Common Criminal Actions and What to Do

Annoying Phone Calls:
Not all unwanted calls are criminal in nature. Some may be as simple as a fax machine or computer modem inadvertently programmed with the wrong number. The Alhambra Police Department will do what it can to assist in solving this problem. However, if the calls you are receiving are criminal in nature, first complete a police report then contact Pacific Bell at (800) 698-7223, Mon.-Fri., from 8a.m.-5 p.m. Tell them that you wish to have a "phone trap" placed on your line. You will need to provide them with the Alhambra Police Department's report number that was issued to your case. Pacific Bell will maintain a phone trap on your line for approximately 14 days. Your cooperation with Pacific Bell is critical to the success of the investigation. You MUST maintain an accurate log of all illegal calls including date and time and contact Pacific Bell the following business day with the information. It is very important to track the EXACT time of each call. You MUST set your clock to the official Pacific Bell time (626) 853-1212. Pacific Bell considers a trap successful if you receive two or more illegal calls from the same telephone number. If the Pacific Bell representative tells you they have a "hit", please contact the Alhambra Police Department Investigations Division at (626) 570-5157 and request to speak to the detective who has been assigned to your case. Have your police report number available. The results of the phone trap will be faxed to the police department usually within 2 weeks. After receiving the fax from Pacific Bell, the detective assigned to your case will call you and discuss the available options. Pacific Bell cannot release any information directly to you.

Restraining Orders:
Restraining orders can be applied for at either the Alhambra Superior Court, 150 W. Commonwealth Ave., Alhambra (626) 308-5307 or the Pasadena Superior Court, Room 102, 300 E. Walnut Avenue, Pasadena (626) 356-5689. Restraining orders will normally prohibit the restrained party from harassing, bothering, molesting, phoning or otherwise contacting the protected person, and usually specifies a distance that the restrained party must stay away from the protected person, his/her home and place of employment. Restraining orders may also require one party to move out of a residence, award temporary custody of children and prohibit the restrained party from possessing or acquiring firearms.

Types of Restraining Orders include:

• Domestic Violence Restraining Orders are "FREE". These orders apply to parties involved in a dating or marital relationship. Family members who live in the same household (such as brothers and sisters) also are covered by domestic violence orders.
• Civil Restraining Orders are for instances where domestic violence does not apply; the cost is $192.00. However, fee waivers are available if you qualify.

Once the court grants a restraining order, you must serve the person(s) to be restrained and file the restraining order along with the "proof of service" with the law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction(s) where you live/work in order for the restraining order to be valid. The initial restraining order is only "temporary." The order may be made permanent following a later hearing at the Pasadena Superior Court where both the restrained party and the protected person are present. Any violation of a restraining order should be reported to the law enforcement agency where the violation occurs. Only the judge who issued the order can modify it. You should keep a copy of the signed order and proof of service on hand. Assistance for victims of domestic violence can be obtained from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Call (800) 799-SAFE 24 hours a day for referrals to state and local programs.

Missing Persons: 
For missing juveniles or adults, call the Alhambra Police Department at (626) 570-5157 or (626) 570-5161. The vast majority of persons reported missing to the Alhambra Police Department are located in good health and return home within 24-48 hours. Most missing and runaway children return home on their own. However, the Department will take a missing person report regardless of when or where the missing person was last seen and then forward a copy to the appropriate agency for further investigation. Which forwarding agency the report is sent to will depend on where the missing person was last seen or if he/she resides in another jurisdiction. Common reasons why children runaway or are reporting missing include teens upset over discipline issues, misunderstandings between parents and children as to when they are to return home, and young children who lose track of time while playing with friends. Responding uniformed officers will interview you and check your house and yard for the missing child. Young children are often found hiding from their parents inside or near the home. To assist detectives in locating your child, have available a recent picture of your child and the full names, addresses and phone numbers of your child�s friends.

Counterfeit Checks:
The instances of fraud using counterfeit checks have skyrocketed. Where once a skilled technician with equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars was required to counterfeit checks and other financial instruments, now anyone can acquire a computer, software, scanner and color printer that makes counterfeiting a do-it-yourself operation. Blank check stock intended for legitimate uses is also readily available to counterfeiters.

Key points:

1. Know your customer when cashing checks. If an individual presents a payroll check drawn on a company that's not local to you and their identification shows an address some distance away, ask yourself why they are shopping with you. Unless you have great prices or unique merchandise they can't find closer to home, ask yourself why this customer is patronizing your store. This is especially true at markets on weekends when verifying the validity of the check with the employer or bank is not an option.
2. Nearly all fraudulent payroll checks passed at local merchants are computer-generated. They are often for amounts just shy of $400.00. Misspellings and inconsistencies in addresses or other information that appears on the face of the check are commonly seen errors on fraudulent documents.
3. Be cautious of accepting cashiers checks from strangers on weekends. Cashiers checks are a favorite with counterfeiters and are often used to purchase high dollar items such as vehicles, computer equipment, and jewelry. Ideally, accompany the purchaser to the bank that issued the check to verify its validity. If that is not possible, do not ship or deliver your merchandise until you confirm that the check is valid.

Internet Safety

1. Keep your passwords private--even from your best friend! Your online service will never ask for them, so neither should anyone else.
2. Use only your Log-In Name and/or email address when chatting or sending email. Never give out personal information such as your name, address or phone number.
3. Always delete an unknown email attachment as it could contain a destructive virus.
4. Remember that nothing you write on the Web is completely private, including email. So be careful what you write.
5. People are not always as nice, charming or entertaining as they may seem in an email correspondence, so be careful when meeting "on-line" friends in person. Children should always ask for permission before meeting an "on-line" friend in person and a parent or guardian should accompany them on the first visit.
6. Don't respond to messages that make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
7. Never give out a credit card number or on-line password over the Internet.

For additional information on protecting children while using the internet, see the L.A. District Attorney's website on "Protecting our Children."

Identity Theft:
Victims of identity theft often do not discover this crime until they apply for and are denied credit. They find that they have several unknown debts or creditors listed on the their credit report. One way criminals obtain a victim's personal information is by stealing mail containing credit card numbers or checks. Criminals also obtain the information from places where victims have applied for credit such as car dealers, loan brokers, furniture stores or other businesses. Once a thief obtains the victim's social security number and other personal information, he or she applies for loans and credit cards in the victim's name, using a "mail drop" address different from the victim. Thieves either create forged documents or apply for and receive a genuine duplicate driver's license from DMV in the victim's name bearing their picture and "new" address. Tracking identity thieves is difficult due to the amount of time that usually passes between the time the crook is running up bills and when the victim discovers his/her identity has been stolen. The thieves are also highly mobile and their crimes cover many jurisdictions.

Victims who suspect their identity has been stolen should do the following:

1. Contact the bank or creditor immediately and explain the situation. Usually the bank or creditor will have you sign an affidavit stating that you did not make the purchase(s) and that the charge(s) are fraudulent. The bank or creditor may also absolve you of the charges. In that case, the bank or creditor becomes the victim of the fraud and no further action is required on your part.
2. Sometimes a bank or creditor will require a police report before they will accept an affidavit. In this case, you must file a report with the proper agency. This is sometimes confusing. If you can positively determine where the theft of identity occurred such as from your mailbox or work place, then that city is where you should file the report. However, if it cannot be determined where the theft occurred, then you should report the crime where the check or credit card was passed. If multiple jurisdictions are involved (and that is usually the case), the unwritten rule is that the jurisdiction with the highest dollar amount or greatest number of transactions is where the report should be taken.
3. Contact the credit reporting bureaus and obtain credit reports to see if there are other unauthorized accounts:
   
   Equifax (800)525-6285 http://www.equifax.com
   Trans Union (800)680-7289 http://www.tuc.com/
   Experian (888) 397-3742 http://www.experian.com/

For additional  information about identity theft, IdentityRestore.com provides a comprehensive wesite devoted to this crime.

Subpoenas:
(Call (626) 570-5163 to reach one of the Division's Subpoena Control Officers.) The Alhambra Police Department's Investigations Division serves subpoenas issued by the District Attorney. If you have received a subpoena from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, you are either a victim or witness to a crime. The subpoena is an order from the court to appear in person at a specific time and place. Failure to appear is a contempt of court and can lead to your arrest. Only the District Attorney or the Court can excuse you from appearing. The back of the subpoena has further information about the court system. If you have questions about the case or why you were subpoenaed, you may call the District Attorney's Office. The name and phone number of the Deputy District Attorney issuing the subpoena is located on the bottom right-hand corner of the subpoena. Some subpoenas are "on call". This means that you do not have to appear in court, but you need to make arrangements with the District Attorney so they can reach you if your presence is required. Instructions will be found in the box entitled "Special Instructions to Witness." Another type of subpoena is the Subpoena Duces Tecum, commonly referred to as an SDT. This subpoena requires that someone, usually the "custodian of records," bring specified documents or other business records to court. Personal appearance may not be required for a SDT. The subpoena will explain the procedure for compliance. Questions should be directed to the District Attorney issuing the subpoena.