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Special Services
The police department offers a number of programs to benefit and protect our community. Some of these programs are specifically intended for children.
Seatbelt Program
Our police department has a program to help protect children from being injured or killed in car crashes.
According the federal government, motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of accidental death for children and young teens between the ages of 4 and 15.
Traffic crashes are also the second-highest cause of accidental death for toddlers between the ages of 1 and 3 and the eighth highest cause of death for infants under age 1.
The proper use of seatbelts and car seats can substantially help reduce the risk of injury and death to children in accidents.
To help promote seatbelt use, we participate in the Ohio Third Grade Safety Belt program.
Once a year, a police officer goes to Big Creek Elementary School and The Academy of St. Bartholomew and uses videos, demonstrations and take-home reading material to help teach the importance of seatbelt use to third graders and their parents.
State law requires seatbelt use. We strongly urge parents to obey the law and to protect their children with safety belts and properly installed infant/child car seats.
D.A.R.E. Program
Unfortunately, drug and alcohol abuse continues to be a major risk for our children. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there has been an increase in the number of children becoming involved in drug abuse before the age of 13.
In a report published in January 2006, the federal government used hospital admission data to reveal that nearly 115,000 patients started drug abuse while still in elementary school. Unfortunately, this limited study most likely represents just the tip of the iceberg.
Our police department supports the efforts of parents, educators, and others in our community to protect our children against illegal drugs and other substance abuse.
Since 1989, we have actively participated in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.
Patrolman Brent Lavinder has taught the D.A.R.E. program in our elementary schools since 1999.
Officer Lavinder provides accurate information on drugs and alcohol, helps teach decision-making skills and ways to resist peer pressure, and helps students develop healthy ways to reject illegal drugs and alcohol.
For valuable information on how to protect our children against drugs and other substance abuse, please visit the D.A.R.E. website at www.dare.com.
Safety Town
Our police and fire departments help parents teach kindergarten-age children how to be safe in their everyday lives by sponsoring an annual two-week Safety Town program each summer.
Instructors set up a scale-model town, complete with streets, small working traffic lights and pedal cars for the children to use while learning about traffic lights, and how to cross the street safely.
Children are also taught important lessons about fire safety, bicycle safety, train safety and how to remain safe around strangers and animals.
As part of the program, the young students take tours of our police and fire stations, and then participate in a graduation ceremony at our Community Center, where they receive a certificate from Mayor Gary Starr.
For information about enrolling your kindergarten-age children in our next Safety Town session, call Officer Brent Lavinder at (440) 243-1234.
Sexual Predators & Computer Safety
Unfortunately, home computers and the Internet have provided sexual predators a way to harm children with sexually explicit material, and to lure them into dangerous, illegal relationships.
Parents should take steps to protect their children against these predators. For information on how to do this, we suggest visiting the FBI’s website for an online copy of “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety.”
This publication and other useful crime-prevention information can be found at www.fbi.gov/publications.htm.
Information about local sexual offenders can be found online at the Cuyahoga County sheriff’s website at www.cuyahogacounty.us.
Identity Theft
Identity theft is a crime problem that has been increasing in recent years. It usually involves the fraudulent use of a victim’s Social Security number, credit card numbers or bank account numbers.
Criminals use the name and account numbers of identity theft victims to steal a variety of products and services. In the process, they can damage your credit rating and run up huge, fraudulent bills in your name.
It can be time-consuming and difficult to correct the damage done by identity thieves.
To help prevent identity theft, you need to safeguard your personal financial information, especially your Social Security number, credit card numbers and bank account numbers.
To get detailed information about how to prevent identity theft, we suggest logging on to the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
Fraud Prevention & Seniors
Senior citizens are often the target of home-improvement scams, fraudulent investment scheme, and other forms of fraud involving:
• Health and life insurance
• Medicare
• Internet sales
• Telemarketing
• Funerals and cemetery plots
• The sale of anti-aging products
• Identify theft
The federal government, and in particular the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission, offer online advice on how to protect yourself against fraud.
For the FBI, go to www.fbi.gov and click on the “Be Crime Smart” section.
For the Federal Trade Commission, visit www.ftc.gov and click on the “Consumer Protection” section.
The federal government’s information for seniors can also be found at www.firstgov.gov.
Remember to call the police if you think you have been cheated by a contractor, or victimized by another form of fraud.
Crime Prevention
Our department has a crime prevention officer who gives talks on crime prevention and safety to groups of citizens.
We are also starting a Neighborhood Watch program that enables citizens to become involved in the policing of their neighborhoods.
For information about speakers, or the Neighborhood Watch program, call Patrolman Randy Cowie at (440) 243-1234.
Community Diversion Program
Middleburg Heights works with the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court to sponsor a Community Diversion Program (CDP) for first-time juvenile crime offenders. The program is administered through our mayor’s court.
If a juvenile is arrested for the first-time, and if the crime is a misdemeanor, the case can be referred to the County Juvenile Court for suggested diversion back to the city for community-based action.
In such cases, our mayor’s court magistrate decides on a punishment that can include restitution, community service and other actions. Once the sentence is completed, the offense is removed from the juvenile’s record.
The purpose is to give first-time misdemeanor offenders an opportunity to enter adulthood with a clean record.
For discuss possible CDP action for a juvenile offender, contact our mayor’s court at (440) 234-6907.
SACIM Program
The police department offers a program for city residents to help prevent car theft. It is called “Save a Car in Middleburg” (SACIM).
Drivers who volunteer to enroll in the program receive window decals authorizing police to stop their car and request driver ID if the car is being driven between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
For further information about the SACIM program, call (440) 243-1234.
House Check Program
If you plan to be away on vacation, you can request that the police check your home on a regular basis to help prevent break-ins and other crimes.
For further information about our house-check program, call (440) 243-1234.
Contact
Middleburg Heights Police Department
15850 Bagley Road
Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130
Phone: (440) 243-1234
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