Commissioner Sini, Crime Stoppers Announce Suffolk Police Lock It or Lose It! Campaign

Major shopping centers, cable operator Altice USA, radio & television stations partner to support SCPD initiative

September 8, 2016 Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy D. Sini and Suffolk County Crime Stoppers President Nick Amarr recently announced the department’s new “Lock It or Lose It!” campaign to encourage residents to lock their vehicles.

The department has partnered with Crime Stoppers, as well as and multiple television and radio stations, including Altice USA — which provides Optimum television, internet and voice services in the area, WBAB 102.3 FM and Long Island News Radio, to routinely broadcast the 30-second public service announcement during the next month to remind residents to lock their vehicles. Most vehicle break-ins are crimes of opportunities and if a vehicle is locked, a criminal will usually move on. Locking car doors will substantially decrease the likelihood of being victimized.

Major shopping centers, including the Smith Haven Mall, Tanger Outlets and the Westfield South Shore Mall, have also partnered with Suffolk County Police to display posters or digital displays of the “Lock It or Lose It!” flyer.

“Every day, the hard working men and women of the Suffolk County Police Department are out there in force doing their best to keep crime down. Oftentimes though, it is the partnership with the public that helps get us the results,” Commissioner Sini said. “The first line of defense is lock your doors. Also, make sure if there are valuables in your car, they are not in plain view.”

“Unlocked vehicles give criminals an additional bonus of stealing sensitive personal documents resulting in identity theft without a victim realizing the fact until it’s too late,” Amarr said. “The Lock it or Lose It campaign is a way to remind residents how they can help prevent becoming the victim of a crime.”

Established in 1960, in the easternmost county in New York State, the Suffolk County Police Department is currently the 13th largest municipal police agency in the nation. More than 2,400 sworn officers and 500 civilian employees are dedicated to the department’s 22 bureaus including highway patrol, marine, community relations and homeland security. The department is the lead law enforcement agency for the county’s five western towns: Babylon, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown and Brookhaven. The department also provides support and specialized services to the county’s five eastern towns: Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, East Hampton, and Southampton. With headquarters located in Yaphank, the department protects and serves an area of 911 square miles and a population of 1.5million people.