Town of Cary Solicitor Ordinance
We wanted to remind everyone of the Town of Cary Solicitor Ordinance and also relay some information we received from the Cary Police on the topic.
Members of the Lochmere Community Watch do monitor nextdoor.com and other community groups for information that might be helpful for our community. With any information we receive or hear about, we first contact our representatives at the Cary Police before we sent out any information. We want to validate any urgent crime/safety matters with the Cary Police and then forward accurate information to residents. The Cary Police recommends this method.
The District 3 Commander would like to remind everyone of the following:
...we have concerns from time-to-time about people who go door-to-door conducting business without having obtained the appropriate Town of Cary Soliciting Permit. Many of the folks who go door-to-door without the permit do so because they either can’t pass our background check, or they are up to no good from the start. Within just the last few weeks a crew making rounds as an unlicensed tree service stole property from someone’s front porch in the Lochmere area.
A few exceptions to the TOC permit requirement include those who may be visiting to share political, social, or religious information, children who are fundraising for school, selling Girl Scout cookies and such, and non-profits who receive no compensation for their efforts.
The part we love most about Community Watch is the connection and the relationships it builds among neighbors. The more friendly eyes and ears we have in a community, and the more communication we have between the community and the police, the more likely it will be that someone speaks up when something doesn’t look right. We hope everyone will feel comfortable calling the police department, and I’ll do my best to keep you all informed when we see crime trends, or even single incidents, that may be of importance for your community.
A copy of the Town's Solicitor Ordinance, along with an example copy of a permit, can be found on the main Community Watch page: http://lochmere.org/community/community-watch/about-cm. Contact information for the police can also be found on that page.
Garage Door Security Tips To Prevent Break-Ins
You have checked all the windows to make sure they are closed and locked, doubled-checked the doors, let the neighbors know you are going out of town, informed the mail so it does not pile up and activated all the passive security systems in your home.
However, one area is often overlooked as you pull out of your garage and leave: The garage you just left. A modern-day garage is a prime spot for thieves to gain access to your home.
There are three basic types of garages that your home may have and each one requires its own safety measures. The first two are attached garages, and they can be divided into two categories: The front of the house garage that faces the street and the rear garage, which is out of view from the street.
The third type of garage is the detached garage. It is particularly dangerous if this type of garage is not secured properly because it offers a staging ground for thieves to enter the premises.
Here are a few pieces of advice that will help you protect your home:
Use Your Garage. Park your car in the garage when it is not being used or if you are leaving by other means. Many people leave their garage door remote in their car, and all it takes is something like a broken window in your car to give a thief access to your home. To combat this, you can also make sure to remove the remote if you leave your car outside of the garage.
Disable the Electric Motor. If you are leaving for an extended period of time, detach your electric garage door opener. This is usually a very simple thing to do. Most electric garage door openers have a rope or chain you pull down to disconnect the electric motor from the chain that operates the door. This protects you in two ways: First, if a thief used a frequency scanning device to obtain your code, it will be of no use since it is not operable. Second, it would require a thief to physically go to the door, which the neighbors could see.
Bolt It. Use a manual sliding bolt-style lock on the inside of your garage door that can only be opened from the inside.
Keep It In Good Condition. Make sure the garage door is properly functioning and that there is no damage to the panels through which a thief could access your home.
Keep It Contained. Do not leave important items in the garage and make sure to lock the door to your home. If thieves do break into the garage, you want to make sure that is all they can access. Place a deadbolt and anti-kick device on the door that leads to the garage.
The Same Goes for Detached Garages. For the detached garage, make sure you follow the same principles as if it was connected to your home. If the garage is out of view from the street where neighbors could spot a break-in, these rules become even more essential. Most importantly, do not keep valuables in your garage.
Cary Police's New "Swap Spot"
Courtesy of our Community Services Sergeant at the Cary Police, Jeremy Burgin:
Cary’s Swap Spot is Your Place to Complete Internet Transactions
Created by popular demand, the Town of Cary now has designated public parking spaces to complete legal transactions for items purchased/sold online or for other legal exchanges. Dubbed ‘Swap Spot’ and marked with a blue and green oversized sign, the area is located behind the Town of Cary Police Department near the Cash Points ATM, 120 Wilkinson Avenue; they are under 24/7 video monitoring. As always, residents may also use the Police Department Lobby as a safe place to exchange items weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For internet transaction safety tips and for more information, search “Swap Spot” at www.townofcary.org or call (919) 469-4019.
PRIMARY CONTACTS:
Toni Dezomits, Assistant Police Chief – Professional Standards Bureau, (919) 460-4922
Deanna Boone, Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 462-3908
Susan Moran, Public Information Director, (919) 380-4240
Police Crime Alert
Please see below for a message from our Community Services Sergeant at the Cary Police Department. We heard about a recent burglary in the Birkhaven section of Lochmere and asked the police to give us more details. He posted this on nextdoor.com today:
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Good afternoon Cary residents. I am Sergeant Jeremy Burgin, your Community Services Sergeant. The purpose of my post today is to make neighbors aware of a recent burglary trend that is currently impacting neighborhoods near Wimbledon, Lochmere, and Glenridge.
Over the past two days, we've experienced four residential burglaries that may be related. The burglaries are occurring during the day and typically involve the suspect(s) breaking a rear glass door and forcibly entering the home to steal jewelry. While most homes were unoccupied, there was an instance where someone was home when the burglar entered an unlocked front door. There have been no injuries reported during this trend.
We need you to help us combat this abrupt spike in home break-ins:
• Be vigilant, immediately reporting suspicious or unfamiliar vehicles and pedestrians to police by calling 911.
• Schedule a home safety inspection, a free service offered by the Town of Cary. A police officer will go on location to identify physical weaknesses in and around a home and offer low-cost suggestions to improve safety and security. Call (919) 469-4324 or email me directly to schedule this service.
• Make sure that all doors, windows, and skylights are secured and check locks regularly to ensure they remain in good working order. While no lock is burglar proof, the more difficult it is to gain entry, the longer it will take, which increases the chances of burglars’ getting caught.
• Use variable light timers and motion-sensitive lights to activate lighting in and around your home.
• If utilizing an alarm system, make sure to have clearly visible signage stating the premises is protected by an alarm and set video systems to record day and nighttime activity.
• Ensure valuables are not visible from the street, especially high-end electronics.
• Come to our Public Safety Day on May 15 and mingle with those in your community. Meeting your neighbors is one of the best ways to keep your street safe, and Town of Cary police officers are available to attend and share safety and crime prevention tips.
Please contact me via email or phone with any questions or comments you may have.
Jeremy D Burgin
Community Services Sergeant
Project PHOENIX
Cary Police Department
120 Wilkinson Ave - P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512-8005
919-469-4324
'Ready Wake!' New 'Reverse 911' Alert System
"In support of North Carolina’s Severe Weather Preparedness Week, the Town of Cary is launching a new reverse 911 system administered by Wake County called ReadyWake. From boil water notices to critical safety information, ReadyWake notifies Cary residents, business owners and employees in both the Wake and Chatham county portions of Cary as well as Cary utility customers in Cary, Morrisville and RTP when there is an imminent threat to life, health or property.
To register, visit www.readywake.com; enter the address you’d like to be notified about in the event of an emergency—home, work, school, etc. – along with your contact information and message preferences.
For full details, search "Ready Cary" at www.townofcary.org