Clichés seem to never go away. "It always happens to someone else, it will never happen to me," "Locks are for the honest people," or "I never would have guessed." We have heard them all. Law enforcement officers have heard them time and again.

Due to the onset of a possible recession, increased fuel prices, unemployment and reduction of county emergency service personnel more than ever everyone should be on their toes. Many criminals interviewed inform us they continue to look for "quick money." Many in turn utilize their monetary gain for procuring drugs. The following are suggestions about how to avoid becoming a crime victim. Many of the suggestions have been around for many years but they can be of real value and help to protect when put into place.

Safeguard your home and be watchful of your community. Burglars can strike day or night. The daytime burglary scenario was quite evident in the county last year when our agency investigated numerous day time residential burglaries, particularly in the southern portion of Carroll County. The criminals also struck other surrounding counties.

Lock all doors when away from home. This includes vehicles not being used. Times have regrettably changed. Check with your insurance company because some companies will not honor a claim if they find that your home was not secure at the time it was unlawfully entered. We have had reports filed with our agency where the crime victim was only gone for two to three hours and came home to find someone had been in their home or vehicle.

"I was only gone for a short time; I didn't think this would happen," is the response we hear from time-to-time.

Leave a light, television, or radio on when leaving. These measures can be crime deterrents. If "bad guys" think someone is home, they might by pass your home and move on.

Use outdoor lighting. Security lights and motion detecting lights can be useful in the prevention of unlawful home entry.

Have mail and newspapers held. This is vital if you are going on an extended vacation. Criminals watch for accumulating mail and newspapers.

Have a friend, neighbor, or family member check your home. When on extended getaways let someone know when you are leaving and when you will be back. Think about providing a key to someone in case entry into your home or property is needed. You can also file an "Extended leave/extra patrol" report with the Sheriff's Office. Reports can be filed by telephone or in person.

Monitor any "silent" or "hang up" type telephone calls. Sometimes criminals will "case" a home by calling first. If they consistently receive no answer or numerous answering machine greetings, it gives them optimism that no one is present and they can strike.

Secure all firearms in a heavy-duty gun/fire safe. Burglars can and will take firearms if given the opportunity. Sadly, the firearms are many times used in the commission of other crimes or they will sell the guns to other criminal contacts for quick cash.

Secure all loose change or coinage. Criminals look for quick cash. If it's lying around, they will take it, particularly if it is easily accessible.

Report suspicious vehicles in your community. Notice particularly those which seem to consistently make their presence known. When reporting suspicious vehicles to your local law enforcement agency, make every effort to provide a detailed description which includes color, make, model, license plate number, two-door or four door, distinguishing marks or bumper/window stickers. These descriptors can all be valued information when officers are in the area looking for these vehicles.

Through these time-honored suggestions, we hope to prevent members of our community from having to make a call to our office to report a crime. These are not new but can have an affect. Another frequently heard cliché is, "If someone wants in bad enough, they will get in." I would agree, however, by being a little more observant of surroundings and implementing additional safeguards we can prevent ourselves or someone else from being another crime statistic.