Scams and fraud tactics are part of our society.  With advanced technology, predators can easily commit crimes from the comfort of their home or “workplace.”  The Police Department receives complaints about scams frequently.  Here are a few that are noteworthy and are driven on emotion or fear.  Think before you react!  Do not give out personal information, make any wire transfer or purchase gift cards.

• The IRS called requesting personal information or threatening arrest for a payment of owed taxes. The IRS will not call you and request you make payments using gift cards or wire transfers.
• Another financial scam people report is their bank or other financial institution calling “alerting” that their account has been hacked and they need your information to stop a transaction from happening. If it’s truly your bank calling, they will have all of your information, right?  Hang up and call your bank to verify if you need to.
• The “Grandparent” scam is still prevalent in this area. You may receive a call from your “grandchild” who is trouble and is afraid to call their parent.  A request for a wire transfer or gift card will be made for bond.  Call your son/daughter to verify where your grandchild is.
• If you receive a call from a person who allegedly works for Microsoft or any anti-virus company indicating that there is a problem with your computer, they are looking to access your computer remotely. They want you to give them permission to access your computer to “fix” the problem.  This person will have access to all of your information and any saved banking and/or credit card information.  If you are on the internet and a message pops up indicating you have a virus and need to call Microsoft or an anti-virus software company, do not call them.  They are attempting the same scam.

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With the New Year upon us, many people, including me, are happy to say good riddance to 2020!  Moving forward, the Lady Lake Police Department would like to remind you to check around your home to ensure that all alarms, monitors, and detectors are in good working condition.  These include your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector.  It’s a good idea to change the batteries in these detectors every year.  You may want to have them replaced if you have not done so within the past 10 years.

It should come as no surprise that carbon monoxide deaths are the highest in winter.  Cold weather increases the use of gas-powered heating or portable heaters using a fuel source.  Homeowners should be aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, especially those that use natural gas as a heat and cooking source.  These symptoms include feeling dizzy, light headed, and/or nauseated.

It’s a good time to remember the following safety tips to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.  Here are some tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

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Driver Awareness Tips

The holidays are a great time for family and friends to create many memories together.  Safety when you leave the house and travel is an obvious concern but please remember, safety begins with you.  Every holiday season, from November 1 through January 1, MADD asks you to display a MADD ribbon in a visible location to remind everyone to always designate a non-drinking driver.  That message is especially important when holiday travel, parties and family gatherings put more people on the roads.  https://www.madd.org/the-solution/drunk-driving/tie-one-on-for-safety

Follow these tips to help ensure we all Arrive Alive this holiday season:

• Never drive impaired. Celebrate responsibly and do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking or have taken prescribed drugs that cause impairment.  Plan ahead and find a safe way home every time – designate a driver or use a ride service.
• Check your tires. Tires are a vehicle’s first line of defense on the road.  Check your tire pressure, tread depth and spare tire especially before long trips.  Do not over load your vehicle, it can result in premature wear and tire blowouts.
• Buckle up. A seat belt is your vehicle’s most important safety feature.  Florida law requires that all drivers, all front seat passengers and all passengers under the age of 18 wear seat belts or the appropriate child restraints.  Seat belts save lives, so buckle up every trip, every time.
• Register or update your Emergency Contact Information (ECI). ECI is a secure system allowing law enforcement, nationwide, to contact designated family or friends in response to an emergency situation.
• Observe and obey all speed limits. Speed limits may change as you drive through different types of roadways, so make sure you adjust your speed accordingly.  In Florida, the limit will never be over 70 mph.

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November is military family appreciation month.  During this month, families with members of the military, past and present, are honored and recognized for their commitment and contributions in support of our military and nation.  November 11^th is Veteran’s Day.  Thank a member of the military for serving this country. It is important for them to hear your appreciation, but most of all, it’s respectful.

With the holiday season upon us, we should be thankful for the time that we have to spend with our family and friends.  There are families that are separated because a member is away serving our country in the military or worse, they have sacrificed their life for our country.  In reality, freedom is not free.  It is important to reflect that these families have a difficult time coping with their situation.  We should be thankful for those who make sacrifices and also for our families, friends, and the opportunities we have in this country.

November 24^th is Thanksgiving Day.  It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest of the past year.  It is important to spend time with family and friends.  Remember that there are families that are missing members because of their sacrifice both here and abroad. Continue reading →

Walking is a part of many of our trips each day, and for some it is their primary mode of transportation.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, October is Pedestrian Safety Month.  The goal is to increase awareness around pedestrian safety and remind drivers to watch for pedestrians every time they are behind the wheel.  There are many residential neighborhoods, shopping plazas, and other areas where pedestrians become drivers and vice versa. Here are a few tips as a reminder of how you can remain safe and keep others safe as well.

Everyone Is a Pedestrian

At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian.  Whether it’s walking to your car, walking to the office, or walking for exercise.  Everyone deserves to get to their destination safely.

To do this, drivers must:

Look for pedestrians.  Children and teens can be less predictable and run out into the roadway without looking.  Be especially careful around schools, residential neighborhoods, and near parks and playgrounds.  Buckle up, watch the posted speed limits, focus on the driving task, and drive sober.  Lives depend on it. Continue reading →

Students have returned to school in the tri-county area.  Your child’s safety is our number one priority. Please take a few moments to review back-to-school safety with your child.

Walking To School

If your child walks to school, make sure there are sidewalks along the way.  If you are not able to walk with your child, remember there is safety in numbers so have your child walk with siblings or other neighborhood children.  Being hit by a car is by far the greatest threat to any child walking to school.  Make sure your kids stay on the sidewalk and only cross at crosswalks.  Remember to remind your children to never, ever stop to talk to strangers on the way to and from school and, most importantly, never to get into any vehicle with a stranger.  These could potentially be life threatening situations.

Bicycle Safety

Children peddling to school on bicycles must wear bike helmets – it’s the law.  Helmets are the single most effective devices for cyclists, greatly reducing the risk of death or critical injury.  Your children should ride their bicycles on the right side of the road and obey stop signs and traffic signals. Continue reading →

Carbon Monoxide Safety- Keys to prevent a hazardous condition

Carbon Monoxide is called the invisible killer.  It is a colorless and odorless gas often striking victims catching them off guard or while sleeping.  It is poisonous and can cause headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness.  In severe cases, exposure to this gas can cause neurological damage, mental confusion, vomiting, loss of muscular coordination, loss of consciousness, and death. Continue reading →

It only takes a minute.  You look away, you may not hear the splash and your child is nowhere in sight.  Drowning – the harsh reality of losing a child in less than one minute.  Drowning is swift and silent.

According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), there are approximately 4000 drowning deaths a year in the United States.  The Lady Lake Police Department is committed to educating parents and caregivers about taking precautions to help end these preventable tragedies.

Florida loses more children under age five to drowning than any other state.  Annually in Florida, enough children to fill three to four preschool classrooms drown and do not live to see their fifth birthday (Floridahealth.gov.)

Living in Central Florida, we are surrounded by water.  Although children may know how to swim, if left unsupervised, they can drown in less than two inches of water.  When participating in outdoor water activities, I encourage you to follow these safety-conscious behaviors: Continue reading →

Hurricane Season is upon us in Florida. The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, 2022. The NOAA forecasters predict a 65% chance of an above-normal season. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlantic hurricane season forecast calls for 14 to 21 named storms, with six to 10 becoming hurricanes. The time to prepare for the hurricane season is when you have time and are not under pressure. The Lady Lake Police Department would like to encourage all residents to begin preparations for this anticipated busy hurricane season now, before the season gets into full swing. Some things to consider during your preparations should include, Continue reading →

With summer upon us, it is important to prepare for the heat that Florida sun provides to us.  The state of Florida has the second highest total number of heat related vehicle deaths of children with 99 based on statistics from 1998-2021.  More than half of vehicular heatstroke cases were because an adult forgot about a child, according to NoHeatstroke.org.  Additionally, every year pets suffer and die when their guardians make the mistake of leaving them unattended in a parked vehicle to “run in for just a minute” at the local store.  The Lady Lake Police Department is committed to informing and educating parents and pet owners on the dangers of leaving children and pets unattended in a vehicle and taking precautions to help prevent these tragic situations.

Leaving a child or a pet in a hot car even for a short period of time can be dangerous, even if parked in a shade or with the windows cracked.  A vehicle’s glass transparency allows for the sun’s rays to heat up the inside essentially creating a vacuum of heat.  Within minutes a car that was just being cooled can experience a spike in temperature.  On a sunny day, when temperatures are 80 degrees outside, the inside temperature of a vehicle can rise to 99 degrees in 10 minutes and soar up to 114 degrees in 30 minutes.  At 90 degrees outside, the inside temperature of a vehicle can rise to 109 degrees in 10 minutes and soar up to 124 degrees in 30 minutes. Continue reading →