OPPD: NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Crime Bulletin #60

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Crime Bulletin #60

To all Our Neighborhood Watch Personnel:

The Summer Season Begins:

The summer season brings new challenges in the area of public safety. There will be a dramatic increase in both bicycle and pedestrian traffic on our Parkway and the side streets. Drivers must increase their vigilance when operating their vehicles. Last year, there were 108 traffic accidents investigated by our Police Department in Ocean Pines. Please drive carefully and within our posted speed limits.

** Internet Scams:

A 96 year old resident was scammed out of $40,000 in two seperate internet transactions. The scammer alleged that the victim had won over $950,000 and needed money from the victim to complete the transaction. Most of these scammers live overseas and are beyond the range of prosecution. In this case, police are actively pursuing an investigation, as the suspects live in the United States.

** Home Improvement Scams:

When you have home improvement people in your home, do you limit their access and monitor their actions? An Ocean Pines resident contracted with a local home improvement company for home repairs. The resident gave the key to his home to the contractor and left. Police later responded to a $40,000 theft report at that home. After an intensive investigation, police later arrested three suspects in this case. It could have been prevented.

Never allow home improvement personnel unsupervised in your home. LIMIT their access to only the areas of improvement and never leave valuables, such as jewelry, in plain view.

** Thefts from Unlocked Autos:

Six resident vehicles were entered and had property taken. ALL the vehicles were unlocked. Residents left valuable property, such as cash and wallets, in plain view. Ocean Pines is not immune from crime, and basic crime prevention can lower your chances to be a victim. NO locked vehicles were entered.

** Drug Dealer Arrested and Convicted:

A drug dealer was convicted and received a 35 year prison sentence for providing the drugs to an Ocean Pines resident, which resulted in an overdose death. Police and the States Attorney's Office coordinated this investigation, which is a landmark case.

** Drunk Driving Arrests:

Since our last Crime Bulletin, police arrested five (5) suspected drunk drivers. One arrest was a result of a hit and run accident at our North Gate Bridge. Summer traffic will result in an increase in the number of suspected drunk drivers on our roads. Please drive defensively.

** Domestic Violence Arrests:

Police arrested three (3) individuals in three seperate incidents, for domestic violence.

** Heroin Overdose Death:

Unrelated to the above drug dealer arrest, another resident died of an overdose from suspected heroin. As we have discussed in previous Crime Bulletins, heroin is a growing national problem. No community is immune from this abuse, as a small packet of heroin can sell for as little as $10-$15. As a purely residential community, we are particularly vulnerable to this drug abuse. Addicts often resort to property crime to feed their habit. Basic crime prevention by residents can reduce your vulnerability to these types of crime.

** New Police Officer Graduates:

Officer Patrick Hogan recently graduated from the regional Police Academy at Wor-Wic Community College. There were 25 graduates from various local police agencies and Officer Hogan was the top firearms expert, with cumulative average of 100 percent! Basic police training requires 26 weeks of training with over 900 instructional objectives, which must be successfully completed. In addition to academy training, recruits must additionally complete 2-6 weeks of field training, once they graduate.

Any questions? Please forward them to Chief Massey at our office 410-641-7747 or Dmassey@Oceanpines.org