Cop's Corner Published Aug. 7, 2009 By 31st Security Forces Squadron AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- On July 29, an active duty military member reported loud music and voices outside of their dormitory residence. The Airman stated there were multiple individuals playing excessively loud music and yelling lyrics into the dorm room where the member resides. The Airman further stated they made contact with the individuals and asked them to keep the noise down, but the individuals disregarded their request. Remember to be considerate of your neighbors. Playing loud music or just being excessively noisy is unacceptable and will earn you a visit from the 31st Security Forces Squadron. Remember that quiet hours in the dormitories are 24 hours, seven days a week, due to shift workers. On July 30, an active duty military member reported they lost their military ID card. The Airman stated they last saw their ID card the previous day. After retracing their steps, the active duty military member was unable to relocate the lost ID card. It's very important to properly secure your military credentials at all times. A lost or stolen ID card puts the entire base populace at risk of an unauthorized individual gaining access to our base. If your ID card comes up lost or stolen, report it immediately to the 31st Security Forces Squadron. On July 30, an active duty military dependent reported someone broke into their vehicle and stole personal property. The dependent stated that while their vehicle was parked at Lake Barcis, it was broken into and a GPS, IPod, cell phone and purse containing a driver's license, dependent ID card, social security card, debit card and a credit card were stolen. The dependent further stated the vehicle was locked and secured when they left it parked. It is common knowledge that if you go to Lake Barcis, you must make sure nothing of value is left in your vehicle. Otherwise, an incident like this could happen to you. This vehicle was left unattended for only two hours. The best strategy to counteract these offenders is to ensure nothing valuable is left in your vehicle. Consider leaving IPods, purses, wallets and other valuable property in the glove box, center console or even the trunk of you have to leave it behind. Also, remember to secure any cables or docking stations for IPods and GPS systems. These items suggest there is valuable electronic equipment inside of the vehicle and these offenders will investigate to find out. On Aug. 1, an active duty military member reported an unknown individual took items they purchased from the shopette. The Airman stated they were in line at the shopette and had already paid for their items when they accidently left them at the register to go retrieve other items that they needed to purchase. When the Airman returned to get the purchased items, an unknown individual grabbed the items and gave them to another unknown person who they thought left the items. The unknown individual took the items and left the scene. The active duty military member informed the individual that the items they gave to the unknown individual were theirs. Don't always assume you are safe when you are on base. Crime can happen anytime, anywhere. You should never let your guard down when you are in a public place. Simple mistakes like this one can be costly. Be mindful of your surroundings and report any suspicious situations you may come across. On Aug. 2, an active duty military member reported they were missing property from their apartment. The Airman stated after they were in their neighbors apartment asking to use the internet, they returned back to their own apartment discovering two laptops, a hard drive and Nintendo Wii were missing. The active duty military member then noticed their neighbor and three unknown individuals leaving with a bag of trash which appeared to contain flashing lights. The active duty military member asked the neighbor if they could open the bag of trash and determine the contents of the trash bag. When the neighbor complied, the active duty military member discovered the two laptops, a hard drive and a Nintendo Wii, which the active duty military member stated belonged to them. After the contents of the bag were made known, the three individuals fled the scene. The neighbor identified the three individuals and stated they met the them at the bowling alley over the weekend. Keep your residence secured at all times. Try to eliminate any mode of entry that a criminal may use to gain access into your residence. Safely secure valuable items away from doorways and windows where a criminal may have plain view of your valuables. Aviano All Star Award: This weeks Aviano All-Star Award goes to the individual who left their purchased items unattended in the shopette. The false sense of security on base allows incidents like these to happen. Crime can happen anywhere, at any time. All criminals need is the opportunity for the crime to take place and the absence of a capable guardian. Always be mindful of your surroundings and those around you. You never know when the opportunity may present itself for you to become a victim of crime. Crime Prevention Tip of the Week: Military travel can be stressful. Why make it more so by setting yourself up as a target for crooks? Here's what you can do at a hotel, to improve the chances you'll return home safely. At the hotel, never leave luggage unattended. Keep all hotel doors and windows locked, and use all door locks. Insist that hotel personnel give your assigned room number so others can't hear it. Learn the locations of fire exits, elevators, and public phones in case of emergency. Ask hotel staff about the safety of the neighborhood and what areas to avoid. Sure, crime can be random but at the same time there's a lot you can do to limit your chances of becoming a victim. Often, simply being aware of the threat of crime and alert to what you can do to prevent it will go a long way to making your military travel both safe and successful.