The Clermont Police Department serves and protects the town’s 1,400 residents and its neighbors. Follow these tips from Chief Steve Dulworth for a safe winter season:
We are fortunate to work in a community where the residents are so supportive of their police department. We are thankful to all those residents and businesses who delivered kind words, cards, and occasional goodies to the hard-working officers during the past year. Your kindness has lifted the spirits of our officers.
We are now in the holiday season. This is a time for family, friends, and other loved ones to peacefully enjoy time with one another. Unfortunately, this season, there will be unsavory individuals seeking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.
We are seeing a continued climb in identity theft attempts and fraudulent efforts. One such example is a phone call from someone advising they are from your cell phone carrier and telling you an attempt was made to purchase cell phones, tablets, and other devices (asking if this was you making the purchase). These calls show up on your phone as though they are coming from your cell phone provider. When you answer that it was not you making these purchases, they ask you to call their fraud department, and when you do, they have the ability to scan your phone and obtain personal information, including financial information, if you have ever used your phone to pay a bill. Remember: Never give out personal information, and if it seems wrong, it is wrong! Be cautious as we are in the holiday season and these fraudsters will stop at nothing.
In addition, please take universal precautions and practice good crime prevention tactics:
- Always pay attention to your surroundings.
- Don't use cell phones while driving.
- A distracted person is an attractive target to criminals. To reduce distractions, minimize your use of cell phone while walking.
- Always remove valuables from your vehicle when you leave your car unattended.
- While shopping, if you leave an item in your car, secure the item in your trunk before parking.
- For neighborhood safety, get to know your neighbors and talk regularly about neighborhood safety concerns. Share this information with us. We are always happy to discuss these and other matters with our community.
- Always lock your doors, including when you are home.
- Keep bushes trimmed around your doors and windows.
- Report any suspicious activity to the police. Call 911 for something that is in progress. For other observations, call our non-emergency number (317-291-0416).
Given all the media attention, people tend to be hyper-focused on personal safety related to crimes of violence. However, traffic collisions are the greatest threat to you and your loved ones this season and all year long. To protect yourself and your family, we ask you to be especially aware of the rules of the road:
- Wear your seatbelt.
- Turn your headlights on earlier than dusk.
- Don't drink and drive.
- Avoid distractions while driving.
- Again, please never use your cell phone, unless hands-free, while driving.
- Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Our officers spend a great deal of their time responding to vehicle accidents and other traffic matters. Please remind your family members, particularly teenagers, to drive safely. Doing otherwise, sooner or later, will have serious, life-altering consequences.
The officers of Clermont Police Department wish you all a very safe and wonderful holiday season.