Keeping Cantamar a safe community is very important to all of us.
Our HOA has worked closely with the Cutler Bay police to reduce incidents within the neighborhood.
Please follow the crime prevention tips below to help keep your home and family safe.
Lock It or Lose It
January 2019
The Cutler Bay Police asked us to remind our neighbors
to always lock your cars and to not leave valuables in the car.
Theft from cars is a crime of opportunity;
thieves look for unlocked cars with valuables that are easy to grab.
Photo by Rafael Kellermann Streit on Unsplash
A Request from a Neighbor
February 2018
Cantamar resident, Lindsay Kunz of SW 206th Street
reported that a new orange beach cruiser was stolen out of her garage.
If anyone knows anything, please let her know
by email at lkunz73015@yahoo.com or call 757-641-1457.
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Board to continue Off-duty Police Patrols
The Off-duty Police Patrols have been well-received by the community.
Therefore, the Board has been continuing to include them in the Budgets.
The Patrols are again in the 2017 Budget and will continue to protect our community.
To be sure outsiders know this, signs are posted at the entrances to the neighborhood
warning potential trespassers that the neighborhood is patrolled.
Thanks to the Board for helping keep Cantamar a safe neighborhood.
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2017 Crime Update
Major Leonard Ricelli of the Cutler Bay Police Department attended our April 2017 Board Meeting
and reported that Cantamar continues to be a “Low Crime Area,”
but reminded residents to continue to be vigilant and take proper crime prevention precautions.
Continue reading this page for suggestions from both the Police Department and Citizens Crime Watch.
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90th Place is now an official Crime Watch street
90th Place held a Crime Watch meeting in October 2011
and became an official “Crime Watch” street
with a Crime Watch sign to put up at the end of the street.
This is the first street in Cantamar to take this important step.
If you’d like your street to become a “Crime Watch” street,
contact the Board at admin@tgms.com (put “Cantamar Board” in the subject line)
or call Crime Watch directly at 305-468-1302.
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Crime Watch Committee
We are looking for a Chairperson for the Crime Watch Committee.
If you would like to become Chairperson,
contact the Board at he Board at cantamarHOAcutlerbay@gmail.com.
We are also collecting contact information to make it easy to establish phone chains for Crime Watch.
Please fill out the Contact Sheet (click here for a PDF of it) and email it to:
he Board at cantamarHOAcutlerbay@gmail.com
Block Captains Needed
We still need block captains for most blocks in the neighborhood. There is very little work involved.
You will need to contact your neighbors on your block and get their contact information
(e-mail address and phone numbers).
Once you have that, you will coordinate with the Crime Watch committee
to set up an organizational meeting for your block.
Only once this is done will the county’s Citizens’ Crime Watch organization provide us
with Crime Watch signs. This will be done on a block-by-block basis.
If you would like to be a Block Captain,
please contact the Board at he Board at cantamarHOAcutlerbay@gmail.com.
IMPORTANT CRIME PREVENTION REMINDERS
Do you know if you’re Covered?
We are fortunate that crime isn’t much of an issue in Cantamar, and we want to keep it that way!
Each of us needs to maintain layers of protection to help keep crime out.
Our attractive community can be a temptation to thieves. Let’s make sure we’re not an easy target.
Ensure you monitor and report any suspicious activity, lock all doors, and activate your burglar alarms.
CONFIRM that ALL your windows and doors are protected — not just a few.
Some of you who have bought homes from previous owners might think all your windows and doors are protected
when this might not be the case.
Contact your alarm company to check on your coverage, and be sure you have the protection you want.
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Who’s at your Door?
It’s always important to be cautious when opening the doors to strangers.
If they say they’re representing a utility company, make sure that they show you their credentials.
You may want to consider getting an intercom, or a high-tech doorbell you can respond to from your phone
whether you are home or not, so you don’t need to open your door to people you don’t know.
Crime Prevention Tips
Thanks to Community Officers John McLaughlin and Mary Ann Stahl for providing these.
Vehicle Burglary and Theft are Crimes of Opportunity –
Don’t Let Yourself Become a Victim!!
- Always lock your vehicle! Ensure that all doors, windows, trunk, and cargo areas are locked.
(All of the April 2014 break-ins/unauthorized entries were unlocked cars!) - Avoid leaving valuables in plain view, especially purses, cell phones and book bags. This is an invitation to car thieves.
- If you must leave valuables inside of your car, lock them in the trunk before arriving at your destination and parking.
Thieves look for potential victims, and will watch what you are doing as you are exiting your car. - At night, park in a well lit area.
- Never leave your vehicle running and unattended. Make sure you have your keys with you before you exit the car and lock the doors.
- Install a vehicle alarm, or a recovery system, such as Lo-Jack, On Star or Teletrac. Display the decals in a visible area to deter theft.
- If you have expensive rims, accessories or an audio system, have your driver’s license number or other identifying mark etched on the item.
This will aid in deterrence as well as possible recovery. - Make sure that your license plate is secured with the proper screws. When you apply you new annual decal, use a razor blade to make small incisions so it cannot be removed easily.
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Please be Extra Vigilant!
Don’t let it happen to you…
- Before you go on vacation, call the Cutler Bay Police at 305-4-POLICE (305-476-5423) to request a “watch order” on your house while you’re gone. They’ll collect some information like how long you’ll be gone, what cars may be in the driveway while you’re gone, emergency contacts, and who has a key to your house, just in case. Then they’ll keep an eye on your house while you enjoy your trip.
- Be sure to keep your garage door closed any time you are not in clear view of it (whether working outside or inside).
- Keep your cars in the garage, if possible. Crooks can’t tell your comings and goings as well. Your cars are protected from potential vandalism/theft. And as a bonus, your cars stay cleaner and are protected from storms.
- If you have an alarm system, be sure to turn it on any time you leave your house, and use the “home” setting when you are home at night. Consider getting an alarm, if you don’t have one.
- If you have motion sensor exterior lights, be sure they are on. If you don’t, consider adding them. Thieves prefer to work in the cover of darkness.
If a light suddenly comes on, not only do they lose that cover, but also they don’t know if someone has spotted them. - If you see anything that looks suspicious, call the police: 9-1-1 if it’s an emergency situation or 305-4-POLICE (305-476-5423) for non-emergency.
Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade
Alina Lopez, Crime Prevention Coordinator from Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County and Officer McLaughlin of the Cutler Bay Police spoke at the April 2010 HOA Board of Directors meeting.
Officer McLaughlin told us that there are 53 officers assigned to Cutler Bay, including 6 in the General Investigative Unit (plain clothes, plain cars) who are usually the first to respond to reports of a suspicious person or vehicle. They want you to call any time you see something suspicious. We know our neighborhood and who should be there–they don’t. But they will come out and question anyone if it is reported.
He also reported that the police have identified the graffiti artists that have been tagging mailboxes and walls in Cutler Bay. He said to watch for skateboarders with backpacks or paint sticks in their pants.
There was a discussion of security cameras. Both Ms. Lopez and Officer McLaughlin agreed that cameras don’t necessarily deter crime, but that they can aid police in identifying perpetrators (if they don’t cover the camera or their faces). There is some good technology out there, including cameras that link to your alarm system. Adding more layers of protection is good, but don’t let it give you a false sense of security.
Officer McLaughlin let us know how to search for Crime Incidents near your address.
2016 Update: new website is http://www.miamidade.gov/technology/gis-maps-and-apps.asp, click on the Crime Mapping box (3rd row down). This will take you to the Crime Mapping site where you can search your address for nearby crimes.
We discussed that car break-ins seem to be a big issue in the neighborhood, and he confirmed that 90% of cars broken into are unlocked. Be sure to lock your car if it is not in the garage.
A homeowner pointed out that the plastic clips that “lock” our windows break very easily and that window locks can be purchased at home improvement stores and easily installed.
Ms. Lopez went over the steps to establish Crime Watch in our neighborhood. She suggested that once Block Captains are established and have the contact information gathered for their block, the next meeting should be in the neighborhood (possibly broken into sections). Once that is done we can get signs stating that we have Crime Watch in our neighborhood. The signs do deter crime as criminals prefer to work where they won’t be watched and reported.
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Carmen Caldwell, executive director of Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade, spoke at the October 2008 Homeowners’ Association Board of Directors meeting. There was excellent attendance at the meeting and many homeowners were able to hear her informative talk on crime prevention.
Here are a few of her main points:
- We know our neighborhood better than the police do–who should be here, neighbors’ cars, etc.
- Report all crimes even if they are minor. This helps police know where to patrol and what kinds of activities are happening in the neighborhood.
- Keep your doors and windows locked, even when you are home.
- Keep your yard neat and your landscape trimmed (less places for a burglar to hide and easier for your neighbors to see if someone who doesn’t belong is in your yard).
- Leave your front light on at night. Be sure all entrances to your home are illuminated.
- Keep your garage door closed at all times (burglars can sneak into your home while you are mowing your lawn).
- Secure sliding glass doors (broom stick in the door channel works great).
- Consider replacing your locks with anti-key bumping locks. Burglars can enter your home through the door by “bumping” the lock and it never appears that there was a “break-in”.
- If you have an alarm system (which she recommends), be sure that there is an external alarm so that your neighbors hear it and call the police. This will be faster than waiting for your alarm monitoring company to try to contact you and then call the police if they can’t reach you.
Juvenile Curfew
Miami-Dade County has a Juvenile Curfew in effect. The Juvenile Curfew Ordinance makes it unlawful for any person under the age of 17 to linger, stay, congregate, move about, wander, or stroll in any public place during curfew hours. The curfew applies between 11 pm and 6 am Sunday night to Friday morning, and between midnight and 6 am Friday night to Sunday morning.
There are the following exceptions:
- The juvenile is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian or another adult at least 21 years old
who has been given permission by the parent or guardian - The juvenile is engaged in a lawful employment activity or traveling to or returning home from work without detour
- The juvenile is engaged in interstate travel
- The juvenile is on an errand at the written approval and direction of the parent or guardian without detour
- The juvenile is involved in or attempting to remedy, alleviate or respond to an emergency
- The juvenile is attending an official school, religious, or recreational activity supervised by adults at least 21 years old and sponsored by Miami-Dade County, the Miami-Dade County School Board, a municipality, a civic organization or other similar entity which takes responsibility for the juvenile as an invitee, or going to or returning home from any such activity without detour
- The juvenile is on the swale or sidewalk abutting his/her residence or the next-door neighbor’s, if the neighbor has not complained
- The juvenile is exercising First Amendment rights protected by the U.S. Constitution such as free exercise of religion, freedom of speech and the right of assembly
- The juvenile has written permission to attend and return from a specific activity, supervised by adults 21 years old or older, provided the activity begins no later than 10 pm
- The juvenile is legally married or has been emancipated by the court
- The juvenile is homeless or uses a public or semi-public place as his/her usual abode
- The County Commission has authorized juveniles to be a public or semi-public place during curfew hours
If a juvenile does not comply with the Ordinance he/she will be taken into custody and transported home or to a police station, substation or other appropriate holding facility where pertinent information is recorded and a parent or guardian notified. If a juvenile is cited 3 or more times for not complying with the Ordinance, a petition for dependency may be filed in Juvenile Court. The parent or legal guardian will receive a notice to appear and may be punished by a fine up to $500.
Parents, be sure your children are aware of these rules.