Public Safety

Darien Police: Leaving Your Car Running is a Bad Idea & Can Be Against the Law

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We know the frigid weather is on its way, but never leave your car running while unattended.  With the cold gripping much of the nation, thousands of drivers are starting their cars and leaving them idling for a few minutes while they warm up on cold mornings. 

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— an announcement from Darien Police
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The Bad Idea Part
It’s a bad idea even if you are planning to make just a quick stop somewhere. Many vehicle thefts are crimes of opportunity, and a person could decide to make off with your vehicle if they see that it is empty and has the engine running. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says that one out of every five stolen vehicles had keys in them, while nearly half of vehicles were unlocked when stolen. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, most of today’s cars do not require more than 30 seconds to warm up.  An idling car can burn as much as a half-gallon of gas in an hour, so turning the car off is more fuel efficient and causes less air pollution. The Against-the-Law Part
Did you know you might be violating the law?  In an effort to protect our air, environment and health, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) adopted a regulation in 2004 that prohibits vehicles of all kinds from unnecessary idling for more than 3 minutes.

Public Safety
Police

Darien Police: How to Identify Someone Scamming You, Especially if You’re a Senior

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Darien Police Department offers these tips to help you realize when someone’s trying to scam you, especially if you’re a senior:
As many senior citizens spend their retirement traveling with family, pursuing second careers or becoming more active in the community, con artists are creating devious schemes to prey on their accumulated wealth. Family Emergency Scams
Scammers may pose as relatives or friends, calling or sending messages to urge you to wire money immediately. They’ll say they need cash to help with an emergency — like getting out of jail, paying a hospital bill, or needing to leave a foreign country. Their goal is to trick you into sending money before you realize it’s a scam. Verify an Emergency
If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a family member or a friend desperate for money:

Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is.

Business
Police Shoulder

Darien Police Offer Tips to Keep House Construction Sites Secure from Theft

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Darien police have some tips to make your home less likely to be burglarized, even if it’s being built or renovated. Here’s the Police Department’s announcement about what you can do:
In recent weeks this agency has received reports of burglaries occurring at homes under various stages of construction.  This is not uncommon for our area and often occurs during the overnight. Items such as newly installed kitchen appliances, copper gutters, power tools, and construction supplies have been stolen from sites often sustaining tens of thousands of dollars in losses. Homeowners and contractors should be aware that certain measures can be taken to minimize the chance of being victimized. First and foremost, when taking delivery of items, they should be very securely stored or the contractor should consider security services until such time that the items can be installed and or secured from theft.  The following six tips can help maintain a secure site:
1.      Post warning signs to keep unauthorized persons off the site
2.      Consider video monitoring
3.      Do not leave tools, equipment, or supplies visible or accessible
4.      Use only high-quality locks—never leave keys in locks, or leave locks in an open position
5.      Keep neighbors informed
6.    Provide for nighttime lighting
Please report theft or burglary immediately to the Darien Police Department at 203-662-5300.

Parents & Kids

State Police Have These Tips for Parents & for Teens Going to the Prom

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Connecticut State Police have some tips for parents to keep their teenagers safe on prom night, which is May 13 in Darien. “There is nothing more heartbreaking than for a trooper or police officer to knock on the door of your home and deliver the sad message nobody wants to hear ‘Your child is not coming home,'” state police said in a recent announcement. Here are the tips, from state police on Facebook:
FOR PARENTS
Prom Tips

Know who your child is attending the prom with and obtain all cell phone numbers. Discuss the events ofr pre- and post-prom parties with your teen and with other parents. Talk with your teen about guidelines and a curfew.

Public Safety
Police

Someone Attempts to Pull off Kidnapping Phone Scam on a Darien Parent

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A Darien parent on Thursday got a call from someone claiming to have captured the parent’s child, and someone could even be heard crying in the background, police said. The caller wanted money wired immediately, as is typical with phone scams.
According to police, the parent was able to confirm that the child was all right even though the purported kidnapper was still on the phone, so no money was lost. Darien police issued this news release describing how these kinds of scams work and how you can thwart them:
Daily phone scam attempts targeting residents of Darien and surrounding towns continue to occur at an alarming rate.  This morning a town resident and parent of a Darien High School student unfortunately became the target of a very real scam that we’ve seen and heard about regularly. Although law enforcement agencies around the country feel that these incidents have been originating outside of the U.S. for the past few years, the Darien Police Department investigates each occurrence.  This agency has issued numerous advisories in the past, however the warnings in some instances go unnoticed. This morning’s incident involved an unsuspecting and loving parent who was not aware that this type of scam occurs in our area every day.  The below scenario explains how the typical attempt can unfold:
Imagine going about your daily routine when suddenly you receive a phone call that shatters your existence.