The Village of Sycamore Hills contracts with the City of St. John for policing services.
Resident involvement along with a police presence is necessary for discouraging and preventing residential crime. It is important for any resident to call the police when you see suspicious activity or something that just makes you feel uncomfortable.
Too many times, calls are made to village office about an activity that has taken place and it is too late for the police to follow-up on. While we appreciate being updated on activities in the neighborhood, it is imperative for you to call the police when there is suspicious activity, so that a proper investigation may be made.
CALL 9 1 1 when there is a crime in progress, a fire, a medical emergency, or when someone is in physical danger, or in other situations in which help is needed immediately.
The 911 number works on your cell phone the same way as on your home phone. There is one major difference that you should be aware of. Unlike your home phone, your exact location and phone number are not displayed. The police or emergency services dispatcher will not know where you are calling from. You must provide the specific location of where help is needed.
For those situations in which the immediate intervention of emergency personnel are not needed, call 636.529.8210, the 24-hour general information line of the St. Louis County Police Department.
The following pages contain advice from our officers to keep you, your family, and possessions safe and secure. If there is a topic of concern for you, please let us know!
Our officers would be happy to address the issue.
The St. John Police Department would like to help keep you from becoming the victim of a preventable crime.
The increased popularity of stereo equipment, mobile phones, and other personal electronic devices has encouraged thieves to break into unattended vehicles. This type of crime occurs when vehicles are left unattended with valuables in plain view.
Stealing property from vehicles is a crime of opportunity. If you remove the opportunity by locking doors and removing items from sight, you significantly reduce your chance of being victimized.
The Police Department has put together these helpful hints to decrease your chance of becoming a victim.
Crime statistics show vehicles with items of value left in sight are prime targets for theft. For example, vehicles with visible mobile phones, radar detectors, briefcases, purses, or gym bags are often targeted.
* Place valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk, or take them into the house at night. Normally, thieves will only break into a vehicle if they believe it contains valuable property. It is common knowledge that briefcases may contain checkbooks, wallets, watches, or other small electronics.
* After securing your valuables out of sight, lock your car doors, and make sure your windows are rolled up tightly.
* If your automobile is equipped with an alarm, activate it!! It can be an effective tool.
* DO NOT hide spare keys in the vehicle; the thieves can find them.
* If possible, park in well-lit areas.
* Report any suspicious activity as soon as possible. This could save you and/or your neighbors from being victimized. Call 911 and stay on the line if you see or hear something that seems unusual. Try to get a description of the suspect (s) and their vehicle, however, do not confront the suspects.
You can increase the chances of your property being recovered and returned to you if it is stolen by recording the models and serial numbers. An additional way of marking the property for identification is by marking it with an Owner Applied Number, which is a number of your choosing separate from the serial numbers. DO NOT use your social security number for this purpose.
A home is robbed every 14.6 seconds and the average dollar loss per burglary is $2,119 according to statistics just released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And that’s good news because burglaries were down slightly in 2012 compared to 2011. Sure you lock your doors and windows when you are not home (you would be surprised how many people don’t). Here are ten things that you may be doing that could make your home a target and what you should do instead.
1. Leaving your garage door open or unlocked.
Once inside the garage, a burglar can use any tools that are not locked away to break into your home, out of sight of neighbors and law enforcement. Interior doors between garage and your home often aren’t as strong as exterior doors and may not have deadbolt locks.
Always close and lock the garage door. Consider getting a garage door opener with random codes that automatically reset.
Burglars know about the fake rocks and leprechaun statues and will check under doormats, in mailboxes, and over doorways.
Give a spare key to a neighbor and family member.
3. Storing ladders outdoors or in unlocked sheds.
Burglars can use them to reach the roof and unprotected upper floor windows.
Keep ladders under lock and key.
4. Relying on a silent alarm system.
Everyone hates noisy alarms, especially burglars. Smart thieves know that it can take as long as 10 to 20 minutes for the alarm company or police to show up after an alarm has been tripped.
Have both silent and audible alarms.
Tall hedges and shrubs near the house create hiding spots for burglars who may even use overhanging branches to climb onto your roof.
Trim any bushes and trees around the home.
6. Keeping your house in the dark.
Like overgrown landscaping, poor exterior lighting creates shadows in which burglars can work unobserved.
Replace burned out bulbs promptly, add lighting where needed, and consider putting fixtures on motion sensors or light sensors so that they go on automatically.
7. Not securing sliding doors.
These often make tempting targets.
When you are out, put a dowel down in the channel, so that the door cannot be opened wide enough for a person to get through.
8. Relying on your dog to scare away burglars.
While barking may deter amateurs, serious burglars know that dogs may back away from someone wielding a weapon, or get chummy if offered a treat laced with a tranquilizer.
Make your home look occupied by using timers to turn lights, radios, and TVs on and off in random patterns.
9. Leaving “goody” boxes by the curb.
Nothing screams “I just got a brand new flat screen, stereo, or other big-ticket items” better than boxes by the curb with your trash cans.
Break down big boxes into small pieces and bundle them together so that you can’t tell what was inside.
10. Posting vacation photos on Facebook or other social media.
Burglars troll social media sites looking for targets.
Wait until you get back before sharing vacation details or make sure your security settings only allow trusted “friends” to see what you’re up to.