Toys for Tots

Even in tough economic time there are still so many great people willing to give to help those in need. Our annual pledge for Toys for Tots has been another great effort. We would like to thank everyone who donated for these great cause.

BFPD THANKS YOU

How Thieves Get Your Information

How Thieves Get Your Information

It is quite easy for criminals to get the personal information they need. They do not need to be computer savvy or break into homes or offices. A criminal can simply "shoulder surf"—watching a victim enter a calling or credit card number into a phone keypad or eavesdropping while the victim slowly reads a credit card number aloud while making a hotel or car rental reservation.

The simplest type of identity crime is the theft of a credit card or a credit card number. The perpetrator uses the card to purchase items.
If a criminal gathers enough personal information, he or she may apply for new loans and credit cards, sometimes even purchasing big-ticket items like cars and houses.

Criminals get away with this by having bills and statements sent to an address that does not belong to the victim, keeping the victim in the dark.
Sometimes criminals scrounge through garbage cans or dumpsters to get copies of checks, credit card or bank statements, discarded applications for pre-approved credit cards, and other records.

Still other criminals steal outgoing mail from home mailboxes, hoping to find credit card payments and checks.
Criminals use the internet and e-mail to obtain personal data, including banking information and passwords. Victims unwittingly respond to phishing e-mails that ask for identifying data like account numbers and pass codes.

These people are still on the loose

Police on lookout for cop attackers

Police investigate Wednesday after an officer was stabbed near Bosque FarmsTwo suspects are on the run Wednesday after stabbing an off-duty Bosque Farms officer on his morning run.

The officer, 36-year-old John Valdez, was on his cooled walk after his jog at about 8 Wednesday morning. He says a car drove up behind him and a passenger attacked.

Police say an early 2000s model Chevy Impala pulled up behind the officer and the passenger leaned out the window and stuck a shank-like object with a screwdriver handle into the officer's back.

Valdez was left lying along the road, but he was alert enough to get a description and call it in, says Bosque Farms Police Chief Joe Stidham.

"He was heads up enough to get a great description, in my opinion, for having just been stabbed in the back with an object, not knowing what's going on. You're on the side of the road on a ditch bank by yourself. He got a great description that he was able to pass along to us," he said.

The chief says Valdez was also smart enough not to pull the weapon out of his back.

Stidham says he was on his way to the office when he got the call.

"I didn't know the severity of the injury, just that he'd been stabbed with some type of blunt object, so I was just trying to get back to the hospital as fast as I could," he said.

The suspects' Impala is painted in a black primer. It has tinted windows and temporary tags.

The suspects are described as Hispanic males with shaved heads. The suspected stabber has a "13" tattooed on the back of his head.

Police say different gangs use the number 13 and it is not clear which gang the suspect may belong to.

State police combed the area for witnesses. They also used a helicopter to search the area.

"We're going to work with probation and parole, we're going to work with the gang task force to see if we can identify who the passenger was, possibly link him to the driver and the vehicle," said Lt. Eric Garcia of the New Mexico State Police.

Police say Valdez wasn't wearing anything that would identify him as a cop, so it isn't clear if he was targeted or this was a random act of violence.

Valdez was taken to UNM Hospital with the weapon still in his back. He was listed in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

Back to School

Know the Rules...For Going To and From School More Safely

Every day millions of children take to the streets and highways to get to and from school.1 For many children this experience is a new one and they may not understand or be able to use the safety rules. Young children do not have the same frame of reference for safety as adults do. They may not “look before they leap,” which is why it is so important for families to supervise young children and practice safety skills with their older children to make certain they really know and understand them. The tips noted below will help prepare for a safer journey.

Tips for Parents and Guardians


Instruct your children to always TAKE A FRIEND, always stay in well-lit areas, never take shortcuts, and never go into isolated areas. Teach them to stay aware of their surroundings and observe all traffic rules in place to more safely share the roads and sidewalks with others.


Walk the route to and from school with your children pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. Make the walk to and from school a "teachable moment" and chance to put their skills to the test. Make a map with your children showing acceptable routes to and from school. If your children wait for a bus, wait with them or make arrangements for supervision at the bus stop.


If anyone bothers your children or makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused, while going to or from school, teach your children to trust their feelings, immediately get away from that person, and TELL you or another trusted adult. If an adult approaches your children for help or directions, remember grownups needing help should not ask children for help; they should ask other adults. Instruct your children to never accept money or gifts from anyone unless you have told them it is OKAY to accept in each instance.


Even though there can be more safety in numbers it is still not safe for young children to walk to and from school, especially if they must take isolated routes anytime during the day or in darkness. Always provide supervision for your young children to help ensure their safe arrival to and from school.


Instruct your children to leave items and clothing with their name on them at home. If anyone calls out their name, teach them to not be fooled or confused. Teach your children about the tricks someone may try to use to confuse them or engage them in conversation. Children should also be taught that they do not need to be polite if approached and to get out of the situation as quickly and safely as possible


Ensure current and accurate emergency contact information is on file for your children at their school. If you, or another trusted family member or friend, need to pick your children up, make sure to follow the school’s departure procedures. These procedures need to include the school’s confirmation of your children’s departure with only those you authorize to pick them up.


Teach your children if anyone tries to take them somewhere they should quickly get away and yell, “This person is trying to take me away” or “This person is not my father/mother/guardian.” Teach your children to make a scene and every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting if anyone tries to grab them.


Teach your children if anyone follows them on foot to get away from that person as quickly as possible. If anyone follows them in a vehicle they should turn around, go in the other direction, and try to quickly get to a spot where a trusted adult may help them. Advise them to be sure to TELL you or another trusted adult what happened.


Instruct your children to never leave school with anyone until they've checked with a trusted adult. If anyone tells them there is an emergency and they want your children to go with them, teach your children to always CHECK FIRST with you before doing anything. Also teach your children to always CHECK FIRST with you if they want to change their plans before or after school. Make sure your children always play with other children, have your permission to play in specific areas, and let you know where they are going to be. Instruct your children to TELL a trusted adult if they notice anyone they don’t know or feel comfortable with hanging around them.


In the event your children may be lost or injured, make sure they carry a contact card with your name and telephone numbers such as work and cellular. This card should be hidden from plain view.
Key Tips to Reinforce With Your Children

Always TAKE A FRIEND with you when walking, biking, or standing at the bus stop. Make sure you know your bus number and which bus to ride.


Say NO if anyone you don’t know or a person who makes you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused offers a ride unless I have told you it is OKAY to do so in each instance.


Quickly get away and yell, “THIS PERSON IS NOT MY MOTHER/FATHER/GUARDIAN” if anyone tries to take you somewhere or is following you. If anyone tries to grab you, make a scene and every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.


NEVER LEAVE SCHOOL GROUNDS before the regular school day ends. Always check with the office before leaving school early.


NEVER take shortcuts or walk through alleys to get to or from school faster. We will talk about which way to go to and from school. Remind me if activities you participate in cause you to leave earlier or arrive home later than usual. Remember to call me once you have arrived home.
1According to the National Center for Education Statistics in fall 2008, a record 49.8 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. An additional 6.2 million students are expected to attend private schools this fall, Fast Facts. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, www.nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372, accessed September 9, 2008.

Copyright © 2001, 2004, and 2007 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved.

COMMUNITY MEETING

INTERNET AND CELL PHONE SAFETY FOR CHILDREN
(KEEPING KIDS SAFE)

GUEST SPEAKER

SPECIALINVESTIGATOR MARTY VIRGIL

JULY 14, 2009 @ 6:30 PM

BOSQUE FARMS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Teague and Stidham explain the records program.

Teague and Stidham explain the records program.

United State Rep. Harry Teague is guiding $400,000 through Congress for a new recordkeeping system to help all of Valencia County’s law enforcement departments better coordinate their records.

“This new technology will make life easier for local law enforcement and harder for criminals,” Teague said.

He said crime has been on the rise in Valencia County, alluding to local news articles about a county of small communities experiencing big city crime because of its close proximity to Albuquerque.

The centralized data software program, to be used by the county and municipalities, will link all of the criminal records among the departments and with officers on the street via laptop computers in their vehicles. The database will be maintained at the Valencia Regional Emergency Communication Center in Los Lunas.

“It will combine all of the records management systems for every police department in the county,” said Bosque Farms Police Chief Joe Stidham. “If an officer in Belen stops somebody or is dealing with a robbery suspect, or anything of that nature, they’ll be able to go into the records system, pull that person up. They’ll know if we dealt with that person here in Bosque Farms, or if the county has dealt with them, or Los Lunas has dealt with them.”

The departments currently use a records management program called Sleuth. It isn’t internet-based and requires officers to file reports at police stations.

“Our officers have to go to the police departments to fill out their reports,” Belen Police Chief Mike Chavez said. “If we get this new system, the officers will be spending more time out on the road. They’ll actually be able to do the reports from their vehicles, instead of downtime inside the police department.”

All of the departments, with the exception of the Belen Police Department, have vehicles equipped with a mobile data system, which include a laptop, printer and ID card reader to identify who’s using it. The new internet-based program will be accessible on those laptops.

Chavez said he has applied for a $120,000 grant to equip his department’s police cars with laptops. In the meantime, Belen police will make use of the new records system from the police station.

“This is the office,” he said, pointing to a mobile data system in a Bosque Farms police car. “You won’t have to go to the office.”

The software program, created by Motorola, is also expected to cut down the amount of time officers spend filling out and filing paperwork, streamlining the process through dropdown menus and other shortcuts.

The funding was passed by the United States House of Representatives as part of a justice-related appropriations bill last week. It goes to the United States Senate for passage and then to the White House for the president’s signature. Teague said he expects the bill, with his earmark, to pass without a problem.

Once the legislation is signed and the money is dispersed, a Motorola official said his company can have the program running within weeks, since it doesn’t require installation on individual computers. Training will be required so officers understand how to use the program.

Federal Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19th, 2009


Congressman Harry Teague in Bosque Farms Saturday;

Will Discuss $400,000 Appropriation to Support Local Law Enforcement



New Mexico—On Saturday, June 20th Congressman Harry Teague will join representatives of Valencia county law enforcement agencies to discuss a $400,000 appropriation recently approved by the House of Representatives as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act of 2010. The funding will go toward a new technology project that will create a uniform record management system for Valencia county law enforcement. During the discussion there will be a briefing on the need for the technology, how the technology will be implemented as well as a demonstration of the system. All law enforcement in Valencia County including the municipalities of Los Lunas, Belen, Bosque Farms, and Peralta will benefit from the technology.



Saturday, June 20th



WHO: Congressman Harry Teague and Representatives of Valencia County and Municipal Law Enforcement



WHAT: Briefing on $400,000 in Funding Headed to Local Law Enforcement for New Technology



WHERE: Bosque Farms Police Department, 1455 W Bosque Loop, Bosque Farms, NM 87068



WHEN: 2:00 PM