Have you met Major Troy yet? He is so handsome and well mannered. Turns out Major Troy does not go out on the field, he has other important roles. Major Troy is in charge of providing emotional support to everyone at the station. He is also tasked with visiting the library where he assists with the children's reading program. He sits patiently, encouraging children to read to him. He is a very busy fellow.
Chief Golt wanted to be sure to give an update on what our Police Department has been up to. He informed us that most Village Departments (all Village staff) have gone through an Active Assailants Respond Program. This process is crucial and goes over essential protocols during an emergency situation. In addition, he discussed how his Department is going through accreditation and mentioned how proud he is of their accomplishments thus far - they continue to set the bar higher. He spoke about the importance of building on community relationships and how special it has been to include a program to continue those efforts and show support and raise awareness, like their small fleet of police cars dedicated to different causes like, Breast Cancer, Autism, Pride, Mental Health, and "Unity/Community" car.
Chief Golt hihglighted that crime between 2021-2022 had been at it's lowest number in 45 years. 2023 is on track to be low as well. He mentioned that car burglary continues to be an issue, and that most car burglaries are caused by leaving cars unlocked. Chief Golt, "People have left guns, wallets, key fobs to eachothers cars. Although our Village has an Andy Griffith Show kind of feel, and it is tempting to leave things open, you must lock everything and do not leave anything in the car. In addition, he gave the following tips: 1. When you go shopping, never leave your purse in the car. The criminal is watching. They specifically look for people heading to the store without a purse.
2. Do not leave your holiday shopping in the car.
3. Do not leave your key fob in the car.
Chief Golt also mentioned how Identity Theft is a growing problem and warned that we should always question phonecalls.
The best practice is to always check with your bank or call the mentioned entity yourself - do not trust random calls. Chief Golt, "Identity theft is out of control. Fraud coming from over seas is rampant - no cost associated with long distance calls has opened the door to a lot of fraud. If you do not recognize the number, don’t answer, they will leave a message. If for some reason you do answer, never, ever give your personal information.
Chief Golt took some questions and was also thanked by several members that had experienced first hand exceptonal assistance from our Miami Shores Police Department.