By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
“Do you keep your car in good running order with plenty of gas in the tank at all times?”
This was one of several questions from a Personal Safety Checklist presented by Metropolitan Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist Erin Blakey at a meeting held on Wednesday, January 18 in the Overton Community Center.
Local Metro officers invited Blakey out to the community from Las Vegas to instruct residents on how to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime, even in the small town of Moapa Valley.
“Many people have felt that we might be moving towards a time in the Moapa Valley where crime is really taking place here,” said Metro officer Nathan Bradford. “But we are already there. And we are doing this tonight to inform people what measures to take to prevent crime happening to them.”
Blakey presented an array of crime prevention services and programs that Metro offers to the community.
“We are willing to come out and do home security and business security surveys of your property,” Blakey said. “We come out, look around your home or business and discuss problem areas where you might want to tighten security.”
In addition, the Crime Free business program and the Neighborhood Watch programs would be available for local residents. Blakey said that she is willing to assist local residents in setting up Neighborhood Watch programs.
After Blakey’s presentation, Bradford took a few minutes to summarize additional services available to local residents at the local Metro substation. These included gun registration, fingerprinting, filing station reports and a prescription drug drop box.
Bradford then went over a list of local law enforcement concerns.
The first was in reference to the use of ATVs on the roads and highways. “This is a hot button issue in the community,” Bradford said. “But our job is public safety. The bottom line is that ATVs on the highway are just not safe and it is against the law.”
The biggest local law enforcement problem currently in the community is the abuse of prescription drugs by teens, Bradford said. “This is a big problem with our youth,” he said. “So if you have medicine cabinets with prescription drugs, keep an eye on them. Don’t just leave things out on the counter. If you notice that your prescription pills are going missing, something is wrong.”
Finally, Bradford urged residents who have a crime to report to do so immediately. “For some reason people in the community like to wait until they run in to their favorite officer to report a crime,” Bradford said. “Don’t wait! Call us right away.”
“We also hear it all the time people tell us they had something to report but they didn’t want to bother us,” Bradford continued. “Bother us! That is our job. If you see something out of the ordinary, call us right away.”
