Fullerton : Police Ask Workers to Keep Eye Out for Crime

The Police Department has taken a new approach in its war against crime.

Appliance and utility workers, as well as other service personnel in the city, are being asked to keep an eye out for criminal activity in the neighborhoods where they work, Sgt. Bud Lathrop said.

As part of the department’s new Aware (Always Watch and Report) program, volunteers will be trained on how to spot possible crimes, Lathrop said.

About 75% of all residential burglaries occur during the hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. when fewer residents are at home, Lathrop said. The purpose of Aware is to encourage workers to report suspicious circumstances to law enforcement authorities.

“We feel these people are an untapped source of assistance in detecting and preventing crime,” Police Chief Martin Hairabedian said. “With the cooperation of the business community, we feel very strongly that our combined efforts will significantly impact criminal activities in the community.”

Training for Aware will include what to watch for, telltale signs of criminal activity and the information police need from citizens reporting suspected crimes, according to program coordinator Linda King. Participants will receive periodic bulletins listing crime trends, suspect descriptions and crime-prevention information.

“At all times, we stress to participants that their involvement in Aware does not give them authority to make arrests,” King said. “We never want to place a citizen in danger. We’re just asking for their help in watching for any activity which may indicate that a crime has been or is in the process of being committed.”

Lathrop said the Police Department is enlisting the aid of service workers “because they have some familiarity and some intimacy with the neighborhood.”

Mail carriers are an excellent resource in curbing crime, King said. “A mail carrier walks a specific area every day, and is familiar with its residents and their activities. He probably knows more about that neighborhood than the cop who patrols it. That mail carrier will be able to tell if something suspicious is happening in the neighborhood.”

Aware is an extention of the department’s Neighborhood Watch program, which began in 1977 in Fullerton.

Service companies interested in participating in Aware may call King at (714) 738-6835.