Public Safety Committee

Committee Members:

John Logsdon, Chair
Alexandra Reynolds
Chip Mallek
Theresa Torrance
Jennifer Kingshot
Cyndi Hench, Community Member

Email: PublicSafety@ncwpdr.org

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

EMERGENCY: 911

LAPD PHONE: 1-877-ASK-LAPD

LAPD PACIFIC STATION: 310-482-6334

LAPD SLO (West of Sepulveda & PDR): Sophia Castaneda: 310-622-3978

LAPD SLO (East of Sepulveda): Luis Pinell: 310-622-3976

LAPD SLO (Playa Vista): Javier Ramirez: 310-622-3971

LAPD DISPATCH (Pacific Division “LIVE”): https://m.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/20274

LAPD ON-LINE: http://www.lapdonline.org/

LAFD ON-LINE: https://www.lafd.org/

MEGANS LAW: https://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/

LOS ANGELES HOMELESS OUTREACH: https://www.lahsa.org/portal/apps/la-hop/

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

#1: HAVE A PLAN!!!

#2: HAVE AN “Emergency Survival Kit”

#3: BE PREPARED!!!!

#4: BE INFORMED

RESOURCES:

-SHAKE ALERT LA (This is an App that warns you of potential earthquakes and created by the City of Los Angeles): https://earthquake.lacity.org/shakealertla

–https://lacounty.gov/emergency/earthquake-preparedness/

–https://www.ready.gov/earthquakes

–https://www.lafd.org/safety/disaster-preparedness

–https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/earthquake.html

–https://emergency.lacity.org/notifyla

RYLAN

WHAT IS RYLAN:

https://www.readyla.org/

FIRST AID / CPR

YMCA OF WESTCHESTER: https://www.ymcala.org/westchester/classes/cpr-first-aid-training

ANIMAL CONTROL

LA COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL WEBSITE: https://animalcare.lacounty.gov/

LA CITY ANIMAL CONTROL WEBSITE: http://www.laanimalservices.com/

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Watch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WPDRNeighborhoodWatch  

HOME SECURITY

BURGLARIES – Presentation from LAPD Pacific Area Detectives – Burglaries_from_LAPD_Detectives.pdf

Great tips for home security at  http://www.topconsumerreviews.com/home-security/

PERSONAL SECURITY (Robbery Prevention)

Cardinal Rules

Stay Alert
It’s too easy to become complacent. Always remember that you can become a victim anytime or anywhere.

Show Confidence
Walk, stand, talk and carry yourself with an air of confidence. This tells the criminal that you are not an easy target.

Trust Your “Gut Feelings”
Intuition can be one of your best allies in self protection. Trust your feelings…they’re seldom wrong.

Avoid walking alone on the street at night and don’t make it obvious that you are in unfamiliar territory.  At night, avoid public parks, vacant lots and alleys.

• Use well-lit roads.
• Walk near the curb – away from shrubbery where someone could be hiding.
• Walk against traffic, so that cars cannot surprise you from behind.
• Keep an arm’s length away from strangers.
• If you think someone suspicious is approaching you or following you, cross to the other side of the street and head for the nearest public place.

Don’t make it obvious that you are in unfamiliar territory. Stay Alert! Not paying attention is what suspects look for in a victim.

• Walk briskly and with confidence.
• Stay sober enough to be able to take care of yourself. Criminals see drunken persons as easy prey.

At night, avoid public parks, vacant lots, alleys and areas with excessive trees and brush.

• Know which stores and other public places are open along your route.
• Don’t hesitate to run back to where you came from to get help.
• Look for anyone “hanging” around your car or your path to your car.
• Have your keys in your hand and be ready to open the car door.

Street Robbery Prevention Tips:

• Don’t carry your purse loosely around your shoulder
• Keep cash in a separate money clip or pouch. This will allow you to hand it over without sacrificing your credit cards, identification, and personal papers
• Consider carrying pepper spray.
• Avoid carrying a purse and keep a wallet in your pocket instead.
• Never wrap a purse strap around your wrist; forcible removal could result in serious personal injury.
• Obey the robber’s instructions.
• Release the purse. Do not risk personal injury.
• Make a mental note of the robber’s appearance, i.e. height, weight, hair color/style, clothing, etc.
• If possible, take down the vehicle license plate number, a description of the vehicle, and the direction the robber is fleeing.

Then call 9-1-1 immediately!

PERSONAL SECURITY (Internet & Identity Theft)

Safeguard yourself against the internet and online relationships involving personal risk or criminal activity.

Internet Safety Tips:

• Consumers need to remember that even though something is on the internet, it may not be legitimate — no matter how impressive or professional the website may appear.
• Do not provide ANY personal/financial information, account passwords, PIN numbers, etc. to anyone online or over the phone unless you can verify the legitimacy of the request.
• Be especially careful about communications with strangers. Do not respond to unsolicited e-mails, IMs, text messages, or phone calls from sources that are unknown to you.
• Keep your operating system, anti-virus software, and anti-spyware and firewall software up to date.
• If you are planning on getting together with a potential buyer or seller, get a phone number, tell a family member or friend where you will be meeting, and/or let them tag along.
• If you have scheduled a home delivery or pick up, ask someone to be there with you. If they were not invited or scheduled to make a call, do not open your front door, and never let them in to your home.

Online-dating Service and Chat Room Safety Tips:

The internet is an efficient way to distribute and gather information globally, but can involve risk of online scams and other related criminal activity. You can minimize your risk if you follow a few basic safeguards.Online dating involves risk both online and ultimately, in person. Follow our safety tips for navigating these new relationships. Be aware and stay safe in your contact with strangers whether in person or online.

• Find a reputable online dating service.
• Choose a non-identifiable screen name.
• When you are ready to chat outside of the dating site, use a separate e-mail and IM account for online communications.
• When you do meet, do it in a very public place, preferably with a friend or family member. If you go alone, make sure someone knows where you are meeting.
• Save copies of your online dating conversations.

Identity Theft Prevention Tips: 

• Never leave outgoing mail sitting in a non-secure mailbox.
• Shred all papers with your personal information and credit card information.
• Shred all credit card applications and old credit cards. You can opt-out of pre-approved credit offers by calling 888-5-OPT-OUT.
• Carry with you only ID and credit cards that you need. 
• Keep all other credit cards and your social security card at home, in a secure place or in a lockbox at your bank.
• Consider placing a “security freeze” on your credit file that restricts creditors from granting credit without calling you to remove the freeze.
• Do not give personal information over the telephone, through the mail or over the internet, unless you are the one who has initiated the contact.
• Review your bank statement monthly.
• Review your credit report twice a year.

To order your report online or by phone, call or visit the web sites of the three major credit bureaus:

Equifax:  www.equifax.com or (800) 685-1111
Experian:  www.experian.com or (888) 397-3742
TransUnion:  www.transunion.com or (800) 493-2392

If You Are a Victim:

• Immediately call all credit card issuers and let them know you have been a victim of identity theft.
• Immediately report identity theft to your local law enforcement agency.
• Once you have a crime report filed, contact the major credit reporting agencies and place a 90-day security alert or permanent freeze of your credit report.

Fraud Schemes:

While many people are struggling to make ends meet in these tough economic times, some people are responding with criminal schemes that take advantage of others. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has two website features that offer tips on ways to ways to both identify and avoid scams.

We strongly encourage you to look over the tips offered by the FBI and share them with people you know who might be the targets of scam artists. More than anything, caution is advised when offered any new product, service, prize, or deal. Sadly, our difficult economic times seem to have encouraged these criminals.

REPORT ABANDONED VEHICLES

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO REPORT ABANDONED VEHICLES:

Citizens may report vehicles stored over 72 hours on City streets and suspected abandoned vehicles by completing the Online Stored and Abandoned Vehicle Report form. Click Here

To speak to a Customer Service Representative, you may call 1-800-ABANDON (1-800-222-6366) between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday through Friday.