Community Roll Call

The Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers is hosting its Sixth Annual Pancakes With Mom on Sunday May 11, 2008 at the Muellner Building in Hart Park, 7300 Chestnut in the City of Wauwatosa. They will be serving from 8:00am until 12:00pm and everything on the menu is all you can eat including pancakes, Klement's sausage, fresh fruit and Starbucks Coffee as well as other items.

Advance tickets are still available at the Little Red Book located at 7603 W. State Street in Wauwatosa; $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children 3 and older. You may also purchase tickets at the door on the day of the event. In addition to free door prizes we will be holding a raffle for some very nice items. All proceeds will benefit the Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers and allow them to pay cash rewards for tips that lead to arrests for crimes committed in Wauwatosa.

Being able to offer cash rewards to anonymous tipsters is an extremely effective crime fighting tool. In 2006 and 2007 the Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers received 25 separate tips which resulted in 8 arrests and solved 7 crimes. During that two year time frame the Crime Stoppers disbursed nearly $3000.00 to anonymous tipsters. So far in 2008 they have received 3 tips that have resulted in 4 arrests, solved 5 crimes and the dispersal of $850.00 in reward money.

So the Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers are asking for you support by your attendance at this very worthwhile event. You may also lend support by volunteering to help out anytime between the hours of 7:00am and 1:00pm on the day of the event. All volunteers will receive a free breakfast as well as one for that special "Mom" in their life. If you wish to volunteer please contact Officer Don Semega via email at dsemenga@wauwatosa.net or by calling 414-471-8430 Ext. 5114. Make sure you leave a name, call back number and mailing address.

Warmer weather is finally here and that means our children are going to be moving about outdoors and maybe out of sight from time to time. Included here you will find some ideas on what to share with your children regarding strangers and proper conduct in dealing with them.

1. First of all remind your children that a stranger is "Someone you do not know". Make sure they understand that the person's age, race, gender or appearance have nothing to do with who a stranger is

2. Make sure they understand some strangers are helpers, but also make sure they know how to positively identify those strangers. Here are some "Helpers":

• Police Officers
• Firefighters
• Ambulance workers
• Doctors
• Nurses
• Uniformed Security at the mall, zoo or other such place
• Uniformed workers at various retail establishments noted by their aprons, smocks or matching shirts and the like.

3. Some suggested "Rules" to teach your children as it relates to strangers. Add any others you feel are appropriate.

• Never talk to a stranger (You may consider allowing a simple hello)
• Never take anything from a stranger
• Never go with a stranger
• Never help a stranger search for a lost puppy, kitten or child.

4. Teach them "Run, Yell and Tell"

• "Run" means that you run to a safe place such as a McGruff House,store, trusted neighbor, school, friend, gas station, police car, fire truck, etc.
• "Yell" means that you yell for help while running.
• "Tell" means you tell a a grown up to call the police once you arrive at the nearest safe place.

5. Employ a "Code Word" in your home. This is a word or phrase that only Mom, Dad and the children know. Not even Grandma or Grampa should know that word. That way should you need to send another family member or neighbor to pick the child up from school, day care or any other function; the person picking them up has to give the code word to your child before your child goes with them. Teach your child that no matter who is picking them up, they do not go unless the code word is said.

Please note that providing the code word to the person picking up your child does not preclude contacting staff or others in charge at the place / event the child is being picked up from.

Should the code word have to be used change it immediately, use each code word or phrase only once. You can make it fun by allowing the children to make up the code word.

As always, these are merely suggestions and may not be suitable or appropriate for you and your family and only you can decide that. "Stranger Danger" should be reviewed regularly by improptu verbal questions and proper answers or behaivors need to be positively reinforced.

Recently this office has received several complaints about citizens feeding stray or feral cats. As such I felt it appropriate to address this issue in an effort to explain the City's Ordinances regarding the feeding of these animals.

Covered under Wauwatosa Ordinance 9.04.020 is the "Regulation of Animals". Under this ordinance it is unlawful for anyone to allow an animal/pet of any species to run at large. Further, all dogs and cats need to receive the rabies vaccine and be licensed through the Wauwatosa City Clerk's office. That being said, if a person feeds and/or provides indoor or even outdoor shelter of any sort to an animal, they have in fact established ownership of that animal even if the animal is never taken into that person's residence.

So if a citizen is found to be feeding and/or sheltering an animal that roams at large, is unlicensed or has not received the rabies vaccine; that citizen can be held responsible for that animal by the City and may be issued citations in violation of 9.04.020. This of course would include stray/feral cats. The citations may begin at $172.00 for each violation and can increase incrementally up to $2,576.00 for subsequent violations.

The proper way to handle stray or feral animals is to call the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control office at 414-649-8640 and report it to them. They have the means to retrieve the animal in a humane way and process it in an effort to make it ready for adoption.

Here comes some pertinent tax / ID theft prevention items:

• Lock up your personal information. This includes all tax information, bank statements, credit card statements and unpaid bills. Yes, even at home; do you really know everything about your guests?
• Don't fall for scams. During the distribution of rebate checks, no one will contact you for personal information and this includes your bank or the government.
• Don't respond to requests to verify personal information unless you have actually initiated the contact. Don't share any indentifying information over a cordless or cell phone.
• Shred. This includes anything of a personal or financial matter, ecspecially those credit card offers.
• Review your mail. Check monthly credit card and banking statements for unfamiliar or unauthorized activities.
• Check your credit report. The law entitles you to at least one free credit report from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union each year. If you get one report from each entity spaced out properly, you could get a free credit report every 4 months.
• Report supicious activity immediately. Notify the authorities of any activity you did not authorize as it relates to any financial or personal matter.
• Mailbox. Get your mail immediately and never leave outgoing mail for the courier to pick up.

Following these simple tips now and all year will help to protect yourself from ID theft.

Three armed robberies were reported on March 14th and 15th, 2008

1. Noodles & Company, 7700 block W. State St., 14th at 10:28pm
2. Street Robbery 7600 block W. State St., 15th at 12:40am
3. Days Inn, 11800 block W. State St., 15th at 9:42pm

Each robbery was conducted by two black males sometimes wearing hooded sweatshirts, ski masks and/or a do-rag to cover their faces. In each case it seems one suspect would act as a lookout while the other approached the register or victims.

In each of these robberies at least one gun was displayed. Seen leaving the scene of two of the robberies was a newer black automobile, maybe a Chevrolet Malibu. The suspects are further described as 5'8" to 6'1", late teens to early twenties and thin to medium build.

Two armed robberies were reported on March 9th, 12th, and 29th, 2008

1. 7300 block of Milwaukee Avenue, 9th at 10:25pm
2. 7300 block of Harwood Avenue, 12th at 11:04pm
3. 7100 block of West State Street, 29th at 9:10pm

In each case a lone black male described as being 5'7" to 5'10", dark complexion, heavier build at 180 to 200 pounds and 35 to 45 years of age. The suspect usually starts a conversation with some small talk and then displays a hand gun and demands money.

Possibley vehicles in these armed robberies are:

• A large 80's 4 door, possibly a Ford or Mercury, dark blue or gray in color.
• An early 90's BMW, loud exhaust, red in color.

You are reminded to remain alert at all times and contact the police immediately for suspicious circumstances and persons.

If your are the victim of a robbery, remain calm and do exactly as the robber asks, nothing less or nothing more. As soon as it is safe notify police and do not compare notes with other victims or witnesses; keeping separate and not talking to others will allow the investigating officers to gather the best evidence.

 Anyone with information regarding any of these or other crimes commintted in the City of Wauwatosa can remain anonymous and call the Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers at 771-TOSA. Tips that lead to an arrest may be eligible for cash rewards up to $1,000.00