Full Notification

Citizens,

As part of National Preparedness Month, I want to take a few moments to focus on the importance of being prepared to report and account for your property losses in the event of a disaster or criminal event.

All too often, we are called to take a report of a theft and the victim is not prepared to provide us with essential details about the items that were taken such as model numbers, serial numbers, and replacement costs. The victims are able to get the information to us in a few hours or a few days in SOME cases, but most often we are left with a vague report and entering the items on State and National databases is impossible. This lack of information also makes it much more difficult to work with your insurance company to file a claim.

We highly recommend that you take a few hours to make a list of all your expensive personal property to include make, model, serial number, and cost. Take photos of items that do not have a serial number such as jewelry and heirlooms such as antique furniture. Another good idea is to purchase an inexpensive engraving tool and use it to add your driver's license number to your property. This adds an extra degree of difficulty if a thief is trying to remove identifiable information from an item and the number can be added when we enter an item in our State and National databases.

Store your completed list in a safety deposit box or a secure fire safe along with your insurance policy information for future reference and update it as you purchase or acquire new items.

A few hours of preparation now can save you and your family a big headache later and the ability to provide us with this information if you become a crime victim will increase your chances of recovery.

Finally, I want to let all of our citizens know that the Rotary Club of Fayette Daybreak will be offering free Child ID Kits in partnership with the Fayette County Sheriff's Office during Founder's Day (this Saturday) from 10am to 1pm in Handley Park. These child IDs contain a photo (taken on site), fingerprints, and other critical identification information that is absolutely necessary for us to have in the event your child becomes lost or missing. You will be provided with a full color print out of this information to keep in a safe place - the FCSO does not store any information about your child when preparing these kits.

I highly encourage you to take advantage of this free offer.

Have a great week!

~Chief Perkins