Think safety first when walking, biking

I've been asked to speak a little about pedestrian and bicycle safety this week. Please wear bright (or reflective) clothing so you can easily be seen and always walk against the flow of traffic. If you walk with headphones or are speaking on your phone, keep one ear uncovered to listen for traffic and other safety concerns.

You must walk on sidewalks, if they are provided, and you may be cited if you do not. Way too many people are being struck and killed in the valley these days and we take your safety very seriously.

Bicycles are subject to the same rules and regulations as vehicles when riding on the streets. Stop signs are not suggestions; they mean stop! Crosswalks are for pedestrians and if you are intending to use them while bike riding, you must walk your bike across the road. Drivers are not expecting someone in a crosswalk to zoom across and it can be a deadly mistake. You must have reflectors on your bike at all times and lights for evening and when conditions warrant.

Jan. 7. Suspicious: The caller believes it is suspicious that the male in all black clothing with a backpack is carrying an anchor at 2:02 a.m. in the area of El Camino and Marita Drives.

Fraud: A person is in the lobby to report that an ex has opened a recent credit card in her name and wants to know her options at 4:46 p.m. in the 1000 block of Arizona Street.

Thought for the day: I can't imagine why it would seem suspicious for someone to be out walking with a boat anchor in hand.

Jan. 8. Welfare: The caller states the elderly male is legally blind and has taken off, on foot, to walk to California and would like his welfare checked at 10:27 a.m. in the 1400 block of Arizona Street.

Suspicious vehicle: The observant homeowner spots a work van with ladders on the top loitering in the area and the subjects say they are cleaning windows for a neighbor. However, the neighbor states they aren't at 12:05 p.m. in the 700 block of Shirley Lane.

Thought for the day: The man agrees to stay home for a week so family can find him a place in California to stay before he takes off again.

Jan. 9. Suspicious: A caller reports the neighbor across the street has left his garage door open and the caller is concerned at 1:36 a.m. in the 1600 block of New Mexico Street.

Assist: The frantic call reporting a stolen purse from a vehicle is cancelled when the owner finds it inside an establishment she visited earlier in the day at 12:59 p.m. in the 600 block of Mount Bear Way.

Thought for the day: We are happy when the good guys notice the garage door before the bad guys do.

Jan. 10. DUI: The driver shows all the telltale signs of a little too much "happy" tonight and will have more than enough time to regret the decision to drive at 3:47 a.m. in the 800 block of Buchanan Boulevard.

Welfare: Several callers report an elderly male staggering down the side of the roadway with blood covering his face and hands after he fell in the rocks at 8:42 a.m. in the area of mile marker 49 on U.S. Highway 95.

Thought for the day: Thank you to all who reported the injured senior. He was very disoriented and in dire need of medical attention.

Jan. 11. Suspicious: The caller is an employee who found several credit cards with different names left by a subject in a white sedan at 12:48 a.m. in the 1600 block of Nevada Highway.

Assist: A caller from Washington would like us to note his personal information so that it can be passed on to his mentally ill daughter if she shows up in our jurisdiction at 7:55 p.m. in the 1000 block of Arizona Street.

Thought for the day: Chances are the credit cards were of no value to whomever stole them without the billing zip code so they were abandoned.

Jan. 12. Vagrancy: The residentially challenged individual insists that the entire encampment is his except for when he has occasional visitors at 2:07 p.m. in the area of the train depot.

Vagrancy: The caller believes the subject lives in a nearby motel, but he "hangs out" at this location and relieves himself between the buildings and is now trespassed from the area at 3 p.m. in the 700 block of Elm Street.

Thought for the day: Camping is illegal in Boulder City and having visitors isn't going to make it any more legal.

Jan. 13. Civil: The caller insists that her ex took the keys to the missing vehicle after moving out two days ago but the entire situation will need to be taken up with the constable's office at 5:47 a.m. in the 600 block of Del Prado Drive.

Domestic: A family dispute deteriorates into felony charges at 7:57 a.m. in the 200 block of Red Rock Drive.

Thought for the day: It's common knowledge that family disputes are law enforcement's least favorite calls; they usually come with some pretty intense feelings.

Call(s) of the week: Assist: The subject in the wheelchair has a dog that is being injured as the leash is tangled in the mechanism of the chair. A quick-thinking officer is able to spring into action and save the day (and the dog) at 12:04 p.m. on Jan. 9.

Side note: The owner of the wayward dentures in last week's column has been located.

Have a great week.

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