• Always lock your doors and windows when leaving, even if for only a few minutes.  Second story windows and doors should be secured as if they were on the first story.
• Use timers on indoor lamps to give the appearance that you are home. If you’re going out for the evening, leave a television or a radio on in the home.
• If your home is equipped with an alarm, always activate it even if you’re only going out for a short walk.
  • Consider adding a motion sensor in your master bedroom/bathroom, which will activate the alarm if someone comes in through a glass window or door without opening it.
• Always keep your front and rear porch lights on from dusk to dawn and use motion detector lighting along the sides of your home or areas with little foot traffic.
• Make sure your utility box is secured with a padlock.
• Adjust window coverings for optimal privacy while maintaining good visibility outside.
• Assess whether or not a window can be easily accessed from a tree, balcony, roof, wall, or with patio furniture and adjust your security plan accordingly. Ladders should be stored inside or locked to a stationary object.
• If your garage door has a remote shutoff button on the wall-mounted control located in the garage, consider locking the door nightly. This will prevent your garage door from being opened remotely.
• If you have a safe, make sure that it is properly bolted to concrete so that it cannot be easily removed.
• Always close and lock your safe and never leave a key or combination out or in an easy to find location (e.g., office, nightstand, etc.).
• If you return home and find your pedestrian door that leads into your home locked, and you are certain that you left it unlocked, DO NOT GO INSIDE! Call 911.  Burglars often lock this door to slow down a victim, allowing the burglar extra time to get out of the home before the resident enters.
• Join Neighborhood Watch! The best crime prevention device ever invented is a good neighbor.

Use our Home Security Checklist to assess your own home and see what security measures you can take to "harden the target".

You can also consider a Home Security Inspection.

An empty home can be an appealing target for a burglar.  Take these steps to make your home safer while you're away:

• Take steps to make your home look "lived in".  Use timers so that lights, radios, and televisions go on and off throughout the house, to give the appearance that someone is home.
• Have a neighbor or friend pick up mail, packages, and newspapers.
• Continue your gardening service or have a neighbor maintain your lawn in your absence.
• Install and use good locks on all windows and doors.
• Never leave a house key under a doormat, in a flowerpot, or on the ledge of a door.  These are the first places that a burglar will look.
• Don't advertise that your home is empty.  Be mindful of the outgoing message on your voicemail/answering machine, public social media posts, etc.

Consider requesting a Vacation Check while you're away.

• Lock and secure all doors and windows even if you’re only gone for a few minutes.
• Don’t leave valuables in your vehicle.  If you absolutely cannot take them with you, conceal them from view prior to arriving at your destination.
• When parking outside of your garage, treat your garage door opener as if it were a key to your home and remove it from your vehicle.
• If your vehicle has an alarm, always activate it!
• Always park your vehicle in a well-lit area.

The City of Newport Beach maintains a Newport Beach Ready Guide and other preparedness resources here.

Here are some online resources for gun owners:

• Project ChildSafe - a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation to promote firearms safety and education.
• California Department of Justice - firearms safety tips, firearms owner responsibilities, and information on childproofing your firearm.

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) is required by law to maintain and continually update a website detailing information about sex offenders. DOJ classifies the offenders based on language in the California Penal Code (Section 290).

We maintain local supervision over sex registrants living within Newport Beach. This information is then disseminated through DOJ's Megan’s Law website. The purpose of the Megan's Law website is to assist the members of the public in protecting themselves or children who may be at risk.

Some offenders move frequently and do not always register their new locations in a timely manner. Although efforts are made to keep the information depicted on the site up-to-date, please be aware that some of the information may not be current.

It is illegal to use information obtained through the Megan's Law website to commit a crime against a registered sex offender or to engage in discrimination or harassment against a registered sex offender.

If you have specific questions about the website or laws related to sex registrants, please call the Special Victims Unit supervisor at 949-644-3775.

Megan's Law Website

We recommend the following websites for more information on keeping kids and teens safe online:

• Common Sense Media - reviews for what your kids are into (before they get into it)
• NetSmartz - online safety education program provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• NetSmartzKids - videos, games, and interactive activities to teach online safety

If you have additional questions, you can reach a crime prevention specialist at 949-644-3638.

The Orange County Health Care Agency offers resources for child safety seats such as inspections, classes, and installation help.

Detailed information on the installation and recommended use of child safety seats can also be found here:

• SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• National SAFE KIDS Campaign