MPD training outdoor workers as eyes, ears

Ordinary citizens can help fight crime by being the eyes and ears of the police department, especially those who work in the field for utility companies, cable providers and public works departments.

To enlist this army of workers as a crime-fighting tool, the Maricopa Police Department is conducting training sessions to teach outdoor workers on how to spot suspicious activity or crimes in progress and then report it to law enforcement.

MPD held training Monday at the Global Water headquarters and last week conducted its first session at the Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation District on West Louis Johnson Drive about 10 miles south of Maricopa. Officer Ricardo Alvarado said his department is reaching out to CenturyLink and Southwest Gas for the next sessions, but dates have not been set.

“Most crimes are solved from information from the public,” Alvarado told a group of about 25 Global Water and Maricopa Public Works employees.

Alvarado said the department has begun a crime-tip rewards program.

“Anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest is eligible for a $50 gift card from a local business,” he said.

Det. Mike Burns, one of the presenters, said most citizens carry one of the best crime-fighting tools ever invented.

“The cellphone is an excellent crime-fighting tool for citizens,” he said.

Burns said while functions on different smartphones vary, most phones can take pictures, shoot video and record sound, and all these functions can be used to record suspicious activity or a crime in progress.

“Get familiar with the functionality of your phone and know how to use it,” he said. “If it has a notebook, you can use that to type in a license plate number or other information that can help police.”

He said if a phone doesn’t have a button to automatically dial 911, program the number into the phone along with MPD’s nonemergency number 520-866-5111.

“Call 911 and be prepared to answer questions,” he said. “What happened? Is it still in progress? The more witnesses we have means our rate of solving crimes increases exponentially.”

Rebecca Molus, management analyst for MPD, said, “Take a pic or send a text if you see a suspicious vehicle. Write down what you see as soon as you can.”

She urged those at the session not to deliberate on whether to call police if they see anything suspicious.

“Avoid the tendency to rationalize, ‘Should I call police?’” she said. “We like to be bothered. That’s what we get paid for.”

She said suspicious activity anyone should report includes someone moving household appliances from a house when nobody else is home or late at night, excessive foot and vehicle traffic at a residence, excessive dog barking, gun shots and the sound of broken glass.

While the majority of crimes in Maricopa involve theft or damage to property, people working in the field also can be alert to crimes against people.

Alvarado said there are 57 registered sex offenders in Maricopa, and not all are on the state’s registry for sex crimes.

“It is not automatic,” Alvarado said. “They can only be put on the list if the courts determine their crime is of a predatory nature.”

People should be wary of any adult who cases places where children frequently gather or who stops in a vehicle to talk to children, he said.

When someone is driving without headlights, it either means the driver is trying not to be seen or is drunk, Alvarado said.

And, if a vehicle is going down the street with items, especially papers, being tossed out the windows, he said, it’s a good indication the vehicle was just stolen and the driver is getting rid of anything that could be used to identify the owner.

Felipe Odell, a technician for Global Water, attended Monday’s training session.