Meet your Police Community Relations Officer

Officer Bryen Glass, Sr.

Officer Bryen Glass recently relieved Officer Sholter as our Police Community Relations Officer. He will be an extremely valuable resource to our entire community. In addition to keeping our streets safe, he will routinely interact with our community leaders and you by walking the streets of our neighborhood and appearing at your door to conduct a free (yes, free!) home security survey -- just call 410-887-4714 or e-mail bglass@co.ba.md.us to set up an appointment!

Bryen has been with the Baltimore County Police Department since 1996; with the Woodlawn Precinct between 1996-2001 and 2003 to present. He was also a member of the Police Athletic League from 2001-2003. Our Police Community Relations Officer has served as a volunteer tutor at Harford Heights and Greenview Knolls Elementary Schools, a volunteer physical training coach at St. Michaels Catholic School, and even served on active duty as a US Navy Electronics Technician from 1988-1996.

Officer Glass was born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He currently resides in Baltimore County with his wife Stacey and 2-year-old son, Bryen Jr.

Contact us by dialing 410-887-4714 or 410-887-4715.

Be bright and smart. Be aware. Be alert!

Thanks and stay SAFE!

Captain Barry Barber

5/10    6/14    8/9    9/13    10/11    11/8    12/13

The PCR meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7pm. Meetings are held at the Woodlawn Police Barracks located near the corner of Woodlawn Drive and Windsor Mill Road. A meeting will not be held in July. Meetings are cancelled if Baltimore County schools are closed or close early.

Call the Police Community Outreach at 410-887-4714 or 410-887-4715 for more details.

Officer Claire Brumfitt

Officer Brumfitts' successful enforcement and arrest of four juveniles for destruction of property led to valuable information into the burglaries in the Fairbrook Road area. Also, a narcotics arrest led to information about members of the MS13 gang and the 18th Street gang, and the recruitment of an informant.

Great job and thanks!

     Please remind your readers once again to Keep Kids Alive -- Drive 25, a proactive measure to mobilize citizens around the country to respond to the problem of speeding in their neighborhoods. Working with police departments, neighborhood groups, schools, municipal departments, civic groups and families, we hope to create safer streets for pedestrians and motorists alike.

     According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost 175,000 pedestrians died on U.S. roadways between 1975 and 2001. Local roads, the streets right in front of most of our roads, are over twice as dangerous as highways per mile driven. Pedestrians are three times more likely to die when struck by a vehicle traveling at 30mph versus one traveling at 25mph. For the sake of children and adult pedestrians and their families, I ask communities around the country to join this campaign by visiting our website at www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org.

Firearm safety is a serious issue when it comes to keeping children out of harm's way. According to the Cease Fire organization, 10 children are killed by handguns everyday.

Test your knowledge of Gun Safety with this True / False Quiz

1. A child is not able to tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun.

2. A child is not able to fully comprehend the deadly consequences of playing with a gun.

3. If you do not have a gun in your home, you don't need to worry about gun safety.

4. If you have hidden your handgun well, your child won't find it.

Answers:

1. TRUE  Parents often assume their child is smart enough to tell the difference between a real gun and a toy. However, a child's ability to distinguish between the two have nothing to do with their brainpower. In fact, many toy guns are strikingly similar to real guns, and even adults are sometimes not able to tell the difference.

2. TRUE  A child may be able to tell you that someone who is shot with a gun will get hurt, but they may not fully understand the concept of fatal injury. This, the consequence of a possible death may not be enough of a deterrent to avoid playing with a gun. And, unfortunately, even though 3-year-old Johnny may not be able to understand the consequences of his actions, he is still strong enough to pull the trigger of many handguns.

3. FALSE  If you don't own a firearm, don't assume your child is immune to risk. Even if you don't have a gun in your home, your child may encounter a gun in someone else's home. Millions of families with children keep at least one gun in their home. The odds are favorable that your child spends time in one of these homes. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, nearly 40% of all unintentional childhood shooting deaths occur at a friend or relative's house.

4. FALSE  Child are curious and clever. They can easily discover where a gun is kept within a home. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, one study found that when a gun was in the home, 75% to 80% of first and second graders knew where it was kept. If your child knows where you gun is located, how can you be sure he or she won't access it? The reality is, you can't.

The Police Department encourages the following Safety Tips:

• Store firearms unloaded, locked, and out of a child's reach

• Store ammunition in a separate, locked location

• Use quality gun locks, lock boxes, or gun safes for every firearm

• Take a course in using, maintaining, and safety-storing your gun

• Talk to your child about the potential dangers of guns

• Teach your child never to touch or play with a gun

• Teach a child to tell an adult if they find or see a gun

• Check with adults in any homes your child visits to ensure they follow safe storage practices if firearms are in their homes

AND KEEP IN MIND ... many of these are not just tips ... but the LAW

There have been six (6) incidents since July 2004, where elderly women have been knocked down and their purses stolen. These acts have occurred on residential streets and business parking lots along the Route 40 corridor.

The Police Department encourages:

• All residents be ALERT!

• BE AWARE of your surroundings.

• If you do not feel comfortable leaving a business alone, ask someone to go with you or request an escort if the store has a security officer.

• DO NOT attempt to resist a suspect.

• Be a GOOD WITNESS; get as much detail as possible.

Call 410-887-4714 for more information.

Recently there have been several incidents where a man has approached residents in their homes for money. The suspect is described as a well-dressed black male in his 30's with a stocky build targeting homes in Woodlawn Village.

The suspect has been approaching the homes of elderly residents and asking them for money. He tells them he has locked his keys in his car and needs money for Pop-A-Locks. He leads the victim to believe he will return their money after he returns to an ATM. He does not return with the money!!!

Do not fall victim to the scam!!!  Please call 9-1-1 if you see this suspect! For further information contact your community officer at 410-887-4714.

Avoid being Car-jacked

Here is the latest news on a car-jacking technique.

You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car, then get inside.  Then you lock all of your doors, put on your seat belt, start your engine, then put your car in reverse.  Habit!  You look into your rear-view mirror to back out and notice a piece of paper, some sort of advertisement, stuck to your rear window.  So, you shift your car into park, unlock your doors, then get out to remove the piece of paper blocking your view.  When you reach the back of your car, the car-jackers jump out of nowhere ... get into your car and take off -- your engine was running, your purse or valuables in the car, and they practically mow you over as they speed away in your vehicle.  BE AWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME ... drive away and remove the piece of paper stuck to your window at a later.

Latest Technique to Steal ATM Account & Pin Codes

A team of organized criminals is installing equipment on legitimate bank ATMs in at least two regions to steal both ATM card numbers & PINs.  The team sits nearby in a car receiving the information transmitted wirelessly over weekends and evenings from equipment they install on front of the ATM.  If you see an attachment like this, do not use the ATM and report it immediately to the bank using the toll-free number or other phone number listed on the front of the ATM.

The equipment is used to capture your ATM card number and PIN is cleverly disguised to look like normal ATM equipment.  A "skimmer" is mounted to the front of the normal ATM card slot that reads the ATM card number and transmits it to the criminals sitting in a nearby car.

At the same time, a wireless camera is disguised to look like a leaflet holder and is mounted in a position to view ATM PIN entries.

The thieves copy the cards and use the PIN numbers to withdraw thousands from many accounts in a very short time directly from the bank ATM.

Identity Theft On The Rise

Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in America, and it could happen to you more easily than you might think. Here are some steps to take to keep from becoming a victim.

• Contact one of the credit reporting agencies immediately to place a fraud alert on your file. That agency will notify the other two (2) agencies automatically. You may contact them by phone or on the web.

U.S. Secret Service  --  www.secretservice.gov

U.S. Postal Inspection Service  --  www.usps.com/postalinspectors

Maryland Motor Vehicle Law Article 21-1101

UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLE

Duty of Driver upon leaving vehicle.

A Person driving or otherwise in charge of a Motor Vehicle may NOT leave it unattended, UNTIL:

Engine is stopped, ignition is locked, key is removed and brake is set

FINE: $50.00

AND -- leaving it running with one set of keys and locking it does NOT avoid a violation of the section.

Precinct 2 / Woodlawn

Meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7PM at the Police Station

6424 Windsor Mill Road

(corner of Windsor Mill & Woodlawn Drive)

Come to a meeting.  Everyone is Welcome.  Get more info like this every month to help you stay safe.  Call 410.887.6802.

WPICA Crime Watch Efforts

A Neighborhood Crime Watch and the Citizens on Patrol (COP) is a partnership between residents and law enforcement to improve safety and prevent crime. You can learn:

• Who your neighbors are and how to work with them

• How and why crime happens

• How to improve home security and personal safety

• How to recognize and report suspicious activity

Each and everyone of us has a reason why we don’t have the time to participate or join a committee, yet if we all pitched in an hour a month just imagine how much we could achieve.

How do I report Suspicious Activity or Emergencies?

Any threat or real risk that puts lives in immediate danger is an emergency and should be reported by calling 9-1-1.

Report any and all suspicious activity; provide as much information as possible, including license numbers.

After calling law enforcement, call your the Citizens On Patrol (COP) and advise them what has occurred (whether you or someone else is/was the victim). They will then notify the other homeowners in the neighborhood so they will be aware of the activity.  Be assured the information that is shared, is basic, for example it would be something like this – there was a break in or a stolen car at the corner of Glenwilde and Moorefield Roads on Monday, May 1, sometime in the early afternoon. NO SPECIFICS WILL EVER BE GIVEN OUT WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION.