Protect yourself from becoming a crime victim

Former Sedgwick County Sheriff Robert Hinshaw has heard the comments before.

People who live elsewhere in Kansas watch the news on television or catch a newspaper headline about a high-profile crime in Wichita and cringe.

“How can you live in Wichita? It’s a war zone,” Hinshaw said, echoing the familiar refrain.

But the reality is much different, Hinshaw said, and the crime that does occur is all too often the result of people neglecting common-sense steps to protect themselves.

“Nobody thinks it’s going to happen to them, whether it’s somebody stealing from the garage or they start their car in the cold weather and come back out and it’s gone,” Hinshaw said. “Things like that happen to somebody else. People never consider it can happen to them.”

Police said there are easy, common-sense steps that everyone can take to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of a crime.

Keep eyes open

The most important thing people can do to keep from being a crime victim, police officials say, is to know your neighbors – and know your neighborhood.

“Be aware of your surroundings, and report suspicious activity to 911,” Capt. Jeff Weible said.

That’s vital, police officials say, because so many incidents are crimes of opportunity. Spotting and reporting strangers acting suspiciously can stop a crime before it occurs or before the criminals can get away.

Close, lock doors

Opportunistic criminals look for house doors and windows left unlocked, garage doors left open and property left unattended in vehicles.

It can take only a matter of seconds, for example, to smash a car window and grab a purse or cellphone left on a car seat.

Hinshaw knows of people who have left their garage doors open and had burglars strike even as the residents were in the backyard, unaware of what was going on.

It’s second nature for many people to leave garage doors open in warm weather, but police officials say that can invite thieves to steal property or even gain access to the house.

Stay with vehicle

Cold weather tempts people to dash outside and start their cars so they will be warm when they’re ready to head for work. But those vehicles are magnets for thieves.

At least 20 idling cars were stolen in about a 10-day span during an early January cold snap, police records show. One man narrowly escaped serious injury or even death in February when a would-be car thief fired a shot at him after being confronted while attempting to steal his car as it was warming.

Idling cars left unattended is a classic example of people thinking nothing bad will happen, Hinshaw said.

Lights and landscaping

Residents can make their homes unappealing to burglars by having home security systems, motion detectors and abundant exterior lighting, police say.

Trimming bushes and trees reduces potential hiding places for criminals.

Having neighbors watch your house while you’re traveling can be an important step, Hinshaw said.

“It’s another reason to get to know your neighbors, so you have a trusted neighbor,” he said.

Stay away from drugs

Many crimes have drug activity at their root, Lt. James Espinoza said.

Burglars and robbers commonly strike because they’re trying to finance a drug habit or seek payment or compensation for an unpaid drug debt.

That leads to another basic step people can take to avoid becoming a crime victim, Espinoza said: “Don’t do drugs.”

Avoiding that activity and lifestyle spares people from the crime that typically comes with it, police officials say.

This story was originally published March 29, 2015 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Protect yourself from becoming a crime victim."