Congrats Mia!!

Click on the link below to view the letter!!

MTW Volunteer award[1]

PSA 3 Lt. Cook and other member of the 15th PD will be present.

As always, we encourage you to attend both meetings! See you on the 20th!!!

Don’t miss the dunk tank!!! This year’s lineup includes: City Comissioner Al Schmidt, State Rep Kevin Boyle, Councilman Bobby Henon, President of Mayfair Civic Association Joe DeFelice as well as Milt Martelack (among others!!!) 

Mayfair Town Watch will also hold a bake sale!!! If you would like to donate baked goods, please contact us at mayfairtownwatch@gmail.com! We will have raffles and givaways!

See you on the 18th!!!

We strongly encourage you to attend both!!! 

PSA 3 Lt. Cook from the 15th Police District will discuss crime statistics.

Hope to see YOU there!

Representatives in attendence will include: Mayfair Town Watch, Mayfair Civic Association, 15th Police District Captain as well as the Office of State Representative Kevin Boyle and the Office of  Councilman Bobby Henon.

If you would like to get involved or have any questions, concerns or any quality of life issues you would like to address, this is YOUR chance!

Don’t forget to bring your flashlights!

To learn more about National Night Out (NNO), please visit their official website at: http://www.nationaltownwatch.org/nno/

What is home invasion?

Essentially, home invasion is defined as the “act of illegally entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime (such as robbery, assault, rape, murder, kidnapping) or any other violation of law against the occupants.

Important Home Invasion Facts:

Home invasion is a serious threat to you and your loved ones. Here are a few sobering facts you should keep in mind when designing a good home safety plan:

• Usually, home invasions include multiple intruders
• The primary intent behind most home invasions is a robbery
• The most common weapons used in home invasions are knives and firearms
• Most of all home invaders are strangers to their victims
• The most common home invasion entry point is the front door.

Home invasions usually occur by forced entry or by ruse.  Home invasion by forced entry occurs when the criminal literally forces his way into you home without the use of deception.  The intruder usually kicks in the door to your home. One advantage in living in Mayfair is the relevant close proximity to your neighbors.  Luckily, if a home invasion ever happens to you, someone will hear strange noises and/or disturbance and alert the police.

There are a number of home protection measures you can take to help minimize the chances of forced entry home invasions. Here are some suggestions:

• Make sure all exterior doors are solid with at least 1 3/4 –inch hardwood or steel cover.
• Avoid glass panel or hollow-wood exterior doors.
• Install heavy duty door locks with strike plates
• Establish a safe room in your house
• Get into a habit of being aware of your surroundings, when at home
• Make sure to install a porch light or motion activated lights
• Consider installing dawn-to-dusk or motion activated flood lights in your backyard
• Never hide spare keys anywhere outside your home
• Never give your house key to service providers, such as carpenters, plumbers or electicians
• Routinely check all the locks on all doors around your house
• Never leave ladders up against your house.
• Consider installing an alarm installed.
• Most importantly-Get into a habit of saying NO to strangers. Simply DON’T OPEN THE DOOR.

A home invasion by ruse is when an invader uses deceptive methods to get inside your home.  You can learn more about this in our latest article on door-to-door impersonators http://www.mayfairtownwatch.org/summer-is-here-and-so-are-door-to-door-impersonators/.

Now that you have a better understanding of nature and characteristics of a home invasion, its time for you and your family to design a home protection plan.

1. Home protection plan

Begin by drawing a detailed diagram of your home, then discuss your safety options and the various strategies you can employ if a criminal breaks into your home. Make certain all of your family members are familiar with the layout of the house including entrances, escape routes and possible hiding/ambush zones. Discuss what types of potential makeshift weapons are located throughout the house and make certain that everyone can use them correctly.

During a home invasion, you will also need a designated safe room or panic room where family members can escape from the intruder and wait for the police to arrive. Most people choose a particular bedroom in the house. Be sure that there is a working telephone (preferably a cell phone) in the safe room so you can call 911.

Call the police immediately-even if you are not absolutely certain there is a criminal intruder.  Remain calm, collect your thoughts and tell the dispatcher your name, address, the type of crime is being committed (for example-someone is in my house), the approximate location of the intruder and his/her general description, the exact location of you and your family members, whether anyone is injured and if the intruder (or you) are armed with a firearm.

During a home invasion, it is vital that you and your family remain in the safe room until the police arrive.  Keep the door of the room locked and have everyone stay away from the entrance.  If possible, barricade the door and take cover behind a protective barrier (such as a bed). Stay focused and alert. Under no circumstances should you leave the safe room and search for the intruder.

If a firearm is a part of your home defense plan, make sure that you have received formal instruction on the safe operation and use of that firearm.  

Do not move, clean or discard anything until the police arrive and made a full report of the incident. You do not want to destroy any physical evidence the intruder might have left behind including fingerprints, footprints, blood or hair.

What NOT to do during home invasion

• Never try to pull a weapon on an armed perpetrator
• Never agree to be transported somewhere else (ATM for example) unless you feel it’s a life and death decision
• Never agree to be tied up, handcuffed or placed in the trunk of the car because it takes away most of your self defense options
• Never follow an intruder once they leave your home

In closing, with a bit of education and preparation you will be in a better position to protect both you and your family from a possible home invasion. It will however require and the best available home defense weapon-your brain.

A crucial point to remember is that nothing is more valuable than the safety and security of you and your family. Fighting over property or possessions is not worth it. Property can be replaced…..while your life cannot.

Stay safe Mayfair!

First Annual Frankford Ave Clean-UP day will be composed of dedicated volunteers from the community. This day was primarily designed to encourage business owners to take pride in our neighborhood, grab a broom and clean-up in front of their stores at least once a day! Just once a day will go a long way in beautifying the community and showing your neighborhood pride!!

Mayfair Clean-UP Committee can be contacted at mayfaircleanup@gmail.com

Cleanup_day[1]

Here are a few safety recommendations and tips to keep in mind BEFORE opening the door for ANYONE you are not expecting:

• If an individual appears at your door and claims to be a police officer-but is not in FULL uniform and you can’t see the police cruiser parked in front of your house DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.  Tell the police officer through a cracked window and locked door that you plan to cooperate but would like to check his/her credentials before you open the door. Best practice is to ask the police officer for his name, badge number and the department he is a part of and call 911 to verify. These questions should not be difficult for a police officer to answer and if they are, you should become very suspicious.
• If an individual appears at your door and claims to be a representative from a home alarm company (these happen often when impersonators see the alarm sticker outside of your house) and you did not schedule service-DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. Again through a cracked window and locked door request their name, ID badge and phone number to their company’s customer service for verification The most commonly used tactics impersonators use to access your home are:
• Representatives may say they are at your home to “upgrade” your system.
• Representatives may misrepresent that your alarm company is “out of business” and that they have come to your home to assure your continued protection.
• Representatives may imply that they work for a security equipment manufacturer.
• Representatives may even be wearing shirts & hats with the logo of one of these manufacturers. The fact is that manufacturing companies DO NOT sell directly to the public.
• Representatives may state that they work for your alarm company and have arrived at your home without an appointment. Most likely your alarm company will not send a representative to your home without contacting you to make an appointment.
• Representatives may say that your alarm company has “merged” or been purchased by the company they represent.
• If an individual appears at your door without an appointment and claims to be any other service provider (Gas Company, electric company, water department etc) and he/she is not in FULL UNIFORM, with their car parked in front of your house-DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.  Request their name, ID badge number, company they represent and the number for their supervisor.  Check to verify that service is necessary and that the person at your door is an employee of that company.
• If ANY OTHER STRANGER appears at your door-best practice is to NEVER open the door. If the individual appears to be in medical distress or is in any danger, call 911 IMMEDIATELY and await Police/EMS/Fire.

Remember, criminals will continue to pose as law enforcement, service providers or someone in distress looking for help because it works!!! They know that law abiding citizens will open the door for police and that people in “nice” neighborhoods may be more trusting and wanting to help.  Always be vigilant and follow your gut instincts!! If something doesn’t feel right or seems out of place-chances are its true! And remember…always take a moment to asses the situation-It is better to lose one minute in life… than to lose life, property and personal safety in a minute.