SCPD Creates Online Crime Prevention Resource

Spurred on by community inquiries on how to prevent crime before it happens, the has added a new section to its website called “Crime Prevention Tips.”

Here, visitors will get straight-from-the-hip information from SCPD investigators on how they can keep crime at bay.

“We hold regular community meetings, and one of the most common questions we receive is, ‘How can I prevent being victim of…’ and then fill in the blank,” said Zach Friend, spokesman for the SCPD. “We ended up talking with our investigation team and put together a best practices site of what our thoughts are that people can go to and get information at any time of day."

The first set of tips, posted May 23, is on auto-burglary.

These are “crimes of opportunity,” the site states, meaning something inside the vehicle caught the burglar’s eye. It then provides detailed information on best practices to keep valuables secure and car windows intact.

“We figured we might as well have a prevention side to our site instead of just a reporting side,” Friend said.

Investigators haven’t decided what tips they’ll give next, though Friend said that at community meetings, questions ranging from how to prevent home break-ins to graffiti to noise come up.

The hope is that the wealth of information professional crime fighters have gathered from years of experience will be duplicated throughout the community.

“Neighborhood groups meet much more often than when we meet with them,” Friend said. “Now they have something they can print out and hand out to people.”