Archive

Preventing Crime with our UPD Website – Part 2

Whether you’re trying to protect your family, your home, or your business, the Ukiah Police Department website (www.ukiahpolice.com) can provide valuable information. In last week’s column, I talked about how information is organized and how, with just a click or two, you can access some regularly updated safety tips and information, including crime activity occurring close to where you live, work, or go to school.      

This week, I’m continuing on this topic. Like most websites, our main headers at the top of the home page are fairly self-explanatory: Home, News, Services, Community Support, and About Us. But before you dig into those sections, consider reviewing the useful information right on the home page.

At the top in the middle of the page, you’ll find a slideshow with some great pictures of our officers at work, demonstrating our five strategic focus areas:

  • Reduce Crime and the Fear of Crime

  • Improve the Quality of Life in Our Neighborhoods

  • Enhance Community and Police Partnerships

  • Develop Personnel

  • Continued Accountability

If you click anywhere in that section you’ll be taken to a page about our department with information about our long-term strategic plan and a copy of our most recent reports to the Ukiah City Council about our progress toward each of our main goals.

Also near the top along the right side, you’ll find a number of colored buttons which are quick links to information which might be of interest to you, links that allow you to make an anonymous report, view our weekly crime report summary, learn about how to volunteer with the department, or start a career with us. If you own a business–or even if you’re just looking for ways to prevent crime from occurring at home–you can find crime prevention brochures on many different subjects as part of our Business Watch program.

Along the left side of our page near the top, you’ll notice a press release section and a section for our most recent Nixle alerts. Nixle is a messaging service our department uses to make sure you have up-to-date information about weather, natural disasters like flooding, street closures and other important topics. If you’re interested in receiving regular Nixle alerts on your smart phone or by email, you can sign up for this service just below our latest alerts. 

Scrolling down the page, you will find a Crime Reports section that shows where recent crimes occurred overlaid on a Ukiah map. If you use your mouse to hover over any of the icons on the map, you’ll get additional information about the type of crime and the date and time it occurred. You can also sign up for notifications from Crime Reports if you’d like to be notified about crime that occurs in your neighborhood, near your kids’ schools, or close to your business.

When it comes to preventing crime, I believe it’s best to start with the simplest steps, such as  introducing yourself to your neighbors. The idea is simple but so powerful: neighbors know the neighborhood–they know what’s normal and what might be cause for concern. Neighbors know who should be there and who shouldn’t. Most importantly, neighbors are our partners in preventing crime—they are our eyes and ears when we are not there, and they can help our officers prevent and solve crimes. I am always so grateful when people take the time to report suspicious behavior in Ukiah. With your help, it’s as though UPD officers can be everywhere at once.

As I said, if you’d like more information on how you can help us prevent crimes–and make Ukiah a safer place–our website is a great place to start.

As always, our mission at UPD is simple: to make Ukiah as safe as possible. If you have suggestions on how we can improve please feel free to call me, and thank you for being our partners in preventing crime and making Ukiah such a wonderful place to live and work.

By: Chris Dewey - Chief of Police


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