The Loveland Police Department estimates that around 200 bicycles are recovered annually in our city. Many of these bikes are stolen, but the thefts were not reported.

Some bikes are stolen to sell or part out. Others are simply crimes of opportunity where a thief will take your bike from your open garage or your front yard to get from point A to point B. Unfortunately, many never make it back to their owners.

Please use these suggestions to help deter the theft of your bicycle or to help in its recovery if it is stolen.

• Use a reliable U-lock or heavy cable lock.
• Try to lock your bike to a fixed, immovable object.
• Be careful whom you loan your bike to.
• Keep your bikes in your garage and your garage closed.
• Please help us by taking a picture of your bicycle.
• Record the serial numbers and keep the serial numbers.
• Engrave an owner applied number such as your driver’s license number on your bicycle.
• The Loveland Police Department has a found bicycle pen.

 To make a bicycle theft report, please call the non-emergency number 970-667-2151.

Did you know that if you can break into your home so can burglars? Two examples are an unlocked window or an extra key hidden under the welcome mat. 

For a small investment of time and/or money, you can help protect your family and home from burglary. www.ncpc.org 

Tips to help secure your home:

• Don’t leave a key under doormat or in a mailbox. Give your spare to a trusted neighbor.

• Use a secondary lock or wooden dowel to secure sliding glass doors and windows by placing the dowel in the track.

• If you move into a new house or apartment, have the locks changed.

• Make sure all external doors have a well-installed deadbolt lock with a reinforcing metal strike plate.

• Always keep the garage door closed and locked.

Check the outside:

• Maintain your yard by trimming shrubbery so it doesn’t hide doors or windows.

• Cut back tree limbs so a thief could not use them to climb into windows or on the roof.

• Install outdoor lighting to help illuminate entrances and areas of your yard. Consider lighting with motion sensors or timers.

• Report inoperative street lights to City of Loveland Water and Power or request a street light.

Check the doors:

• Install exterior doors that are solid core or metal.

• Make sure exterior doors fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them if there is a gap.

• Install a peephole or wide angle viewer in your entry door to verify who is on the other side.

Additional tips and considerations:

• Consider an alarm. Check with several alarm companies and decide what level of security fits your needs.

• Check with your insurance company to assess your coverage for theft and damage.

• If you rent consider theft insurance.

• Take pictures or video of your belongings and record any serial numbers or owner applied numbers if available. Keep these records in a safe place. Click here for a printable version of an inventory form.

• Work with your neighbors to watch your neighborhood.

• If you are going on vacation, have a neighbor or friend collect your mail and papers. You may also schedule a Vacation Home Check. Call 970-962-2246.
  
  

For additional tips visit: 

Burglary Prevention Tips

National Sheriff's Association

Criminal Trespass is Colorado’s term for stealing items from a car, and it is one of Loveland’s most common crimes. More often criminals will target a car for the contents inside rather than the car itself.  

Here are some suggestions to help your car from being targeted: 

Lock your car and roll up the windows. Criminals often check for an unlocked car.

Park your car in a well lit area. Criminals like to stay in the shadows.

To report a broken street light or to request a street light click here.

Keep your valuable items from view. Criminals may break a window to steal your valuables if they can see them.

Install an alarm system.

Keep a complete description, take pictures and record serial numbers of your stereo system. This may help in the recovery of your items if they are stolen.

Check with your insurance company for more crime prevention tips.

To report suspected human trafficking or child sexual exploitation locally, call the Loveland Police Department, 1-970-667-2151

To report suspected human trafficking or the importation of good produced with forced labor to federal law enforcement, call the HSI Tip Line 1-866-347-2423 or visit ice.gov/tips

To report suspected human trafficking anonymously in Larimer County, call Crime Stoppers at 1-970-221-6868 or submit a tip at crimestopperslarimer.org

To get help from the National Human Trafficking Hotline call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to 233733 (BEFREE).

To report child sexual exploitation, contact the Cyber Tipline on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) website report.cybertip.org

To report suspected Forced Labor Trade Violations submit information at eallegations.cbp.gov/home/allegation

If you are under 18 and a victim of child exploitation, visit takeitdown.ncmec.org. This is a free service that helps minors take down their explicit photos online.

For educational and awareness materials, visit the DHS Blue Campaign dhs.gov/bluecampaign

Identity theft is a crime that has grown quickly since the 1990’s and is currently America's fastest growing crime. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that identity theft strikes nearly 9 million Americans a year. 

Identity thieves can gain your information in a number of ways. Many will steal a purse or wallet, others go through your trash and steal your mail looking for checks, credit card receipts and bank statements, and still others use the internet to gain personal information. They use phone schemes to try and obtain any personal information that can be used to steal your identity. A thief will use some piece of your personal information without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft.

Common schemes that involves the Internet or telephone are called Phishing (pronounced “fishing”). Phishing usually starts by email or telephone contact. The person will warn you of a problem that needs your attention. Some of the phrases used may be “Immediate attention required,” or “Please contact us immediately about your account.” The person will claim to be from a reputable, recognizable organization. If this is by email, they may want you to click on a button to go to the institutions web site. The Web site or representative on the phone is probably not genuine. In either case, you may be asked to update your account information or to provide information for verification purposes; SS number, your account number, your password, or the information you use to verify your identity when speaking to a real financial institution, like your mother’s maiden name. 

For more information visit the Attorney General's Office 

Here are some tips that can help minimize your risk: 

• Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request whether over the phone or over the Internet. Remember, if they contact you, give NO information. If they are contacting you they should already have that information!
• If you are going to discard any statements or out of date documents, shred them with a diamond cut shredder.
• Guard your mail and trash from theft. Remove mail from your mailbox promptly after delivery and deposit outgoing mail in a post office collection box close to collection time or at the post office.
• Don’t give out any personal information through the mail, over the phone or internet unless you initiated the contact or are sure you know who you are dealing with.
• Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place while at work or play and never leave them in your vehicle unattended.
• Check your credit reports at least once a year. This is a free service provided by the credit bureaus.
• Before giving out personal information, ask the requestor why they need it. If they cannot answer why then they might not truly need it.

How can I tell if I’ve become a victim? 

• Pay attention to your billing cycles. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account.
• Items appear on your credit card or bank statement that you did not purchase.
• Your bank contacts you to inform you of a possible fraud.
• Check your credit reports frequently for discrepancies.

What should I do if I become a victim of identity theft? 
Notify your bank and Credit Card Companies immediately.

File a report with your local police department. The Loveland Police Department non emergency line is 970-667-2151.

Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert.

Equifax: 800-525-6285

Experian: 888-397-3742

TransUnion: 800-680-7289

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

Scammers are consistently adding new twists to old scams or they use technology to make the scam more believable. The one thing that never changes: scammers want your money.

So how do you know it is a scam? It could be a scam if:

• Pressured to respond quickly.
• Grammatical or spelling mistakes.
• Is the deal too good to be true?
• Using scare tactics to pay a fine, fee, or warrant.
• Asked to wire money or buy gift/prepaid cards.
• Overpayment by check and told to wire the difference.
• Request access to your computer.
• Request to pay a fee to release or secure funds.
• Phone rings once and no message left.
• Unexpected request for money or personal information.
• Asked to pay upfront.
• Robocalls.

According to the Department of Justice, the following are some of the most common types of Internet fraud: 

Identity theft and fraud - These involve wrongfully obtaining and using of someone else’s personal data in some way that involve fraud or deception. One example of a specific Identity theft scheme would be “Phishing”. For more information on Phishing check our Identity Theft page or at the Attorney Generals Office.  

Auction and retail Schemes - These claim to offer high-end products and, once payment is received, they don’t deliver the product or deliver counterfeit or altered goods. 

Business opportunities - These advertise opportunities to earn thousands of dollars a month in “work-at-home” ventures. They usually require customers to pay a fee for starting materials or information, which never arrive. 

Dating Scams - Millions of Americans use dating sites, social networking sites, and chat rooms to meet people, often forging forge successful relationships. But scammers also use these sites to meet potential victims, creating fake profiles to build online relationships, and eventually convincing people to send money in the name of love. An online love interest who asks for money is almost certainly a scam artist.

How to Recognize a Scam Artist
The relationship may not be what you think, especially if your sweetheart wants to leave the dating site immediately and use personal email or DM; claims love in a heartbeat; claims to be from the U.S., but is traveling or working overseas; plans to visit, but is prevented by a traumatic event or a business deal gone sour. Scammers also like to say they’re out of the country for business or military service.

What You Can Do About It
You may lose your heart, but you don’t have to lose your shirt, too. Don’t wire money to cover travel, medical emergencies, hotel bills, hospital bills for a child or other relative, visas and official documents, or losses from a financial setback.

Don’t send money to tide someone over after a mugging or robbery, and don’t do anyone a favor by making an online purchase or forwarding a package to another country. One request leads to another, and delays and disappointments will follow. In the end, the money will be gone along with the person you thought you knew.

Wiring money to someone is the same as sending cash. Once it’s gone, it can’t be recovered. If you send money, make the decision knowing you may never see it again. 

Internet Predators use chat rooms, messaging, and emailing to gain information about our children or to try to have a child meet them in person. To minimize the chances of this happening, parents can do the following: 

• Keep the computer in a public area in your home and monitor your child’s computer use.
• Monitor the amount of time and time of day your child is on the Internet.
• Make sure your child does not give out information over the Internet such as name, address, school they attend or teachers’ names that would lead a person to find your child.

Please visit the following links for more information:  

Online Security

Internet Crime Complaint Center

Federal Trade Commission 

Seniors are specifically targeted for various reasons. Research has shown some of the reasons are that seniors often have a “nest egg”, are trusting, live alone and have a fixed income.  Unfortunately, there are people who focus on our older citizens. 

Some of the most common crimes against our seniors involve fraud and con artists. One of the types of fraud is Consumer Fraud. This usually involves false claims, misrepresentation, overcharging, or failure to deliver goods. An example would be a subject that claims to have extra material left over from a roofing job. The subject tells the victim they can roof their house for a good price. The victim gives the subject a down payment and the subject never returns to complete the job. For more information on Consumer Fraud visit Consumer Sentinel. 

Con Artists use schemes to con seniors out of their money. Here are two examples of the Lottery Scheme. 

The Lottery Ticket Scam involves a con artist that approaches an individual claiming to have a winning lottery ticket but cannot collect the money because he/she is from a foreign country. The victim is offered the winning ticket, which is actually forged, for a sum of cash. After the victim gives the cash for the forged winning ticket, the con artist disappears. 

The Foreign Lottery Scam sends an official-looking letter from people claiming to be lottery managers. Winners are asked to keep quiet because of some “mix-up of some of the numbers” or other excuse and are urged to contact a claims agent overseas. When they do they are asked to send money to cover the administrative cost or taxes and to provide some personal financial information. 
Seniors can use the following tips for deterring Cons and Fraud: 

• Don’t fall for anything that sounds too good to be true.
• Never give out any credit card, social security, or bank account number to anyone over the phone or on the Internet unless you know the person or organization with whom you are dealing.
• Don’t let anyone rush you into signing anything until you or someone you trust has reviewed it.
• Be cautious of contractors that solicit business door to door.
• If you are suspicious, check it out with the police.

Please visit these links for more information: 

Colorado Attorney General

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

In Colorado, auto theft is an ever-growing problem. Cars that are stolen are in some cases recovered with no damage, and in other cases cars are taken to chop shops or out of country for resale. 

Here are some tips to discourage criminals from stealing your car: 

Lock your car.

Never leave your car unattended while it is running.

Never hide a second set of keys in the vehicle. Extra keys can be found if the thief takes time to look.

Store a spare key in your wallet.

Install an Anti-Theft device such as a kill switch, fuel shut-off or alarm system. Most insurance companies provide Ant-Theft information. Check with your insurance company for current best practices.

Please visit the following for more information: lockdownyourcar.org

Advice on Active Shooter Situations

In the wake of the tragic incidents in our nation over the last few years, I have the unfortunate but important task of ensuring that you know how to respond in the unlikely event that you ever encounter a situation with the potential for shooting violence in the City of Loveland.

An active shooter situation is unpredictable and your immediate response depends on a variety of circumstances. The following guidelines have been developed based on the best practices established by members of the Loveland Police Department and other law enforcement officials.

If it is possible to do so safely, exit the building immediately when you become aware of an incident, moving away from the immediate path of danger, and take the following steps:

1. Stay calm and notify anyone you may encounter to exit the building immediately.
2. Evacuate to a safe area away from the danger, and take protective cover. Stay there until assistance arrives.
3. Call 911, which will connect you with highly trained dispatchers, providing the following information:

• Your name
• Location of the incident (be as specific as possible) 
• Number of shooters (if known)
• Identification or description of shooter(s)
• Number of persons who may be involved
• Your exact location
• Injuries to anyone, if known 

Individuals not immediately impacted by the situation should take protective cover, staying away from windows and doors until notified otherwise.

If you are directly involved in an incident and exiting the building is not possible, the following actions are recommended:

1. Go to the nearest room or office.
2. Close and lock the door. If you cannot lock the door, place large objects in front of the door to act as a barrier (ie. office furniture, large printers, boxes, etc).
3. Turn off the lights.
4. Seek protective cover. This may be under a desk or table or anywhere else that offers some concealment.
5. Keep quiet and act as if no one is in the room.
6. Silence all cell phones.
7. Do not answer the door.
8. Notify 911, if it is safe to do so, providing each dispatcher with the following information: 

• Your name
• Location of the incident (be as specific as possible) 
• Number of shooters (if known)
• Identification or description of shooter(s)
• Number of persons who may be involved
• Your exact location
• Injuries to anyone, if known

Wait for law enforcement officers to assist you out of the building.

Additional Resources:

Guide Outdoor/Public Areas
Guide Commercial Buildings
Booklet
Pocket Card
Poster

Homeland Security Terrorism Threats

Reporting threats is an important part of homeland security

Terrorists try to promote their beliefs by:

• threatening and committing violence
• disrupting daily life
• creating uncertainty, panic and fear

Our government is working hard to defend our homeland by preventing and responding to terrorism threats. You can help through vigilance and common sense. You can make a difference by reporting suspicious activities and materials to the proper authorities.

Awareness and reason are your best defenses against terrorism threats.

• Be sensitive to your surroundings. Calmly take in what is happening, who is there, and anything that seems out of place.
• Know and follow all security procedures. For example, check the identity of visitors to your work place. Understand what precautions to take for the type of work you do, and how to report anything suspicious.
• Recognize potential targets. Be alert in your community, or wherever you might be.
• Balance Vigilance with respect for others’ rights. People of all cultures, religions and ethnic groups deserve respect.
• Use caution to protect your safety. Report your observations without drawing a suspect’s attention.

Targets of terrorism may include:

• Symbols of a nation, city or institution, such as government buildings, financial districts, major monuments, tourist attractions or other landmarks.
• Utilities: power plants, water supplies, etc.
• Transportation systems: hospitals, police stations, fire stations, military bases
• Special events facilities: indoor arenas or stadiums
• Communications systems: phone and internet services, computer networks, mail delivery services.

Be aware of strange behavior, but don’t take matters into your own hands.

Alert your supervisor, the police, or sheriff if a person:

• seems to be hiding something, such as a package or weapon
• tries to enter a facility or use a vehicle without the required credentials
• seeks access to restricted areas or supplies such as
  • water wells at food processing plants
  • municipal reservoirs
  • chemicals, fertilizers or other hazardous materials
• hangs around a facility or drives past it again and again
• leaves a possession such as a briefcase, suitcase or package-in a place that might be a target

Provide as many details as you can, such as the person’s gender, build, estimated age, clothing and directions of travel.

Spotting strange letters and packages

Be suspicious if an envelope or package:

• has no return address or one that makes no sense
• is supposedly from a business, but is address by hand
• is unexpected-especially if it arrived from abroad or by special delivery
• has excessive postage
• has common words misspelled
• smells odd
• is unevenly shaped or unusually heavy for its size
• shows signs of leaks or stains
• has wires sticking out
• makes a ticking, buzzing or sloshing noise

 Remain calm; remember that suspicious mail may be a hoax. To be safe:

• Do not open or shake the item.
• Isolate the item in a sealed plastic bag or other container. If a container is not available, cover the item with paper, clothing or and empty trash can.
• Call the police or sheriff.

If an opened item contains a powder or chemical, leave the item in its place. Do not move it or bring it to show others.

• Leave the immediate area.
• Do not touch your mouth or face.
• Make sure all who have touched the item wash their hands with soap and water
• Call the police or sheriff

If you think an item contains a bomb, evacuate the building at once.

• Do not use a radio or cell phone near the item.
• Call the police or sheriff

For more information, contact:

• Local or state department of public health
• Centers for Disease Control Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Site
• Federal Bureau of Investigation 
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Office of Homeland Security

Trust your instincts and take steps to stay safe and calm.

The publisher has taken care in the preparation of this information, it does not necessarily describe particular situations you may encounter. You should ask a qualified expert or professional for advice about your particular situation.
Information taken from pamphlets provided by: Connecticut Clearinghouse (A library and Resource Center on Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs, Mental Health and Wellness) (800) 232-4424