Message from Hercules PD: How to Help Prevent a Home Invasion Robbery
Home break robberies, and Hercules police are advising residents on how to protect against them.
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Hercules has had an increase in home break-ins since the start of the holiday season. The Hercules Police Department has released a statement to residents with tips on how to keep you and your home safe in this high-home invasion time:
Home-invasion robbery is a robbery that occurs inside the victim's home, while the victim is present. Most home-invasion robberies occur after the suspect or suspects knock on the victim's door. When the door opens, the suspects force their way into the residence, subdues the victim or victims and carry out the robbery. Occasionally, the suspects will enter from another door and surprise the victims inside. Here are several tips to decrease your chances of becoming the victim of a home invasion robbery:
* Make sure the outside of your home is well lighted and free of large trees and bushes that may obstruct the view of your door from the street.
* Keep all of your doors and windows locked.
* Do not keep large amounts of cash inside your home.
* Have a peep hole installed in your door and use it.
* If your peep hole is obstructed, do not answer the door.
* If you do not recognize the person at your door, ask for identification before opening. If the person does not produce identification, do not open the door. Ask them to leave. If they do not leave, call the police.
* Solicitors within the city of Hercules are required to have a city-issued business permit with them while conducting business within the city. If a person is at your door and claims to be a solicitor, but does not have a permit, do not open your door.
* Make sure the time of day is appropriate for when someone is at your door. Under most circumstances, people are not going to try to sell magazines or deliver a package late at night.
* If the person at your door claims to be a police officer and they are not in uniform, ask to see identification. Any legitimate police officer will be happy to show their identification.
* Trust your instincts. When in doubt, don't open the door.
* If you do not have a landline telephone in your home, program the Hercules Police Department's Dispatch Center phone number, 724-1111, into your cell phone. If you do have a landline, dialing 9-1-1 is always fastest.
If the worst case scenario happens and you do become the victim of a home invasion robbery, the safety of you and your family is paramount. Try to stay calm and cooperate with the suspects. If you are able to, try to get as much information to assist the police as possible.
Look at the suspects and try to identify as many characteristics about them as possible; this can be accomplished even when they are wearing masks. Pay attention to the perpetrator's height, weight, race, hair color, eye color, accent and clothing.
Look for distinguishing characteristics, such as tattoos, piercings and facial hair. Try to find something about each suspect that would make them stand out to you in a crowd of people. After the suspects leave, immediately call the police. If possible, try to determine if the suspects left in a vehicle and which direction they drove or ran.
Being the victim of a crime is a scary and traumatic experience. Every officer within the Hercules Police Department cares about the city and its citizens and has every desire to prevent them from being victimized, and to capture those who commit crimes. Working together, the citizens and the police can keep Hercules a great place to live and work!
Toni Leance
1:12 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
it would help if people would turn on their porch lights and keep them on during the night. I know it adds to the electric bill but it is worth it our homes are so dark without them anything could be going on.
Scott Wyatt
1:21 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Motion sensor lights are a great alternative. They light up when someone approaches the house, but don't waste electricity when they're not needed.
Blake Mengotto
4:28 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I have the lights, after I was robbed. I have signs as well. You want to stop this? Get a racking shotty and rack it when talking to the person on the other side of the door. It doesn't have to be loaded. That should tell them to go away. What I find interesting is this statement " Solicitors within the city of Hercules are required to have a city-issued business permit with them while conducting business within the city. If a person is at your door and claims to be a solicitor, but does not have a permit, do not open your door." So are you telling me that the Jehovah Witnesses have to have a permit to knock on my door? If they do, then let me know so I can call Hercules PD when they show up. I have a sign on my window that says "NO SOLICITING", and yet moron's continue to knock and irritate me. Get a shotgun, open the door if you like, problem solved imho. Make sure, however, that you go to a range, take a gun safety course and fire some rounds through the shotgun. I recommend a Mossberg 590 (8+1). Get a nice flashlight that can attach to it as well. Also if you see people walking around in your neighborhood going to random doors, I would recommend calling the police. A few weeks ago we had a person going door to door on homes with no cars in front of the house and about that same time there was a break in at one of the homes in this area.
G.C.
4:36 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
I googled "Mossberg 590" and this is what I found. I believe this is the standard HOA issue. These are interesting times we live in.
http://www.imfdb.org/w/images/thumb/7/78/Trans-CustomM590-5special.jpg/600px-Trans-CustomM590-5special.jpg
Annie R.
11:03 am on Sunday, December 18, 2011
Religious groups are not required to obtain a permit,
Toni Leance
5:35 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Blake that sounds a little radical to me if I need to take a gun to my door everytime someone knocks, if that is so, then I need to move because I am not going to live that way. While the Jehovah Witnesses are anonoying I just say I am not interested and they go away they are just trying to get to heaven and this is the way they think they get there.
Blake Mengotto
9:20 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Ok. I guess reading is not required to get into heaven then. Understood. :-)
G.C.
4:24 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
Dear Chief Goswick and Mayor Romero,
The City should stop issuing permits immediately! Hercules should become a "No Solicitation" city for the duration of the economic downturn and until full police staffing is restored. The practice of allowing solicitation in Hercules is jeopardizing the lives of all citizens.
I have not heard the city develop a permit procedure that makes it any easier to spot legitimate solicitors. In addition, robbers can blend in as solicitors. Right now, immediately, the default should be that someone going door-to-door is a robber. I should not have to play guessing games for the safety of my family.
Even legitimate solicitors, including those peddling literature of a religious nature, who leave literature on your doorstep are setting one up for robbery, as anything left on our doorstep is an indicator that no one is home.
Please respond to this request immediately so no one gets hurt. The default should now be if you see someone going door-to-door, call the police.
Thank you.
G.C.
9:44 am on Saturday, December 17, 2011
Response from Police Chief Goswick:
Thank you for your concerns and request. When the city issues a solicitation permit that person is required to have that permit with them. We have recommended that residents that do not want solicitors post a “No Solicitors” sign on their residence. We have also asked that if someone shows up at your door, do not open it and asked them what their business is and to provide a permit. If you feel that something is not right you should call the police immediately. You are right to say that burglars represent them self as solicitors or say that they are looking for someone and throw out a name when confronted. I will check our permit procedures to see if we need to improve the process or how we can better identify the legitimate solicitors. My concern is not with the legitimate solicitors, it is with the criminals that take advantage of those working or on vacation. Our police staffing has been reduced and we asking the community to help us in these efforts by being our eyes and ears in the neighborhoods. If you have any question feel free to call me at 510-799-8274.
Bill Goswick
G.C.
2:16 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
The current city ordinance prevented Blake from stopping a robbery because he conclusively did not know if he was witnessing anything improper when he observed someone going door-to-door.
We are told to report suspicious behavior? What does that look like? If I see someone with a burlap bag and a gun and a bandana over their face, I'll report it. Anything else is not suspicious unless you chose to profile. Again, the current city policy is placing citizens in a difficult situation and for what reason?
If there was an outright ban on soliciting, neighbors could call the police whenever they see someone going door-to-door as that act in itself would be prohibited.
Because the City will not suspend the issuance of permits for solicitation, the citizens will continue to be burglarized (or worse) at a rate that could be reduced if our city council had taken action and suspended the issuance of permits.
John Loudermilk
2:35 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
Excellent point Giorgio. I suspect the city is reluctant to outlaw solicitors since I believe the "legal solicitors" that have permits have paid a fee to the city to purchase the permits. The city doesn't want to shut down any additional revenue streams.
G.C.
2:57 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
We need to see a dollar amount, John. Is the revenue worth the risk to the public?
Our property values will decline even more when prospective homebuyers hear that we have home-invasion robberies and that the citizens of Hercules have been forced to take up arms. An Antioch property owner blasted a would-be thief in one of his dwellings recently. Are we headed down that path? Welcome to Dodge.
If it is between me or them, I'm following Blake's lead.
John Loudermilk
3:06 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
Many including myself have adopted that approach long ago. Calling 911 for assistance is useless when faced with life and death decisions. Not enough police for the job and no way to pay them will only produce more of this as time goes on. We have to protect ourselves without fail. Not a pretty picture....
G.C.
3:18 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
I think part of the problem is that our society has been somewhat desensitized to this kind of crime. You read about someone being confronted in their home and think little of it because it happens often.
Everyone should stop when they read of such an account and imagine someone standing in your home. Some stranger with bad intentions. This aint no small deal. That's why I'm telling our city and PD to do more to prevent this from happening.
We need to be proactive, not reactive. Reactive is the Mossberg 590. We have a chance to be proactive, but currently we're not doing so. Imagine that stranger in your home, whether or not you are home.
Now, should we do away with soliciting? I say yes.
No, not a pretty picture.
G.C.
3:30 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
The state is closing prisons and is currently shifting much of the responsibility to the cash-strapped counties. Stay tuned.
John Loudermilk
4:24 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
I'm in total agreement with you Giorgio. I don't want anyone knocking on my door for anything unless they are an invited guest. I doubt the city will agree since it's a revenue stream.
G.C.
5:24 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
They'll agree.
G.C.
5:35 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
Why have the crime stats been removed from the following Hercules City webpage?
http://www.ci.hercules.ca.us/index.aspx?page=242#answer16
16. I’m thinking about moving to Hercules. I would like to know about the crime statistics for the City. Where do I find these statistics?
The crime statistics for the City of Hercules are located here .
http://www.ci.hercules.ca.us/error.aspx
But not really.
RJ
5:51 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011
You make good suggestions and advice Chief Goswick and will pass on to my wife and neighbors in my area. Thanks for the heads up.
Jojo Soriano
9:10 am on Sunday, December 18, 2011
Hi Chief Goswick,
Thank you for the article. Question for you: Has PD or city recently conducted or facilitated a Neighborhood Watch orientation or presentation to see if we can provide opportunities for neighborhoods to implement neighborhood Watch program on every subdivision? When neighbors know what to watch out for, they take it upon themselves to really watch out for each other. I used to live in a neighborhood where people actually were able to do this. It doesn't take much to be a neighborhood watch captain. Perhaps we can invite a NW presenter at the upcoming KIDS Expo in Hercules? If we provide them a space to learn about neighborhood safety through the Neighborhood Watch program, I believe people will step up to take on the role of a NW captain! What do you think?
G.C.
7:03 am on Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Why are the J. Witnesses exempt from the permit process? Does this apply to anyone who is not selling a service? Are they not "soliciting" your support for their message? Is our city government giving preferential treatment to religious organizations?
Scott Wyatt
6:22 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
The US Constitution exempts religious and political organizations or messages.
Carol
9:46 am on Tuesday, December 20, 2011
@ Giorgio - you have the option to not support their message - and if you require permits for them then the people who worked on the recall and went door to door were also trying to get a message of support over too. Do they need a permit - I think this blog is way off base in terms of the original premise - you are equating people who want to bring a message of Christianity of some sort as opposed to the guys that case your house looking to rob you. Try to have an open mind - and by the way - I was robbed a few years ago - so I of anyone here understand what it is like to have their house broken into. I am not afraid to answer my door and if i feel uncomfortable, I just do not answer.
Laila Kearney
12:22 pm on Tuesday, December 20, 2011
@ Giorgio. Hercules PD said the link from the FAQ's section to the crime stats has now been fixed, but that it has always been listed under Police Department-Crime Trends.
Aazoba Yuzuki
9:49 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Hercules should have police volunteers to drive around city like some city/states does