1. Be Alert! Keep your head up. Be aware of your surroundings. Stay in well-lighted, busy areas. Avoid walking alone and avoid known trouble spots.

2. Vary Your Routines. Predictability makes you a more likely target.

3. Lock It! Home, car, office ? locks are your first line of defense.

4. Make Your Home A Tough Target. Use floodlights, motion sensors, a security system, deadbolts, etc.

5. Foil Car-jackers. Keep windows/doors locked; check mirrors and blind spots when stopped. Stay one to one and a half lengths away from the car ahead of you when coming to a stop. This is necessary so that you have enough room to pull out in a hurry if someone approaches your car Sound your horn and flash your lights if you think you are approached by a car-jacker.

6. Avoid Car Theft. Lock it! As mentioned above this is your first line of defense. Use an anti-theft device. Turn the wheels when you park. This makes it harder for anyone who tries to move or tow your car. Never leave a spare key inside the car. Always park in a well-lighted place. Put packages in the trunk.

7. Be Creative. Think of unusual ways to protect yourself and your valuables.

8. Be Informed. Learn the crime trends in your area and work to protect yourselves against them. Knowledge and familiarized is great, but lack of knowledge or lack of being aware of your neighborhood or surrounding can be costly.

9. Get Involved. Have you joined or organized a Neighborhood Watch?

10. Do Not Give Up! Do not throw in the towel on "the war on crime." Crime can be reduced with action, not apathy! Do not get discouraged or become to comfortable with you daily routines, stay aware.

The following of this advice is good protocol no matter where you live and work. Whether it be city or suburbia, north, south, and east or west.