Deputy Myers

What to do if you are the victim of a crime

By Deanna Myers

All too often I hear of people who are victims of crimes, such as vehicle burglaries or package delivery theft, posting the incidents on social media but not reporting the crimes to local law enforcement. I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to REPORT, REPORT, REPORT!  If local law enforcement in your area does not know the crime occurred, they cannot be a part of the solution to prevent it from happening again.

Neighborhood watch meetings and social media are great ways to advise your neighbors of what is happening and to keep them informed so it doesn’t happen to them; but reporting to law enforcement will assist in making the crimes stop altogether. This is especially important if you have video surveillance of the possible suspect.

The following is a list of what to do if you fall victim to a property crime like burglary, theft, vandalism, etc.:

• Try to avoid touching the vehicle, door, or area around where the item(s) were taken from. This will assist the officer when they arrive to possibly obtain prints.
• Develop a timeline as to when the last time you saw the item, when you last used it, how/when you secured it, and when you noticed it missing.
• Contact your local law enforcement! The non-emergency number to report past crimes is (951) 776-1099. If you are in a hurry to get to work or have to pick up/drop off a child at school, many reports can be taken over the phone.
• After you have reported the crime and given necessary details, feel free to reach out to social media, neighbors, etc. to assist with catching those who may have committed the crime.

It is incredibly important to report crimes, no matter how insignificant they may seem, as they affect the statistics regarding current crime trends in the area. These statistics help provide much needed information to law enforcement for future crime prevention.

Deanna Myers is the Volunteer and Programs Coordinator for the Jurupa Valley Station of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department that services the Eastvale Police Department.  She has been with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for about eight years, and most recently was assigned to patrol within the City of Eastvale, before moving into her current position where she is in charge of the Neighborhood Watch program for the City of Eastvale.