the rise!

Residents need to be aware of scammers and tactics. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! In recent years, thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams and fake IRS communication. Click here for more detailed information from the IRS.

REMEMBER: The IRS does NOT initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. In addition, IRS does not threaten taxpayers with lawsuits, imprisonment or other enforcement action. Being able to recognize these tell-tale signs of a phishing or tax scam could save you from becoming a victim

Najib El Blog, Monthly Newsletter

January Newsletter

January 2017

General Update: Reported crimes for December were higher than previous months which can be attributed to the holiday season. There were 21 total incidents in our neighborhoods with most (17) being thefts from vehicles. A few property thefts, including a bicycle and mail, were also reported. Remember to keep your car doors locked, valuables hidden within (or bet yet removed), and property safely secured within your home. There were no Crime Alerts from the Constables office. Click on the map for more detailed information.

Constable Activity Report – December:
Below is a run down of last month’s Activity Report from the Constable Patrol. Each time the deputy on patrol is called out or observes some activity of interest, he/she documents the call and the report is compiled at the end of the month. It’s a nice way to see what our deputies are up to!

Alarm Local – 2
Abandoned Vehicle – 0
Aggressive Animal – 0
Burglary/Motor Vehicle – 1
Business Check – 1
Contract Check – 119
Criminal Mischief – 0
Discharge of Firearm – 0
Disturbance/ Loud Noise – 1
Information Call – 0
Meet the Citizen – 106
Meet the Officer – 0
Neighborhood Check – 0
Park Check – 28
Property Found/Lost – 1
Solicitors – 3
Special Assign – 0
Suspicious Person – 9
Suspicious Vehicle – 0
Theft – 2
Traffic Hazard – 4
Traffic Stop – 10
Vacation Watch – 187

Najib El Blog, Safety Tips

Safety Tip – The Gift of Safety

A few common sense safety reminders to make sure your holidays aren’t ruined by crime.

Leaving town for the holidays?

Sign up for Vacation Watch. It’s one of the many benefits of being a subscriber to MWSF!

Make sure a neighbor or close-by relative or friend knows about it, so they can keep an eye on your dwelling and report any suspicious activity that may take place there. See below.

Halt the delivery to your home of mail, packages and newspapers. A doorstep strewn with several days’ worth of mail and other materials can be a sure signal to a potential burglar that no one is inside.

Staying home for the holidays?

There’s nothing wrong with proudly displaying indoor and outdoor lights and other decorations. But leaving a wide window view of a pile of presents – while you are asleep or out for a few hours – can be a tempting invitation to thieves.

Place branded boxes in garbage bags or inside an unmarked box before leaving them for trash and recycling pick-up. They can signal to burglars what’s under your Christmas tree.

Doing some last minute online shopping for gifts?

Package thieves are known to follow follow UPS and FedEx trucks to steal packages shortly after delivery. Consider having packages delivered to your office or to someone who will be home to receive delivery. Or require a signature confirmation at delivery.

Neighbors are the best defense. Give your neighbors permission to remove and safeguard your packages until you come home.

Don’t leave regular mail sitting out all day long. It’s a clear sign that no one’s home or staying alert!

Check your front porch frequently for mail and packages and watch for email alerts from shippers. Speak to you mail carrier and ask them to ring the doorbell when a package is left. Also, consider tipping your mail carrier this year. It’s a hard job!

Planning on partaking in holiday festivities around the neighborhood?

Alcoholic drinks have a place in many holiday celebrations. Please drink in moderation and never drive a vehicle while under the influence.
Embrace the holiday spirit. Be an extra nice driver in heavy traffic. Say extra kind words to children, older folks and all in between.

Enjoy, be safe, and Happy Holidays from MWSF!

See something suspicious? Call 911 for crimes in progress. The Precinct One Constable Dispatch number is 713-755-7628 or alert our deputies via the Constable’s Office.

Najib El Blog, Safety Tips

Crime Prevention Tip -Package Theft

You spent a lot of time on-line searching for the perfect holiday gift for a special person in your life. You placed your order on the web site. Your credit card was charged the right amount.

The designated delivery service – Fedex, UPS, the Postal Service, or another outfit – says it duly left the item on your doorstep.

You did your job. They did theirs. So where’s the box containing that not-cheap chunk of cheer?

A package thief probably swiped it — faster than you can say Ebenezer Scrooge. In neighborhoods all over town, sticky-fingered crooks think this kind of theft is easy pickings: no burglary, shoplifting, night-stalking or violence required!
But you can help us foil these gift-grabbing, box-boosting criminals.

  • If no one will be home to retrieve a package as soon as it is delivered, arrange ahead of time for deliverers to leave your package with a neighbor who will be home.
  • Or make your workplace the delivery destination.
  • Or arrange for a signature to be required for delivery.
  • Keep exterior doorways well lit at night.
  • And/or install motion detectors so that lights come on when someone approaches the doorstep.
  • And/or install tamper-proof security cameras at your entryway and post stickers or signs telling any visitors they are “live on video.”
  • If a delivered package goes missing from the your doorstep, please call 911 and make a report to law enforcement. It may help recover the goods and/or catch the thieves.
Najib El Blog, Monthly Newsletter

December Newsletter

General Update: Unfortunately, there has been an increase in criminal activity for our neighborhoods in November. HPD reported 4 home break-ins, 2 thefts, and 9 car burglaries. We also received one Crime Alert from the Constable concerning the backyard scams. However, these criminals were captured by our Precinct 1 Constable’s office, which you can read about here. You can click on the map for more detailed information. As noted above in the Crime Tip, this is a very profitable time of the year for burglars so keep your guard up and stay alert.

Constable Activity Report – November: Below is a run down of last month’s Activity Report from the Constable Patrol. Each time the deputy on patrol is called out or observes some activity of interest, he/she documents the call and the report is compiled at the end of the month. It’s a nice way to see what our deputies are up to!

Contract Check – 152
Meet the Citizen – 136
Local Alarm – 9
Burglary/Motor Vehicle – 1
Business Check – 2
Park Check – 16
Disturbance/ Loud Noise – 2
Property Found/Lost – 1
Suspicious Person – 13
Theft – 1
Vacation Watch – 114
Suspicious Vehicle -4
Criminal Mischief – 1
Meet the Officer – 1
Neighborhood Check – 2
Solicitors – 1
Traffic Hazard – 3
Parking Lot Check – 1
Traffic Stop – 2

*Contract Check refers to an observation and/or inquiry at a specific location (think of it as a drive by and safety check of your home). Meet the Citizen means precisely that. One of our patrolling deputies had the chance to engage with a neighbor!