Thefts and burglaries occur regularly in today’s society. The involvement of the law abiding citizens of Johnson County is pivotal in the detection and apprehension of these criminals. Be vigilant and report suspicious activity in your area immediately when it occurs. Remember: If it doesn’t seem quite right, it probably isn’t.

Report Suspicious Activity by calling the Sheriff’s Dispatch Center: (317) 736-5155

Remember to obtain as much information as possible about what you are reporting:

• Description of Suspect(s):
  Approximate age, race, sex, height, weight, unique characteristics (such as scars, distinct nose, jewelry, etc.) and clothing such as color and type. Compare your height and weight with the suspect’s.
• Description of Vehicle(s):
  License number, make, model, color or any noticeable damage.
• Travel Direction:
  Don’t forget to obtain a direction of travel on the suspect! Northbound? Eastbound? On foot or in a vehicle? The dispatcher will need to know these very important questions.

The most important thing that citizens of Johnson County can do to prevent crime and assist law enforcement is to report suspicious activity immediately. When you see something that “just doesn’t seem right,” call us and let us check it out. We would much rather check into a suspicious situation and find that everything is alright than miss the opportunity to catch a criminal because no one reported suspicious activity.

Be prepared to answer a battery of questions including suspect and suspect vehicle descriptions, license plate number if available, and a direction of travel if the suspect leaves the area. Do not alert the suspicious subject that you are watching or have called police because he or she will likely attempt to flee the area. (For example: Do not suddenly turn on all of your outside lights…) Remain on the phone with the Sheriff’s dispatcher until a Deputy arrives to investigate the situation.

If you See Something, Say Something!

Protect Your Home and Keep Track of Your Valuables

Favorite Items for Residential Burglary Suspects:

• Guns
• TV’s
• Jewelry
• Laptop computers and tablets
• Cash

Items will be taken and exchanged for narcotics for pennies on the dollar.

How can you secure your home:

1. Doors and locks – Harden your target. Make your home harder to enter. Burglars are predominantly lazy. Deadbolt locks preferred. Place device on sliding glass door as extra security. Latches on these doors are easy to defeat. Make sure windows are locked. Do not leave doors unlocked thinking that you will have less damage.
2. Be a good neighbor – Neighbors helping neighbors is usually how burglary suspects are captured. Report suspicious activity immediately to police.
3. Lighting – Interior lighting shows signs of life and activity in a residence. Light timers are inexpensive and can be found anywhere. Exterior lighting is very important. Motion detector lights very effective.
4. Alarm systems – Alarm systems have a place in a home security plan and are effective.
5. Home safes anchored to floor – Keep your valuables locked up in an inconspicuous place.
6. Identification – Mark your belongings with name or operators license number. Do not use your social security number. Keep a detailed inventory of valuables.
7. Neighborhood watch groups – Sheriff’s Office can help you get a program started in your neighborhood.
8. Noise – Consider getting a dog. Leave a television or stereo playing.
9. Insurance – make sure you have homeowners insurance coverage and take pictures of all your valuables while keeping track of serial numbers.

Identity Theft

Make sure online purchases are done using only a secure website. Be very careful when using a credit card ordering merchandise over the telephone. Be sure to destroy documents you receive in the mail that are unimportant materialistically, but contain your personal information, such as your date of birth or your social security number. Papers containing your identifiers should be destroyed in a paper shredder in another manner rather than simply thrown into the trash.

United States Postal Inspectors Identity Theft Information

Fake Check Scams

If someone you don’t know sends you a check and asks for money back, that’s a scam.

Fake checks drive many types of scams — like those involving phony job and income opportunities, online classified ad sales, and others. In a fake check scam, a person you don’t know asks you to deposit a check – sometimes for several thousand dollars and usually for more than you are owed — and send some of the money back, often by wire transfers or gift cards, to them or another person. The scammers always have a good story to explain the overpayment. They might say they’re stuck out of the country, they need you to cover taxes or fees, you’ll need to buy supplies, or something else.

Money Wiring Scams

By law, banks have to make deposited funds available quickly — you’ll usually see the money in your account within a day or two. But it may take weeks for your bank to learn the check was bad. By that time, the scammer has the money you sent, and you’re stuck paying the bank back.

Over the last several years, the number of fake check scams reported to the FTC has steadily increased, and so have the dollars lost. In its most recent Data Spotlight, Don’t bank on a “cleared” check, the FTC reports that consumers lost more than $28 million to fake check scams in 2019 alone. The median loss reported was $1,988. That’s more than six times the median loss on all frauds tracked by the FTC. What’s more, reports about fake check scams are up by about 65% over 2015 levels. The FTC found that younger people are hit especially hard. In 2019, people in their twenties were more than twice as likely as people 30 and older to report losing money to a fake check scam.

Want to learn more? ftc.gov/fakechecks

Solicitation

Finally, remember to be very careful when dealing with door-to-door salesmen. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s more than likely something to stay away from.

Report suspicious activity in the Sheriff’s Jurisdiction to the Sheriff’s Office:
( 317) 736-5155.

Contractor Fraud

If your home or business was damaged by recent severe weather and flooding, beware of dishonest contractors that will attempt to take advantage of your vulnerable situation. Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to #ContractorFraud & check out the ‘Disaster Fraud’ resource page from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) for more: nicb.org/disaster-tips.