Keen observation helps ensure safety

More this week on personal safety and some things to watch out for.

Anyone going door-to-door with offers of merchandise at low prices could be offering stolen property. Someone going door-to-door and one or more people trying to open a door, look into a window, or go to a back or side yard might be suspicious. This can be even more suspicious if one person stays at the door while another person goes to the back or side yard.

Excessive human and vehicular traffic to and from a certain residence on a daily or regular basis, especially if it happens during late or unusual hours, could mean drug or vice activities are taking place. People taking a shortcut through a backyard may have broken into someone’s home. Parked vehicles occupied with one or more people, at any hour or if you don’t recognize the vehicle, could be lookouts for a burglar.

Suspicious vehicles may be moving slowly and without lights and/or circling your block numerous times, particularly in the areas of schools, parks and playgrounds. The occupants may be searching for a person to rob or home/business to burglarize, or they may be involved in drug or sex offenses.

Vehicles may be in the process of being loaded with valuable items in front of an unattended residence or a business after normal hours. A person running who does not appear to be exercising, especially if carrying anything unusual, could be fleeing a burglary.

We get several reports a week of people causally walking through the neighborhood looking into cars, backyards, etc. They could be looking to burglarize a car or a home. Abandoned vehicles parked on the block could be stolen vehicles. People making a quick change of vehicle may be attempting to elude police or they are abandoning a stolen vehicle.

Be a good witness and take note of license plate numbers, vehicle or subject descriptions or direction of travel. Additional descriptions are always helpful (stickers, backpacks, unusual hair, pets, etc.). Please call the nonemergency number at 702-293-9224, ext. 1, and help us help you and your community.

March 29. Vagrancy: A residentially challenged man is found sleeping near the dumpster and asked to move along at the request of the owner at 7:06 a.m. in the 900 block of Nevada Way.

Fraud: The elderly woman comes into the station to report a phone solicitation telling her she just won a new car but needed to send $300 to process the paperwork at 8:12 a.m. in the 1000 block of Arizona Street.

Thought for the day: Do not give addresses, banking information or any personal data over the phone. Do not purchase gift cards for payment to anyone you do not personally know.

March 30. Welfare check: The elderly woman has relatives concerned when she refuses to take her medication and is not making sense over the phone at 11:08 a.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

DUI: The man is unable to answer questions or complete field sobriety tests and gets a warm cot for the night at 11:07 p.m. in the area of Veterans Memorial Drive and Paul Fisher Way.

Thought for the day: The amounts and types of alcohol are firmly cemented in the memory bank even when all else fails to “load up” the ol’ hard drive.

March 31. Shots: The caller reports hearing one gunshot at 12:03 a.m. in the 800 block of Avenue A.

Drugs: The drugs and warrants provide for a sure visit to the cross-bar hotel and judge at 4:37 a.m. in the area of Fifth Street and Nevada Way.

Thought for the day: Several residents outside failed to hear anything but the caller was running inside too fast to determine where the noise was coming from.

April 1. Reckless driver: The white/silver Subaru is a regular speeder and the middle finger flashed by the passenger spurs the residents into future diligence at 10:33 a.m. in the 1400 block of San Felipe Drive.

Animal: The smaller-than-normal brown Chihuahua is an artful dodger and the residents and officers alike are out of breath and convinced it’s a lost cause at 11:39 p.m. in the area of Adams Boulevard and Bristlecone Drive.

Thought for the day: Nothing fires up a senior like disrespect from a junior driver.

April 2. Suspicious: The homeowner allowed friends to take care of pets and property while in the hospital but it appears that’s not being done and the party is about to be over at 12:42 p.m. in the 600 block of Lake Superior Lane.

Civil: The resident loaned a vehicle to a friend and it has not been returned at 4:24 p.m. in the 1500 block of Christina Drive.

Thought for the day: Family motto: Never loan money, vehicles or your spouse — just sayin’.

April 3. Threats: The parents say they are being pulled into the divorce of an adult child and now are receiving threats from the other half at 9:24 a.m. in the 1500 block of Darlene Way.

Civil: The honeymoon is way over and the checking account is empty at 7:23 a.m. in the 600 block of Christina Drive.

Thought for the day: Domestic bliss is the term of the day.

April 4. Temporary protective order service: One party makes serving a protective order easy by laying on the ground in the backyard of the other party and moaning loudly at 12:20 a.m. in the 800 block of Fifth Street.

Suspicious: The high school student reports that two elderly men tried to give her a ride and she ran away with only the description of a white vehicle with at least two men inside at 2:31 p.m. in the 700 block of Adams Boulevard. (Please take a few minutes with young people to describe how to tell the difference between a truck and a car, things to remember about suspicious people, hair, clothing, approximate age, license plates, direction of travel, etc. The more they can remember, the better the chance of us locating the suspects and keeping kids safe.)

Thought for the day: The good news is the juvenile is safe. The bad news is there are loads of white vehicles.

Call(s) of the week: Animal: The rattlesnake caused quite a stir when it arrived in the elder care facility dining room expecting some air conditioning and a meal and instead witnessed several miracle escape speed records made by walkers and wheelchairs. As a further humiliation it was booted outside to, once again, look for love in all the other places at 7:36 a.m. April 1 in the 1400 block of Medical Park Drive (and that’s no joke.)

Tina Ransom is a dispatcher with Boulder City Police Department. She is coordinator of the Boulder City Citizen’s Academy.