Locks are best defense against thieves

As I plucked the paper clip off the organized forms, I couldn’t help but wonder which thriller film actor used such a device to illegally enter a residence. Trust is a wonderful belief or characteristic. Yet we use locks on a regular basis when it comes to our possessions.

Although I guess a door could be unlocked by a paper clip, the likelihood would be problematic. The possibility of picking any lock is extremely challenging. However, the ease to securing entry into any unlocked door is an absolute.

As our children head back to school and the possibility our homes being unoccupied for greater periods of time returns, I highly recommend we remind family members to lock the doors and windows. The FBI reports 30 percent of all burglaries are through open doors and windows and that every 13 seconds a home is burglarized.

We love to patrol, but we can’t be everywhere at once. With a few of us on patrol at any one time, covering 202 square miles is no easy task. So, please help us by locking doors and windows, and calling in when you see someone or something suspicious.

“Control, 269, we’ll be 10-8.”

Aug. 17. An off-duty officer is flagged down at Albertsons regarding a car engine running with a female passed out in the driver’s seat. The off-duty officer makes contact and discovers the driver is having an out-of-body experience. Would you believe it involved drugs? A records check reveals two warrants, and she’s DUI. Where did the red sparkly slippers go?

Aug. 18. Officers are dispatched to the area of Dorothy Drive relating to a suspicious communication regarding a family member. Officers enter the home and discover the elderly resident appears to have committed suicide. A tragedy for all involved. Remember, there are plenty of resources out here to help cope with any situation.

Aug. 19. A small-town young adult, wanting to be a big-city rapper, bebops across the street by jaywalking. The officer spots the subject, makes contact and learns the aspiring folk singer is wanted. Maybe a few days in lock down will inspire some verses.

Aug. 20. A resident drives into town and the officer sees the driver is having a difficult time keeping between the lines. Once the driver is stopped near Veterans Memorial Drive and U.S. Highway 93, we learn the driver has a suspended license. Furthermore, after some sobriety tests, the driver is discovered to be impaired. What’s it going to take to make the right choice?

Aug. 21. We’ve initiated an increase in our efforts to locate and apprehend wanted subjects. As the officers were cruising down Buchanan Boulevard, they spot a familiar face in the passenger seat of a car. The car is stopped and the passenger is arrested for having two felony warrants, burglary and possession of stolen property.

Aug. 22. If you drive out to the water treatment area at night, you can see a lot of stars. Two buddies are stargazing from inside their car, but they didn’t have a good view of the sky, especially since they couldn’t even see out the windows because of an immense cloud of smoke. Once the officer arrives and the window comes down, we learned Cheech and Chong were not the occupants. The driver was arrested for many illegal narcotics-related offenses and the passenger followed suit, in addition to being a wanted subject in Northern Nevada. They must have thought they were in another state.

Aug. 23. It’s a gorgeous day. As the car attempts to blend into the desert landscape and residential area of our great town, the officer knows what’s up. After stopping the car on Lakeview Drive for having a suspended registration, the officer learns the driver’s license also is suspended and he has warrants. Now that’s a trifecta!

First things first. We have 180 more days of school left. The school zone speed limit is always 15 mph.

Second, keep those doors and windows locked. It’s great to trust people, but it doesn’t mean you have to do it with an unlocked door.

Boulder City, have a great week; see you next week.

Officer Jeffrey Grasso is a 11-year veteran of the Boulder City Police Department. He previously served as a police officer in south Florida for four years.