There are plenty of things you can do to ensure your personal safety in parking lots and garages. Here are a few.
Park in open, well-lit and populated areas near your destination. Avoid parking near trucks, vans, dumpsters and other objects that obstruct visibility and provide hiding places. Avoid parking or walking near strangers loitering or sitting in vehicles. Check that no one is hiding around your vehicle before you get out.
Report any lights that are out to the facility operator. Lock your vehicle and take your keys with you and never leave any valuables in plain sight. Conceal maps or travel brochures that might indicate you are a tourist. Remember where you parked so you can return directly to your vehicle. Be alert and walk purposefully and have your key in hand so you can open the door immediately when you return to your vehicle.
Ask a co-worker or security guard to escort you to your vehicle if you work late. Don’t leave your home keys on a chain with your vehicle keys when you use valet parking. Also, don’t leave your garage door opener where it is easily accessible.
Keep your vehicle registration, proof of insurance and any other papers with your home address on them where a criminal is not likely to find them. Don’t resist or argue with a carjacker. Your life is much more valuable than your vehicle. Be especially alert when parking at fast food places, gas stations, ATMs and shopping areas along suburban highways.
Get in a habit of locking your vehicle every time you leave it, even for a short time; thieves are opportunistic and will take advantage of any small amount of time.
June 14. Suspicious: The caller reports armed “munchkins” have entered her car and residence and she has fled to the neighbors to make the call at 8:36 a.m. in the 600 block of Avenue L.
Home invasion: The caller is embroiled in a bitter custody battle and reports the other party has broken a window and entered the premises at 11:43 a.m. in the 1400 block of Marita Drive.
Thought for the day: The teenager who forgot his key is the actual culprit and flees the scene when the yelling starts and the blue lights arrive.
June 15. Assist other agency: Traffic snafus and tense moments abound as the bypass bridge is closed and all traffic is diverted to avoid an unstable situation at 12:20 p.m. in the area of U.S. Highway 93 at mile marker 6 (and beyond).
Assist: Several gusts of wind create unusual lift and assist a carport awning to become airborne. The resulting power outage is a result of gravity vs. an electrical box at 4:35 a.m. in the 500 block of Hopi Place.
Thought for the day: The elderly woman feels terrible that, after all this time, the awning decided to leave them all in the dark.
June 16. Suspicious: The man is a little tired and decides the sidewalk is a great place for a nap at 5:57 p.m. in the 800 block of Buchanan Boulevard.
Suspicious: The caller does not see the neighbor’s vehicle but sees someone inside the home with a flashlight at 11:36 p.m. in the 500 block of Avenue L.
Thought for the day: The surprised homeowner is relieved for the neighborhood watch but not so much they know he was foraging for cookies.
June 17. Suspicious: Numerous callers report a flare launched into the air at 2:58 a.m. in the area of Colorado Street and Avenue B.
Attempted burglary: The caller reports hearing someone open a car door and was just seconds behind their hasty retreat at 3:27 a.m. in the 1300 block of Saddle Lane.
Thought for the day: The juveniles were located, cited and released to their parents along with a reminder to lock your vehicles; they are looking for opportunity.
June 18. Family disturbance: The caller states a woman just ran over a man with a vehicle in the parking lot at 11:31 p.m. in the 400 block of Matecumbe Way.
Disturbance: Reports are coming in of a disheveled man yelling at no one inside the business and has now gone outside and is crawling under a bush with sleeping materials at 5:08 p.m. in the 1000 block of Boulder City Parkway.
Thought for the day: The blissless disturbance concludes with no one injured or interested in a solution either.
June 19. Recovered stolen vehicle: The impounded vehicle is found to have been reported stolen and is now back in the hands of the owner at 8:46 a.m. in the 1600 block of Foothill Drive.
Fight: The basketball game deteriorates into a boxing match and there doesn’t seem to be a referee around at 6:32 p.m. in the 900 block of Utah Street.
Thought for the day: In the world of boxing, the female would have received a big buckle and not a citation.
June 20. Suspicious: Callers report subjects in the median throwing rocks at their own car at 5:13 p.m. in the area of U.S. Highway 93 and Veterans Memorial Drive.
Welfare check: The intoxicated man is severely dehydrated and will get a trip to the hospital in order to remedy the issue at 6:26 p.m. in the 500 block of Avenue B.
Thought for the day: I think I’ve thought of the rock idea a few times myself.
Call(s) of the Week: Animal: Brandon, the snake wrestler, was dispatched to a report of an aggressive rattlesnake. He swiftly subdues the miscreant and escorts him to an area much more suited to aggressive behavior (far, far away from homes) on at 12:37 p.m. June 18 in the area of 1000 Yucca Street.
Tina Ransom is a dispatcher with Boulder City Police Department. She is coordinator of the Boulder City Citizen’s Academy.