The City of Ashland Police Department

Department History

Crime Prevention

APD Home

• Trim shrubbery so it does not block windows or doors and insure that your home has adequate lighting at after dark.
• Leave a spare key with a neighbor or relative instead of keeping it outside. If you choose to place a key outside, insure that it is not kept in an obvious place, such as under a nearby flowerpot.
• Use timers on lights, radios, and television sets to give the impression that someone is home when the house is unoccupied. Timers with a built-in random time function to vary the time that lights, etc. are turned on are best for accomplishing this task.
• Change all of the old locks immediately after moving into a new home to eliminate the possibility of someone using any old keys that have been lost.
• Insure that all ground-floor windows and doors have secure dead-bolt locks.
• Before leaving home, insure that your garage door is completely closed. If an interior door connects the garage to you home, insure that the door is also locked.
• Keep upstairs windows locked if someone could climb a nearby tree to gain access to a second-floor window. An alternative solution is to prune any large trees to keep limbs away from the house.
• Empty boxes from newly purchased electronic equipment are inviting signs to opportunistic thieves when left outside.
• Local community watch programs help to reduce your chances of being victimized. The police department can provide information on how to establish a community watch program. If your community already has an established program, active participation will help the entire community.
  
  
  ON THE ROAD
   
• If your car breaks down:
• Pull to the side of the road and turn on your hazard lights.
• Keep a white cloth in your trunk to hang out of the driver's window; this symbolizes that your vehicle is disabled and that you need help.
• Remain in the vehicle with the windows closed and the doors locked.