Police offer crime prevention tips

Be alert when out alone and improve the security at your home and business.

Those are among the best ways to avoid being a crime victim, MPO Stacy Sassano, crime prevention officer at the Mason Police Station, said at the April 2 meeting of station’s Community Advisory Committee at the Korean Community Center in Annandale.

Sassano shared a video narrated by MPO Sabrina Rock with Korean subtitles that offered these safety tips for businesses:

• Make sure the address is on the front of the building and clearly visible from the street.
• Lighting inside and outside should be visible and uniform and allow no dark areas where someone could hide.
• Landscaping should be trimmed to prevent hiding places. 
• Alarm systems should be registered with the FCPD false alarm reduction unit.
• Video surveillance should cover all entrances. 
• Doors should be burglary-resistant; made of glass, steel, or solid core wood; properly anchored; and incorporated into the alarm system.
• Windows should be clear, clean, and free of obstruction.
• All valuables should be removed from display windows when the business is closed. 
• Cash registers should be anchored and should be emptied regularly during business hours.
• Serial numbers on equipment should be recorded.

Business owners are encouraged to join the FCPD’s free Business Watch program, which offers training on theft and shoplifting prevention, workplace violence prevention, and security measures to provide a safe environment for customers and employees. 

Sassano described the “crime triangle,” which shows 80 percent of crimes are the result of opportunity, 10 percent is desire, and 10 percent is ability. Just 10 percent of crimes are committed by strangers; the rest are by friends or acquaintances.

To eliminate the opportunity for crime, it’s important to take steps to prevent being targeted, Sassano says.

She offers these tips to protect your home:

• Lock doors and windows; keep garage doors closed. 
• Bring keys and valuables from your car into your house, but don’t keep keys next to the door.
• Reinforce your locks.
• Install an alarm system and have it connected to your phone – or at least put up a sign stating there is an alarm system. 
• Install a video surveillance system or a fake camera.
• Don’t keep valuables next to a window with open curtains. 
• Keep bushes and trees trimmed. 
• Install a motion sensor or timed lights.

Sassano suggests residents follow the “9 p.m. routine”: Lock doors and vehicles, take your purse and wallet out of your car, turn on outside lights, bring in the mail, and close the overhead garage doors. “If you check every night, it becomes a habit,” she says.

If you follow these tips, a potential burglar might skip your home and target the dark house next door.

She also encourages residents to take advantage of the free home security assessments offered by the police department.

Related story: Man arrested for brutal sexual assaults has a long criminal record

When on the move outdoors, Sassano offered these safety tips:

• Walk with purpose; project confidence.  
• Park in well-lit crowded areas. 
• Get your keys out before you reach your car.
• Be aware of the surroundings; visually scan the area.  
• Remove headphones so you can listen for suspicious sounds.
• If you’re afraid to walk alone in a dark parking lot, ask a security guard to walk with you.
• If you feel uncomfortable, walk toward other people. 
• Walk in the center of the parking lot in an open area. 
• Don’t park next to vans, big vehicles, and objects like trees or walls that would obstruct the view of witnesses.
• Do not linger in a parking lot or garage. 
• Once inside your vehicle, lock the doors and keep the windows closed.  
• Vary your route, parking spot, and entrance to prevent a potential criminal from learning your routine.

If you see someone suspicious:

• Make eye contact so they know you will be able to describe them to the police.
• Call the non-emergency police number immediately, 703-691-2131.
• If approached, stay at a safe distance; “if they can’t touch you, they can’t hurt you.”
• Tell them to leave you alone. Say in a confident voice, “I don’t want to talk to you. Get  
• away from me.”
• Don’t say you’re calling the police; they might try to take your phone.

“If something makes you field weird, trust your instincts,” Sassano says. “Don’t ignore the warning signs. Don’t worry about being rude or impolite.”

She urges people to be especially vigilant in high-risk locations, such as elevators, parking lots, parks, isolated locations, and laundry rooms at night.

You can use force legally, Sassano says, “if there is a genuine belief you are in imminent danger, you are threatened with violence and believe it will be carried out, if the person claims to have a weapon and reaches for it, and if the attack has started.”

You cannot use force when you are merely insulted, your motive is retaliation, or the threat is over, she says. “Your valuables can be replaced; you cannot.” 

Sassano warned the audience not to fall for financial scams. “Gift cards are for gifts not payments. If someone asks you to pay with a gift card, it’s a scam.” Fairfax County never calls people asking for money.

A member of the audience told a story about how he narrowly missed being scammed by what he at first thought was a legitimate business. When his refrigerator broke, he worried about losing his food so he searched online for a repair company and arranged for Fairfax Appliance Repair to come to the house right away.

There were a few red flags, though. It seemed odd that a small business would have an automated phone system. The person who took the call didn’t seem interested in the repair job and didn’t confirm the method of payment. And when he called back, they abruptly hung up.

The man canceled the appointment and, since he was at work, told his wife, who was home alone, not to let anyone into the house. A man from Fairfax Appliance Repair came anyway, knocking loudly on the front door. She immediately called her husband, and when he talked to the man, the repair guy argued and cursed him.

Related story: Woman fatally shot in a parking lot on Woodburn Road in Annandale

The resident reported the incident to the police and filed a complaint with Fairfax County Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau. He hopes Fairfax Appliance Repair gets shut down so no one else gets scammed.

Also at the CAC meeting, Lt. Erin Weeks, acting commander of the Mason Police District gave an update on two murders and a non-fatal shooting in the county last month.

The victim of the brutal sexual assault on John Marr Drive on March 20 turned the attacker away twice before he forced his way into her business and held her captive for hours. Kevin Lopez-Altan was charged with multiple crimes.

Since then, Weeks says, “police reached out to over 70 businesses to make sure they feel safe and to open lines of communication.”

On March 15, Anesha Isaacs, 30, of Maryland, was sitting in her car in the parking lot where she worked on Woodburn Drive when her ex-boyfriend blocked her car and shot her. “She did everything right,” Weeks says. She had multiple protective orders, gave the police lots of information, and was on the phone with dispatchers when she was killed. “It was an ugly domestic violence situation.”

The non-fatal shooting incident occurred March 27 at the KinderCare daycare center in Springfield, where the victim was employed. Her estranged husband showed up to see their children. When she refused, he fired three shots at her. One struck her and two hit another person.

Julio Pascual Sejas, 41, of Arlington, was arrested and remains in custody. “It was a chaotic scene but all the kids were safe,” said Lt. Chris Mattus, assistant commander of the Mason Police District. 

There was also a domestic-related fatal shooting in Fairfax County on March 29. Waisuddin Quraishi, 50, was arrested for shooting an acquaintance near Oakton.