MERCER COUNTY CRIME SOLVERS - TEXT-A-TIP

Text - TIP477 and your message to CRIMES (274637)
* Standard text message & data rates may apply.

The Mercer County Crime Solvers Program in collaboration with the Mercer County Chiefs of Police Association has added a new tool to assist law enforcement in combating crime. Mercer County residents now have the ability to anonymously text message crime tips to CRIMES (274637) and the crime tip will be directed to law enforcement. Similar programs have been established across the country and in Canada with great success.

The crime tip is sent to a main server that is not associated with any police agency. The Internet based systems route messages through a server that encrypts the cell phone numbers before they reach the police.

Text-A-Tip
Text Tip477 and your message to CRIMES (274637) and the cell phone number will be stripped from the message before it is forwarded to the Mercer County 911 Center. A user id number will be assigned to the tip by the server. The user id is the only information sent with your tip to the 911 Center, An exception to this rule is if you have a signature attached to your texts. Your signature should be disabled before sending the tip or else it will appear in the body of the tip.

Text-A-Tip provides anonymous two-way communication between the tipster and the police. This program enables police officers to contact the tipster if they need additional information to follow-up on the tip effectively.

  Click here for more information on TEXT-A-TIP
 

CITY OF HERMITAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT RIGHT-TO-KNOW POLICY

According to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act, public records are to be accessible for inspection and duplication by any person who is a legal resident of the United States, unless the record, information or access is otherwise limited or prohibited by law. This general order will provide guidelines and procedures to follow regarding this Act.

It shall be the policy of the Hermitage Police Department that all officers and personnel shall become familiar with and comply with the provisions of this general order.

  Hermitage Police Department Right-to-Know Policy

  City of Hermitage Right-to-Know Request Form

  City of Hermitage Right-to-Know Officer

Gary P. Hinkson, City Manager
City of Hermitage Municipal Building
800 North Hermitage Road
Hermitage, PA 16148
P: (724) 981-0800
F: (724) 981-2008
E-Mail: ghinkson@hermitage.net

  Appeals Officer

Robert G. Kochems
District Attorney of Mercer County
Room 209, Mercer County Courthouse
Mercer, Pennsylvania 16137
P: 724-662-3800 x2287

Hermitage Newsletter - January 2009
The Police Department has seen a steady flow of fraud cases and the trend appears to be expanding. Unsolicited letters, emails and phone calls are the primary means of initiating the contact with fraud victims. For example; a resident received a phone call from a person identifying himself as a representative from Life Lock and he needed to verify the person’s bank account information. The Life Lock representative then proceeded to read the checking account and routing number of the victims checking account and the victim verified the information and supplied additional information. The victim later discovered money had been improperly removed from the checking account. Another example is the mystery shopper scam. In  November several residents received letters indicating they had been selected as mystery shoppers. A check in the person’s name accompanies the letter and identifies the funds for training, lodging, Western Union expenses, and required funds to be sent. Part of the process requires the victim to demonstrate they know how to use Western Union so they are instructed to deposit the check into their personal checking account and then send back a portion of the money using Western Union. In the most recent case the victim sent back $3,347.00 as instructed. The check that was deposited into the victim’s account is later determined to be fraudulent making the victim responsible for the money. The travelers check scam works like this. The person signs up for a work at home job with a vague job
description on an internet site. The person then receives Travelers Checks in the mail usually in the amount of $500.00 each. The person is instructed to cash the checks and keep ten percent as payment and return the rest using Western Union. Once the person does as instructed more checks are
sent to him in larger and larger amounts. In the most recent case HPD investigated a check in the amount of $3,800.00 was successfully cashed in addition to numerous others in various amounts from $500.00
on up. The Traveler’s checks are later found to be fraudulent. Then there is the foreign lottery winner scam that continues to come back time and again. A letter is sent to a person identifying them as a lottery winner usually from Canada but other foreign countries have been used. To claim the prize the person has to pay the taxes owed on the prize amount upfront usually by Money Gram or Western Union. In the letter is a check made out to the targeted person in a larger amount than the taxes owed. The person is instructed to deposit the check keeping the excess funds and send the amount owed for the taxes back. The check, while official looking, is later determined to be fraudulent. A variation of the lottery winner
scam uses the Publisher’s Clearing House logo and the letter identifies the person as the second prize winner in the Mega millions Game. The person has to meet the United States lottery commission and other
administrative requirements in order to receive the prize. Again there is an official looking check in the letter to be used to defray these costs. The victim later discovers the check is fraudulent. Sometimes the letters used in these scams have telephone numbers with contact persons listed. Phone calls will be answered and the person will answer questions and give directions on how to proceed. They are just part of the game. Each of these scams is dependent upon the victim seizing the opportunity to obtain some money.

Another scam that is gaining in popularity and we have seen twice in the past month is the emergency phone call from Canada. An elderly person is targeted and they receive a phone call from a person claiming to be the person’s grandchild and in one case actually used the correct first name of the person’s grandchild. The caller speaks rapidly and sounds desperate, states that they have been involved in an accident in Canada and need $5,000.00 wired to them immediately. They ask that their parents
not be contacted and tell the victim they will explain everything to them when they get home. The caller speeds up the transaction by stating they are calling from a pay phone and they are out of change and are running out of call time they have just enough time to tell the elderly victim where to wire the money. Both attempts were successful in obtaining the money requested from the victims. In all of these cases the money eventually is wired or routed to Canada.

Don’t give personal information to people you don’t know. Just because a letter or email looks official doesn’t make it so. Many of the checks used have the correct routing numbers and bank account numbers and use the company’s logo but they are forgeries. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is so proceed with caution and common sense.

Patrick B. McElhinny, Chief of Police

Solicitation: Hermitage has an ordinance which requires businesses and non-profit organizations to obtain solicitation permits. The police department verifies whether those soliciting have ever been convicted of a crime - in which case the permit would be denied. People who have been granted permission to solicit are given an identification card. So if you are approached by someone who is not wearing the proper identification, call 911.

Accident Reports: The police department will make available copies of accident reports at a cost of $5.00 for Hermitage residents and $10.00 for non-residents.

Tours and Programs: Tours of the police department are available to any citizen, group, or service organization. To make arrangements, please contact the administrative office of the police department giving your name, phone number, and group size. Members of the police department are also available to present programs to groups and residential neighborhoods on many police-related topics. Again, contact the administrative office of the police department.

D.A.R.E. Program: A School Resource Police Officer is assigned to teach the D.A.R.E. Program, which educates the students, teachers, and administrators in public and private schools of the effects of drugs, alcohol, and violence. The following are a few tips to parents:

- Establish family rules that make the use of drugs non-negotiable and violence unacceptable.
- Educate yourself about drugs so you can talk informatively with your children and answer their questions.
- Talk with your children. Try to establish uniform rules that make access to drugs and alcohol harder for your children and their friends - such as a curfew, the amount of spending money they receive, and their use of a car.
- If problems arise, try to seek advice and counsel from someone both you and your child respect and can relate to.

C.O.P.S. Program: The Hermitage Police Department recognizes the importance of providing crime prevention techniques, and "Community Oriented Policing Services" offers programs and services to the community such as: bicycle safety and registration; home security; operation identification (personal property IDs); personal security (how not to become a victim); senior citizen crime prevention programs; plus many more. If you are interested in any of these programs or would like a full list of additional programs, call the Hermitage Police Department at (724) 983-6780 and ask for Police Chief McElhinney, or e-mail him at pmcelhinny@hermitage.net.

Service: When in need of police response, CALL 911. This number is for anytime you need a police officer to respond to your home or business. The 911 office is located in Mercer with the capability of identifying the address and phone number from which you are calling. This service is called Enhanced 911 and is paid in part each month as a special charge on your telephone.

If there is an after hour administrative question that will not require a police officer response, you can call 724-662-6100 and speak to an employee of the 911 center. To contact the administrative offices of the Hermitage police department, you can call the numbers listed below between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday:

FINGERPRINT HOURS: Fingerprint hours are MONDAY – THURSDAY 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM. NO FINGERPRINTS ARE DONE ON FRIDAY. *Depending on how busy officers are, fingerprint times may not be applicable.  If an officer's) is on an emergency call, they will not return to station to do fingerprinting. FINGERPRINTING for job applicants is provided “free of charge” to all HERMITAGE residents or those working in HERMITAGE.  If you do not meet either of these two criteria, you will be referred to your local police department. Proof of ID is required in all instances.  If you are NOT a resident of Hermitage, a statement from the employer requiring you to be printed must be provided on company letterhead, stating the address of the business in Hermitage.

Records and Information: 724-983-6780
Investigation and Juvenile: 724-983-6782
Administrative: 724-983-6784
Fax Line: 724-983-6786

Other phone numbers of reference for police-related issues:

District Judge for Hermitage: 724-346-3591
Mercer County Courthouse: 724-662-3800
PA State Police: 724-662-4200

For more information, contact:

Mr. Pat McElhinny, Chief of Police
800 North Hermitage Road
Hermitage, PA 16148
Admin: 724-983-6780
EMERGENCY: 9-1-1
24 hour, non-emergency contact: 724-662-6110
pmcelhinny@hermitage.net

Police Department Photos:

Squad cars outside the City Building