Hunters Pointe HOA

•  Watch each others' residences, inform each other when you'll be away, and leave contact information.
•  Consider leaving a key with a neighbor.
•  Give neighbors alarm system information. Give security codes to anyone who is supposed to be in your house (such as your cleaning service or pet sitter) while you are away. Police spend unnecessary time responding to calls from security companies which they receive because someone inadvertently set off an alarm.
•  Be aware of activities on the block and throughout the neighborhood.
•  Report suspicious activities, watch for patterns, discuss events with your neighbors and police.
•  Call your block captain and others to introduce new neighbors.
•  "Stoop sit"—be out front whenever possible.
•  Make sure your skylight (and any rooftop access door) is secured.
•  Keep outside lights on throughout the night—front, back, and lower landings. It reduces the atmosphere for crime by providing a lot more light on the street. If everyone participates, the illumination provided by all the additional lights will really make a difference. It also helps the police identify the right house because sometimes front house numbers are hard to find at night in the dark.
•  Use timers to make your house look lived in while you're away.
•  While away, ask neighbors to collect your flyers, newspapers, mail, etc. Delay delivery of mail and newspapers when possible.
•  Call your local police department if you're going away on vacation—the police will watch your house.
•  Trim bushes to avoid hiding places. Cut back and prune shrubs which provide hiding places for robbers and thieves, and install lights where possible.
•  Report nonfunctioning street lights to the city.
•  If you are the victim of a crime, contact the police and your block captain.
•  Stay alert when walking the streets. Police often see people walking with their heads down reading a book or the newspaper, oblivious to their surroundings.
•  Provide police with good descriptions of suspects by focusing on pants, shoes and any unique attributes, such as hair style. Coats and hats can be quickly shed by suspects.
•  Don't leave your car running with the keys in it, even for a moment. . Thieves hang around such areas just waiting for these opportunities to appear.
•  Keep everything either out of your car or out of plain site. Almost half of our monthly crime statistics involve thefts of cellular phones, clothing, CD players, CDs, car stereos, briefcases, roller blades/knee pads...you get the idea. And protect your out-of-town guests by informing them of this.