• City of Lubbock
• Police Department
• Community
• Crime Prevention Tips
• Senior Citizens

Crime Prevention for Senior Citizens

• Install good locks on doors and windows.
  • Deadbolt locks with 1" throw.
  • At least 3" screws in strike plate.
  • Pins or some type of lock on windows.
• Keep doors and windows locked, even when home.
  • In a majority of break-ins there was no forced entry, doors or windows were opened or unlocked.
  • Keep garage door closed and locked.
• Use Solid Core or metal doors
• Pad lock gates.
• Use Exterior lights at night.
• Have house number at the front and rear of the house, so emergency services can find your house quickly.
• Do not hide a key outside.
• Never open your door automatically.
• Install and use a peephole.
• Ask for photo identification from service or delivery people.
  • Be very cautious of service or delivery people which were not called to the house.
  • If there is any doubt as to legitimacy, or if the person is insisting on performing the service, do not open the door, call the company or call the police.
• Close all blinds and drapes at night.
• Do not leave notes on the door when you go out announcing you are away.
• Leave lights on when you are not home, or use a timer.
• Notify neighbors and the police when you go out of town.
• Make arrangements for the paper and mail to be picked up while gone, or stop delivery.
• Keep an inventory with brand name, model, and serial numbers of all house hold belongings.
• Do not keep large amounts of cash in the house.

• Do not fall for anything that sounds too good to be true, chances are it is.
• Never give out any personal information over the phone (Credit card number, Social Security number, Bank Account number, Driver License number, Date of Birth, etc).
• Do not let anyone rush you into making a decision over the phone, tell the caller you need some time to think over the proposal; if it is legitimate, they will give you time. You will then have time to check out the person/business with the better business office, the district attorney, the attorney general, state comptroller, and/or local police.
• Do not sign anything until you read and understand it. If you do not understand the item(s) to be signed, have someone you trust read it for you.
• Never withdraw money from your bank or ATM at the request of a stranger, and never offer to take a stranger to the bank. If anyone represents themselves to you as an employee of your bank, call your bank to verify it.
• Never trust anyone that you do not know. Con artists can be very smart, aggressive and extremely persuasive, and can come across as the "Mr. Nice Guy" or "Miss Nice Lady"; always ask for identification and references.
• Beware of anyone that seeks you out to perform any type of service for that you did not request; never pay anyone in advance for any type of service, whether you requested the work or not.
• Do not accept someone as official or legitimate solely based on the way they look or by something they show you; always check them out.
• Beware of calling 900 numbers. Calls could cost you extraordinarily large amounts of money, even for a relatively short call.
• Be very cautious with a person trying to sell you something over the phone. The best policy is to either hang up or tell them that you are not interested. Be very cautious if they say it is a local company and your caller ID does not show the caller's information.
• Do not be ashamed to report any incident to the police when you have been victimized, it could save other innocent persons from also being victimized.