NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

Crime fighting & Safety Tips to..

Lightning Precautions from June on

For starters, there are steps you can take before the lightning arrives, like keeping an eye out for darkening skies, flashes of light or increasing wind. Listen for any sounds of thunder, because if you can hear thunder you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning, according to the Henry County Department of Public Safety (HCDPS) in Martinsville, Va.

As the storm approaches, find shelter in a building or car and keep the windows closed and the shades or blinds drawn. Unplug appliances and avoid using the telephone or running water for a shower or any other purpose. And if possible, turn off the air conditioner, because power surges from lightning can overload the compressor and damage your system.




For those unfortunate enough to be caught outside, the HCDPS makes the following recommendations:

If you're in the woods, take shelter under shorter trees.
If you're boating or swimming, get to land and find shelter immediately.
Go to a low-lying, open place away from trees, poles or metal objects.
Be as small a target as possible, squatting low to the ground and placing your head between your knees.
Make sure the place you pick isn't subject to flooding.When the storm passes, you may still not be out of the woods. Be sure to stay away from storm-damaged areas and listen to the radio for information and instructions. And remember to wait a half an hour after the last lightning is seen to venture outdoors again.

Old and new crime-fighting tips- Watch. Listen and Call

PAWTUCKET -- The crime-fighting tip was abundantly clear when police brass sat down last week:

More locked doors and secured windows would do a lot to drop the city’s crime rate.

Police brass meet once a month to go over all of the city’s reported crime for the previous four weeks. They look at the underlying similarities with every housebreak, stolen car, milk store robbery and purse snatch and also graph every crime on a city map, looking for the best ways to respond.

July’s crimes showed one clear trend, according to Detective Lt. John Clarkson, a member of the department’s ComStat (computer statistics) team.

"A lot of our housebreaks were into homes where people have left their windows open or their doors unlocked," Clarkson said. "People are leaving thieves with easy access.

"We are also seeing a lot of bikes being taken. In almost every case, the bikes were unlocked."

Given that, police are starting a campaign to remind people to keep their valuables and their homes out of the reach of thieves.

Officers on the police Bike Squad have been asked to spread the word when they make their way through the city. The Community Police Unit and the city’s neighborhood crime watch groups are also getting into the act, preaching the gospel of prevention.

Doors should be locked, even if you are leaving your home for just a few minutes, Clarkson said.

"We also suggest people do something to make it difficult to get into their homes through a window," Clarkson said.

"There are blocks you can buy to keep a window from opening more than 8 or 9 inches. With sliding windows, sometimes a piece of wood will keep it from openning."

The police are willing to do more than just preach, Clarkson added.

"If anyone wants help with this, they can call the station," he said. Sgt. Edmund St. Pierre has been trained to help homeowners quickly and easily secure their home. He can give advise or do a home safety inspection, if necessary, Clarkson said.

The Community Police Unit officers are also available to help city residents with tightening up their homes.

"It is also a big help when people call us if they see anything that they think is suspicious or unusual," Clarkson said. Police have made several arrests this year that started with city residents calling for help when they saw strangers in a neighbor’s yard.

"If someone sees a juvenile riding one bike and holding onto another, they should call," Clarkson said. "That is frequently someone taking off with a stolen bike."

For more information, or to report suspicious activity, call the police at 727-9100.