Holiday Prevention Ideas to Maximize Your Merriment
By Melissa Somers, Executive Director
CPP SoCal*
Cruising through the ‘hood
Making their getaway
O’er the tracks they go
Laughing all the way
Bells on GPS ping
Alerting us that night
What fun it is to track and recover
Your stolen unit tonight!
CPP, CPP, We’re just here to say
Oh, what fun, we have catching
A bad guy on the prey!
Hey!
CPP, CPP, We’re just here to say
Oh, what fun we have finding
Your equipment when it strays!
With ideas to stop bad guys
Best ways to protect your fleet
A hotline that’s always live
You’ll never miss a beat
Now you know the “why”
Membership’s the way to go
CPP will answer your cry
For help when you need it most
CPP, CPP, We’re just here to say
Oh, what fun we have catching
A bad guy on the prey!
Hey!
CPP, CPP, We’re just here to say
Oh, the joys of working together
Making a difference every day!
Crooks like to play when you and your crew are away and enjoying the holidays. In fact, one of the highest crime days of the year is New Year’s Day, followed closely by New Year’s Eve. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day round out the top ten historically active days** and shine a bright light on the need to make sure your prevention protocols are in great shape long before the festivities begin.
Consider the following:
- Walk the perimeter of your yard, looking for any weakness in fencing, blind spots for security cameras, easy access points, and tampered locks
- Secure all keys away from equipment
- Disable towable equipment
- Establish and confirm availability of afterhours contacts
- Check security cameras – make sure they’re clean, functioning, and recordings are being appropriately stored
- Confirm that GPS / telematics are functioning as intended and that no updates or maintenance are required
- Confirm pickup for any equipment that might be called off rent just before a holiday / weekend
- Review protocols for your security company; make sure they know exactly who to call, how to proceed and what to expect
- CPP members can request a site security walk to help recognize and address areas of weakness
It’s also a good idea to know exactly who to call in the event you are hit by crooks and what information to have on hand to promote effective communication. Have inventory information accessible to individuals responsible for reporting the loss and make sure you know which information is the most useful to share with the reporting officer. CPP members can contact us to review best practices for reporting and for support in the event you have a theft.
While it’s good to know you’ve got someone in your corner to assist with a theft – whether it’s CPP or local law enforcement, it’s also a great time to evaluate your security, inventory, and reporting procedures and make any necessary changes. Taking time now to address any potential issues before the notably high-theft holiday season will go a long way towards deterring any would be thieves. It will also show crooks that you mean business and are engaged in a community that works to make it possible for Jingle Bell Justice to be served.
*The Crime Prevention Program of Southern California (CPP) is a non-profit organization working with our members, law enforcement, the construction industry and area auto theft task forces to educate, empower and engage in a community fighting construction crime. For information on how you can join the CPP community, contact Melissa Somers, Executive Director @ 562-860-9006 or email: [email protected]. “Together, We Make a Difference”.
**NICB.org- (November 23, 2020) Holiday Thefts: Be Thankful Vehicle Thefts Slow Down on Thanksgiving
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