Full Notification

We recently responded to a report of a person falsely representing themselves as a driver for a ridesharing company. This message is intended provide additional safety information to our community to reduce the opportunity for victimization and crime.  
 
As ride sharing services expand and become more popular, criminals use these opportunities to find different ways to take advantage of community members often resulting in theft, fraud, and assault.
 
The Petaluma Police Department would like to remind anyone using a ridesharing service of a few basic safety tips.  Most ridesharing services offer a variety of safety features through their software and phone application.  Most services offer the following basic safety services before getting into a vehicle:
 
Step 1:  Match the license plate number. 
Step 2:  Match the car make and model.
Step 3:  Check the driver’s photo and name.
 
Most drivers have your name and destination and they should be able to confirm it for you.  Confirming these safety features will reduce the chances of mistakenly getting into the wrong vehicle.  After our ride begins and you realize you need help, most companies offer an emergency call feature to call 911. You can share your ride, current location, and route with a friend in real-time through the phone application. If you feel unsafe you can always call 911 and provide your current location and vehicle information with emergency dispatchers.  Other tips include notifying a friend or family member by text of your trip and destination. Single riders can also engage in a phone call to keep constant communication with someone other than the driver.  And finally, when selecting a location for pick-up look for a populated area that has plenty of light for safety.

We take the safety of our community very seriously and because situations like this can result in a serious crime, we investigate each report thoroughly.  
 
We would like to thank the community members who brought these recent events to the attention of local law enforcement.  Your calls and tips have been extremely helpful.   We would also like to thank community members for being responsible and using a designated driver or ride sharing service when consuming alcohol.  These decisions have most certainly resulted in a reduction of DUI related arrests and collisions.
 
Anyone with information regarding this type of suspicious activity is asked to contact Detective Ryan McGreevy at 707.778.4373 or the ridesharing company. For more information on ridesharing safety, go to
http://www.safety.com/rideshare-safety-tips/