Crime
Crime is an ongoing issue in Oracle Foothills, as it is in all neighborhoods of the city. OFNA actively works to notify neighbors of crimes committed in and around our neighborhood, and to keep residents informed of ways to prevent crime.
All residents are urged to take common sense precautions, such as locking doors, setting alarms, locking vehicles and removing items of value from vehicles.
Any incident, large or small, should be reported to 911.
Stay alert for suspicious vehicles or people and report these also to 911.
There is an active Neighborhood Watch program in Oracle Foothills. This program is free and open to all residents of Oracle Foothills who wish to participate.
Contact Area Leader
to participate or for more information.
If you plan to be away from home for any length of time, make sure your neighbors are watching your house and that they have a way to contact you in case of an emergency.
See Below for a list of
provided by the NW Program
WHAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH?1
Neighborhood Watch represents law enforcement and citizens working together to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Some of the ways this is accomplished is by:
● Encouraging neighbors to join together to detect and deter crime in their area by being the “eyes and ears” for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
● Helping neighbors to become better acquainted, so they can work together to solve problems in their neighborhood, while acting as a support group for each other.
● Educating individuals on the principles of “Deter, Delay, Detect, and Deny," and to work together to improve the overall quality of life in their neighborhood.
● Coordinating pertinent neighborhood meetings, i.e., Crime Prevention Fairs, GAIN, etc.
● Assisting the community and sheriff’s deputies to work closer together with a common purpose.
● Helping encourage citizens to have pride in their neighborhoods and motivating them toward other common goals.
A comprehensive Neighborhood Watch Program in your neighborhood, whether it is a high crime area or not, will have many rewards for you, your family, and your neighbors. Neighborhood Watch programs are known to instill a greater sense of security, well-being and reduce the fear of crime in your community, as well as, create a greater “sense of community” by putting the “neighbor” back into neighborhood.
There cannot be a law enforcement officer on every corner, so citizen involvement is essential to combat crime. You and your neighbors are the ones that really know what is going on in your community. By communicating with each other and working together as a team, you and your neighbors can make a difference. The partnership of Neighborhood Watch, working with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, acts as a deterrent to crime and serves as a crime prevention tool within the neighborhood.
1. http://pimasheriff.org/department-services/neighborhood-watch/
You can receive crime reports for your area in two ways
- Neighborhood EMail - to sign up contact Carole DeAngeli
- City Protect - sign up to receive reports from Pima County Sheriff on all types of crime
Graffiti is a crime.
It is a crime with significant negative social consequences. Graffiti, left in place, leads to a sense of decay and blight, loss of pride and loss of respect. Graffiti is not only an indicator but also a precursor of more serious crime.
Please report graffiti immediately. The sooner it is removed, the less visibility the perpetrators receive, and the easier it is to remove.
Report online or call 520-792-8224
Also, please contact Area Leader:
520-690-1107
Our neighborhood is the frequent target of large groups of solicitors brought here from out of town to sell magazine subscriptions or request donations. Disadvantaged and disaffected young people are recruited by unscrupulous operators who use them to perpetrate their scams. Often the young people are abused and made to live in substandard conditions, expected to meet certain sales criteria and punished if they don’t. The young people are coached in techniques to elicit sympathy and gain your trust.
Please do not be taken in by the sad stories they tell or believe them when they say they live in the neighborhood. By purchasing magazine subscriptions or giving donations, you are merely enabling the abusive scam operators. Chances are excellent that you will never receive any magazines you have ordered. If, as they often request, you donate your subscriptions “to the troops”, even better. You have no way of ever knowing what happened to your money.
If such groups come to your door, firmly send them away, and call 911.
The most common crimes in foothills communities are fraud and theft.
Fraud
- Door-to-door solicitors - these people are often scam artists who are not who they purport to be. Do not fall prey to their tactics, regardless of what they are selling or what stories they tell you.
- Online buying/selling - there are many scams associated with online sites such as Craig’s List.
- Telephone scam artists who attempt to get money by pretending to be a relative or long-lost friend.
Theft
- Lock your vehicle and remove all valuables
- Lock your house and windows.
- Ask neighbors to keep watch
- Most burglars are opportunistic and will move on to another target if they encounter obstacles. Make it as difficult as possible to enter your home undetected.
- If you have an alarm system, make sure it makes a loud noise.
- Never put outgoing mail in your mailbox. Remove delivered mail as soon as possible.
- Take photos and record the serial numbers of all valuables.
DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL 911 IF YOU OBSERVE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY!
Mail theft has increased dramatically in recent weeks in the Foothills neighborhoods. Fortunately, for now, there have been no reported incidents in Oracle Foothills, in this latest wave. However, many residents in our neighborhood have been victimized by this crime in the past.
Thieves use the information to steal your identity, or to wash checks and steal money from your bank accounts. Dealing with identity theft is particularly frustrating and difficult to remedy.
To protect yourself, never put outgoing mail in your residential mailbox. Pick up delivered mail as soon as possible. Purchase a steel locking mailbox, or rent a P.O. Box.
If you suspect that your mail has been stolen, report it immediately to both the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the Postal Service.
Sheriff's Dept:
If the incident is happening currently call 911 to report. An officer will be sent.
If the incident happened and you don't know exactly when, report it to the Sheriff's Dept. on their non- emergency number 351- 4900.
This will generate a report that can go against the criminal if caught.
You can also make out a report online at the Sheriff's website
USPS
Any mail theft or tampering should be reported. They too will generate subsequent reports on all the incidents.
Postal Inspector online, or
1-877-876-2455 by phone
Be sure to monitor your financial accounts closely for any unusual activity.
Criminal and Suspicious Activity
- Recently criminals cut and stole copper wire from the overhead utility lines, leaving most of the neighborhood without telephone and internet service. These people may be disguised as landscapers or utility workers. Please be on the lookout for people driving or ‘working’ in the washes. If you think the activity is suspicious and you do not want to confront them, call 911 immediately.
- There have been numerous incidents of people going door-to-door asking for a woman by name. There is no such person in the neighborhood and the visitors should be reported to 911.
Advice from PCSO detective
and neighbor, Kurt Dabb:
“Regarding the persons going to a house asking for a "Jessica", these are the type of things that need to be reported to 911. I now have the license plates and will give them to our burglary detectives. But, I cannot stress how important it is for the people experiencing this to immediately call 911.
This (going to random houses) is not normal behavior for anyone to display especially in a neighborhood such as ours. It is a way thieves use to determine if it is a good house to burgle or not.
If it is suspicious enough for our neighbors to tell you about it, then it is suspicious enough that the Sheriffs Department be notified.”
FREE PROGRAMS
The Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers offer the following burglary prevention programs, free of charge, to residents of unincorporated Pima County:
HOME SECURITY INSPECTIONS
Uniformed members of the Crime Prevention Unit will conduct a thorough interior and exterior inspection of your home. This includes doors, windows, locks, etc. They may make suggestions on how to better secure your home.
OPERATION I.D.
The Crime Prevention Unit has electric engraving tools available to loan to homeowners. There is a nominal loan fee, which is reimbursed when the engraver is returned. The engraver is used to mark valuables with you driver’s license number and the state of issuance. However, if your driver’s license number is your Social Security Number, we recommend that you request a new number from the Motor Vehicle Division. Using your Social Security Number for identification purposes could lead to identity theft. This is a means to discourage burglary, but in the event of a burglary, the property can be easily traced and identified as yours.
Contact Carole DeAngeli 690-1107 for details and arranging for these services.
Advice from Public Safety Experts:
A Look at Home Security
A Comprehensive Guide to Securing Your Home
Click on the link above for helpful information on
Home Safety, including:
- Key Considerations for Securing Your Home
- Understanding the Mind of a Burglar
- What are some things I can do to prevent burglaries?
- Identifying and Maintaining Your Home
- How Can I keep My Home Safe While on Vacation?
- What Do I do in the Event I get Robbed?
- Home Security Technology
- Creating a Home Fire Defense Plan
Graffiti can also be reported to SeeClickFix, a downloadable app for your smartphone.
