Start the new year off right and resolve to be safe in 2024. The start of a new year is an excellent time to refocus your attention on what’s important and build positive habits. Make yourself, your family, and your community safer by adopting three crime prevention and safety habits that can help reduce your chance of being the victim of a crime in 2024.
Lock It or Lose It
Property crimes make up more than 60% of the crimes committed each year in Naperville. Many could potentially be avoided by practicing Lock It or Lose It – a campaign that encourages residents to lock their homes, vehicles, and other property to prevent theft!
Traditionally, about 80% of Naperville’s burglaries to motor vehicles, and about 60% of residential burglaries are without force. That means they were left unlocked and unsecured! Using locks removes the opportunity for a crime to be committed, so remember to Lock It or Lose It in 2024!
Find more burglary prevention tips at www.naperville.il.us/burglaryprevention.
See Something, Say Something
The Naperville Police Department is committed to keeping this community safe, but officers can’t be everywhere at once! They rely on watchful residents to be their eyes and ears out in the community to alert the department when something doesn’t look right, when something’s going wrong, or when someone is hurt.
This year, resolve to See Something, Say Something. Trust your instincts and call the police to have an officer check into anything that strikes you as suspicious. If it turns out there’s nothing criminal going on, that’s great! But, if there is, you could be alerting police to someone who just committed or is about to commit a crime, like the resident who called 9-1-1 in 2023 because of an unknown man in her backyard. When she called, she had no idea officers were searching for a man who had just attempted a carjacking. Her call led police to the suspect, who was arrested and secured multiple felony charges against.
That’s the power of See Something, Say Something!
Respect the Rules of the Road
Naperville Police respond to more than 3,000 traffic crashes every year. Fortunately, most don’t involve injuries or fatalities, but even minor collisions have the potential to be disastrous.
This year, commit to respecting the Rules of the Road to help reduce traffic crashes and improve road safety. Simple actions like following the speed limit, avoiding distractions, and obeying traffic control devices will make roadways safer.
Need a refresher? Visit the Illinois Secretary of State’s website for the most up-to-date version of the Rules of the Road.
Remember: Safety and crime prevention is EVERYONE’s responsibility. When everyone does their part, Naperville is a safer community! Resolve to be safe in 2024.
