Tips from Dwight Davis, neighborhood watch coordinator for Little Rock:
Be aware of your surroundings
Shopping
Shop before dark if possible. Possibly coordinate shopping trips with a friend. Never park in an unlit lot or area, no matter how convenient it is.
Lock your packages and gifts in your vehicle's trunk. Keep you vehicle's doors locked and windows closed.
If you have an auto alarm, have your keys in your hand. The alarm can be use as a panic button.
Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Pay for purchases with a check, credit card, or debit card when possible.
To discourage purse-snatchers, don't overburden yourself with packages. Have your purchases delivered whenever practical.
Be extra careful with purses and wallets. Carry a purse under your arm. Keep a wallet in an inside jacket pocket, not a back trouser pocket.
Teach children to go to a store clerk or security guard and ask for help if you become separated. They should never go into a parking lot alone.
During the year-end holidays, people are often busy, excited and sometimes a little bit careless.
At Home
Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows when you leave your house or apartment, even for a few minutes.
Don't display holiday gifts where they can be seen from a window or doorway. Store gifts before you go away on a holiday trip.
If you go out for the evening, turn on lights and a radio or television so the house or apartment appears to be occupied.
If you take a holiday trip away from your home, have some interior lights activated by an automatic timer. Have a neighbor or family member watch your house, shovel new snow, pick up the mail and newspaper and park his or her car in your driveway from time to time.
Participate in Operation Identification and mark your valuables with a unique identification number. An engraver can be checked out at any Central Arkansas Library system Branch or Alert Center.
Be wary of solicitors and strangers soliciting for charitable donations. They may attempt to take advantage of people's generosity during the holidays. Every stranger is not a criminal, if interested ask for identification and solicitors permit. Don't be afraid to say NO!!
After the holidays, mark new gifts with an identification number and record new serial numbers.
Test your smoke detectors.
Use only fire resistant ornaments on a holiday tree and make sure electric lights are in good working order. Don't leave the lights on overnight or when you are away from home.
If you have house guests, advise them of your security precautions and make sure they follow them.
Avoid leaving boxes from purchases (especially TV's, Computers, Video Game, DVD & CD players etc.) out on the curb for trash pickup. Break the boxes down and turn them inside out.
All door-to-door solicitors must have a Solicitors Permit from the Treasury Office. It can be a For Profit or Non-Profit Permit. Any individual who solicits is required to have their individual permit with them. If you choose to talk to them, immediately ask to see their individual permit and if they don't have it, call the LRPD at 371-4829.
Utility Company Recognition
Entergy –
All meter readers are in Entergy-marked trucks. They have certain uniforms that say "Entergy" or "Baker," which is the contractor used for meter-reading. Additionally, the line crew is always in Entergy trucks and they wear an Entergy hard hat. All employees have a picture ID, which they will present if someone asks them for it. We will follow up with them on requiring that the ID be visible.
Central Arkansas Water –
All meter readers should wear ID badges, but CAW will make an effort to have them make the badges more visible for everybody. Rich said he would also contact his staff about requiring them to wear reflective shirts that say CAW or a CAW hat. He said he would also check with staff to ensure that everyone is wearing their ID badge. Meter readers typically do their work in the neighborhoods in the mornings, at dusk and on weekends.
Comcast –
All Comcast employees wear uniforms and wear pictured ID badges, including the contractors. Wilson said Comcast takes the responsibility seriously and these requirements are written in the contract agreement.
AT&T –
All meter readers have an ID card and they all have uniforms, except the door-to-door sales people. The door-to-door solicitors carry a letter with them identifying them as working for AT&T. AT&T has currently suspended all door-to-door solicitation activity in the Heights.
Centerpoint –
Baker Engineering is the meter-reading contractor and they wear uniforms and have an ID, although they don't wear it. The shirt the employees wear has a big logo on it that clearly identifies them. The meter readers for Centerpoint (that aren't with the contractor) wear shirts that say "Meter Reader" and a Centerpoint hat. They also have an ID, but they don't wear it. Centerpoint talks about these issues in safety meetings regularly and they always want to be clearly identified. In the past, they've had contractors that got lax about this and those contractors were terminated. We will follow up on requiring them to have their ID visible.
Little Rock Wastewater –
All employees wear ID badges and any employees who would go to a door have business cards. Additionally, all employees wear a uniform with the LRWU logo and the employee's name.
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