Happy New Year Neighbors!
I trust you had an enjoyable holiday season. I've included both the November & January Block Captain Meetings & November/December Newsletter in this blog.
Have a great remainder of the week!
Erin
November Block Captain Meeting
November 1, 2011
Identifying Suspects
Speaker: Sgt. Don Thiel
It's possible that you may someday be asked to identify a suspect for the police. To help you think about what you see here are a few fun videos:
Quirkology - Color Changing Card Trick
Change Blindness Cognitive Psychology Awareness Test
Change Blindness - S.E.P.
As you can see, what we think we see isn't always correct and as witnesses we can pose problems to the police.
Identifying Suspects
Witnesses currently tend to be weak links for the police and are no longer viewed as trustworthy sources of information. A defense attorney will attempt to plant reasonable doubt in a witness, which may make them question what they really saw. However, an astute witness can lead the police to evidence and evidence will help to solve cases. When we see a suspicious individual, we need to shift our thinking from 'What are they doing?' or 'Do I know that person?' to 'Who are they?' and focus on what is being done. Descriptions can make or break a case, so be careful. Be aware of your surroundings and what isn't normal (eg. an abandoned vehicle that should be reported) and look for a suspect's physical features.
Here is a list of things to look for (start at the suspect's head and work down):
- Skin Tone (don't try to guess their race unless you're 100% sure)
- Gender
- Age (eg. 30ish)
- Hands/Gloves
- Height (tall/medium/short)
- Weight/Size/Build (thin/heavy set/medium)
- Hair (color/cut)
- Facial Features (eg. scar, large nose, etc.)
- Clothing (coats/shirts/hats can be changed/removed but pants likely won't, also look for detailing on clothing)
- Footware
November/December 2011 Newsletter
January Block Captain Meeting
January 3, 2012
Yellow Dot Program Video: Got The Dot?
Sign up for this free program to assist emergency medical personnel if you're interested. Watch the video to find out more about it and click on the website links for more information.
CrimeReports.com
- You can file certain non-emergency crime reports online at cityofelgin.org & select Living in Elgin, Public Safety, Police & then File Online Police Reports
- It is possible for www.crimereports.com to alert you of crimes in our neighborhood. Search for your address and create a daily/weekly/monthly alert.
Speaker: Mayor David Kaptain
- A life-long resident of Elgin and currently resides in the Eagle Heights neighborhood
- Started a neighborhood watch there & has also been on a city-wide home owner's association commitee
- Commited to crime prevention in Elgin
- Programs that relied on tax dollars to help curb crime prevention (DARE, Boys & Girls Clubs, & Eastside Recreation Center) were affected by tax cuts
- Strategic planning sessions in January 2012 to establish vision for Elgin & how to allocate tax funds
- Encouraging citizen involvement & input to direct City Council
- Wants to bring people together
- Fewer but bigger festivals (200 down to 5), eg. Fox Fire Fest, Ethnic Food Fest, etc.
- Reaching out to surrounding communities, eg. joint 4th of July fireworks with Hoffman Estates at the Sears Center
- Bring back the Elgin Symphony Orchestra/City of Elgin events
- Downtown Halloween event
- Working with faith-based organizations to include them in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
