Crime Prevention
6635 Maplewood Ave.
Sylvania, Ohio 43560
P 419-885-8906
F 419-885-6352
E-Mail: community.affairs@sylvaniapolice.com
We all want to feel safe and secure in everyday life. We can provide better protection and safety for ourselves, our children and our property with a few simple steps.
The following is a list of tips for personal safety and security. Click on any topic to go to that section.
Burglars Do More Than Steal
Children’s Safety
Home Safety
Personal Safety
Travel Safety
Burglars Do More Than Steal
Burglars can commit rapes, robberies and assaults if they are surprised by someone coming home or if they pick a home that is occupied.
- If something looks questionable – a slit in a screen, a broken window or an open door – don't go in. Call the police from your cell phone, a neighbor's house or public phone.
- At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely if you can, then call 911. If you can't leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call 911. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.
Children's Safety
Would your child know what to do if…
- He got lost at a shopping mall?
- A nice-looking, friendly stranger offered her a ride home after school?
- A babysitter wanted to play a secret game that no one would know about?
- She was at home and the doorbell rang?
- A friend dared him to hitchhike?
What Can You Do?
First, cover the basics.
- Rehearse with children their full name, address and phone number (including area code), and how to make an emergency 911 call from home and public phones.
- Walk the neighborhood with your children. Show them safe places they can go to in an emergency, like a neighbor’s house, a block parent, an open store or other public place.
- Tell children never to accept gifts or rides from someone they don't know well.
- Check your neighborhood for “danger spots” -- areas that may threaten children's safety, like brush in wooded areas, overgrown shrubbery, abandoned buildings, bad lighting, vacant lots littered with debris, places along busy streets where there are no sidewalks or bike paths for safe travel.
- Teach your children to go to a store clerk or a security guard and ask for help if you become separated in a store or shopping mall. Tell them never to go into the parking lot alone.
- Accompany your children to public restrooms.
- Teach children that no one, not even someone they know, has the right to touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. Tell them they have the right to say "NO" to an adult in this situation.
Safety at School and Play
- Make sure your children are taking the safest routes to school and to friends’ homes, routes that avoid danger spots like alleys, new construction and wooded areas. “Test walk” them together.
- Encourage your children to walk and play with friends, not alone, and stay in well-lighted, open areas where others can see them.
- Don't hang a house key around your child's neck. It's a telltale sign that you won't be home when they return from school. Put it inside a pocket or sock.
- Teach your children to walk confidently and stay alert to what's going on around them.
- Encourage your children to look out for other kids' safety and report anything they see that doesn't seem right.
- Tell your children to stay away from strangers who hang around playgrounds, public restrooms and empty buildings.
- Teach your children to write down and report to you the license numbers of people who offer rides, loiter around playgrounds or appear to follow them.
At Home Alone
- Make sure your kids can reach you by telephone at work. Post your work number, along with numbers for a neighbor, the police, the fire department and the poison control center near all your home phones.
- Have your children check in with you at work or with a neighbor when they get home. Agree on rules for having friends over and going to someone else's home when no adult is present.
- Work out an escape plan in case of fire.
- Tell your children never to open the door to a stranger when they are alone in the house or apartment. Caution them about answering the phone and accidentally letting a stranger know they are alone. Kids can always say their parents are busy and take a message.
- Make sure they know how to work the door and window locks and that they use them when they are inside alone.
Important Numbers to Keep Near the Phone
- Mom and/or Dad at work
- Trusted neighbor
- Family friend who lives or works nearby
- 911 for emergency help
- 419-885-8902 (Sylvania Police non-emergency)
- 419-882-7676 (Sylvania Fire Department non-emergency)
- Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222
Home Safety
Check the Locks
In almost half of all completed residential burglaries, thieves simply breeze in through unlocked doors and windows.
- Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed deadbolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough.
- Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by installing commercially available locks or putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door. To prevent the door being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole.
- Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" windows: drill a small hole at a 45-degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. Secure basement windows with grilles or grates.
- Instead of hiding keys around the outside of your home, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.
- When you move into a new house or apartment, re-key the locks.
Check the Doors
A lock on a flimsy door is about as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down.
- All outside doors should be metal or solid wood.
- If your doors don't fit tightly in their frames, install weather-stripping around them.
- Install a peephole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors, so you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don't keep out intruders.
Check the Outside
Look at your house from the outside. Make sure you know the following tips:
- Thieves hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night.
- Keep your yard clean. Prune back shrubbery so it doesn't hide doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that a thief could use to climb to an upper-level window.
- Clearly display your house number so police and other emergency vehicles can find your home quickly.
Prepare the Inside
- If you travel, create the illusion that you're at home. Get some timers that will turn lights on and off in different areas of your house throughout the evening. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house.
- Leave shades, blinds and curtains in normal positions. Don't let your mail pile up; have a neighbor pick up your mail or have the post office hold your mail at the station.
Consider an Alarm
An alarm can be a good investment, especially if you have many valuables in your home, live in an isolated area or live where there’s a history of break-ins.
- Check with several companies before you buy so you can decide which level of security fits your needs. Do business with an established company and check references before signing a contract.
- Learn how to use your system properly! Don't "cry wolf" by setting off false alarms. People will stop paying attention, and you'll probably be fined.
- Some less expensive options:
- A sound-detecting socket that plugs into a light fixture and makes the light flash when it detects certain noises
- Motion-sensing outdoor lights that turn on when someone approaches
- Lights with photo cells that turn on when it's dark and off when it's light
Personal Safety
- Wherever you are – on the street, in an office building or shopping mall, driving, waiting for a bus – stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings.
- Send the message to passers-by that you're calm and confident and you know where you're going.
- Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you uneasy, avoid the person or leave.
- Know the neighborhoods where you live and work. Check out the locations of police and fire stations, public telephones, hospitals, restaurants and stores that are open late.
- When walking, stick to well-lighted, well-traveled streets. Avoid shortcuts through wooded areas, parking lots or alleys.
- Don't flash large amounts of cash or other tempting targets like expensive jewelry or clothing.
- Carry your purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps. Put your wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket, not a back pocket.
- Try to use automated teller machines in the daytime. Have your card in hand and don't approach the machine if you're uneasy about people nearby.
- Have your car or house key in hand before you reach the door. If you think someone is following you, switch direction or cross the street. Walk toward an open store, restaurant or lighted house. If you're scared, yell for help.
- Have to work late? Make sure there are others in the building and ask someone – a colleague or security guard – to walk you to your car. If you see any suspicious persons or vehicles in the parking lot, call the police and ask for an officer to accompany you to your vehicle.
Travel Safety
- Keep your car in good running condition. Before you go far, make sure you have enough gas to get where you’re going and back.
- Always roll up the windows and lock car doors, even if you're coming right back. Check inside and out before getting into your vehicle.
- Avoid parking in isolated areas. Be especially alert in lots and underground parking garages.
- If you think someone is following you, don't head home. Drive to the nearest police or fire station, gas station or other open business to get help.
- Don't pick up hitchhikers. Don't hitchhike.
The Sylvania Police Division is committed to your safety, the safety of your children and the safety of your home. If you would like more information on personal or home safety, or you would like an officer to speak about safety at your event, please contact us at 419-885-8906 or community.affairs@sylvaniapolice.com.
William H. Rhodus
Chief of Police