Alerts and Safety Tips - The City of Farmington

ATM Safety

Try to avoid using an ATM by yourself. Either take someone with you, or only use an ATM when others are around.
If possible, avoid using an ATM after dark. If you must, choose one that is well lighted and does not have tall bushes nearby.
When you arrive at an ATM, look around. If you see anything that makes you uncomfortable or anyone who looks suspicious, do not stop. Either use an ATM at a different location, or come back later. Notify the authorities.
Have your access card and any other documents you need ready when you approach an ATM. While you are fumbling with a wallet or purse you are an easy target for a thief.
If someone else is using the ATM when you arrive, avoid standing right behind them. Give enough space to conduct their transaction in privacy.
Even while using the ATM, stay alert to your surroundings. Look up and around every few seconds while transacting your business. Protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Do not enter your PIN if anyone else can see the screen. Shield your PIN from onlookers by using your body.
When your transaction is finished, be sure you have your card and your receipt, then leave immediately. Avoid counting or otherwise displaying large amounts of cash.
As you leave, keep a look out. Be alert for anything or anyone who appears suspicious. If you think you are being followed, go directly to a Police Station or go to an area with many people and call the police.

Bicycle Safety

Drivers need to remember to watch out for children riding their bikes, and kids need to remember to wear safety helmets while riding.

Here are some bicycle safety tips for riders:

Always wear a bicycle helmet.
Make sure that your bike is properly adjusted for you.
Drive slowly on bike paths and sidewalks.
Look both ways before crossing the street.
Walk your bike across streets and at crosswalks.
Be aware of vehicles around you.
Stay alert and watch out for obstacles in your way, such as potholes.
Obey traffic signs, signals and laws.
Ride along with traffic on the right side of the road.
Ride single file while biking with others.
Wear light colored clothing while biking at night.
Make sure your bike is equipped with front and rear reflectors.

Home Safety

Trim foundation plants and shrubs below the window sills. Plants should not create places of concealment where burglars can hide.
Install light fixtures outside every exterior door and keep these lights on during dark hours. Motion detectors are also great sources to deter burglars from your home.
Secure any sliding doors by wedging a piece of wood between the sliding door and the frame. Also, install a pin-lock on your sliding door so that it can be latched to the frame for extra security.
Install dead-bolt locks in all exterior doors. Do not hide spare keys under door mats, etc. Burglars are well aware of this trick and often look in common "hiding spots" for your keys.
Garage doors should have an interior lock and no outside keyway. Electronic garage door openers should be turned off during vacations, etc. Side doors to the garage should be equipped with a solid core wood or steel door with a dead-bolt lock.
Do not leave recently purchased TV boxes or other high end merchandise boxes outside your house. Break down the boxes so they can be placed in the trash can or recycling bin.
Keep the exterior of your home in a well maintained condition, i.e. lawn mowed, windows cleaned, etc. If your home gives an appearance that you are not around, you may be more of a target for a burglar.
Do not leave ladders, shovels or other tools lying around your house. Keep these items in a locked place.
Put yourself in the burglar's shoes. At least twice a year, walk around your home to locate vulnerable areas or contact the Farmington Public Safety Department to request assistance in conducting a home security survey.
Immediately report any suspicious people, noises or activity in your neighborhood to the police.

Home Security Checklist

Use this as a guide as you check your home for safety measures. Boxes marked “no” indicate areas where you should take action to improve the security of your home. These are just some of the steps you can take to decrease the likelihood that your home is targeted by thieves. Please contact Commander Frank Demers at (248)474-5500, ext #2246 if you would like more information about home security.

Seatbelt Safety

State Law requires that all occupants of your vehicle be properly secured in an approved restraining device. Remember "airbag" dangers -- no one under 12 years of age should be riding in the front seat. Children under 4 years should be restrained in an approved safety seat. "Click it or Ticket" -- it's the law.

This law allows police to stop vehicles if passengers are not wearing a seatbelt in the front seat. Vehicles can also be stopped if children between the ages of 4 to 15 years old riding either in the front or backseat are not properly restrained.

Infants should be placed in a federally approved infant car seat, facing the rear of the vehicle. Children 1 to 4 years old should be placed in a convertible seat, facing the front. Once this seat is outgrown, children should travel in a booster seat until they are big enough to use a lap and shoulder belt. A lap and shoulder belt can be used once a child is able to sit with their back against the seat and the back of their knees are bent over the seat.

Seat belts help save lives. Buckle up! -- It's the law.

Car Seats

Infants until at least one year old and at least 20 pounds should be in rear-facing car seats. Infants should ride in the back seat facing the rear of your vehicle. This offers the best protect for your infant's neck.

Keep harness straps snug and fasten harness clip at armpit level.
Never put an infant in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag (unless you have a manual cut-off switch and you have turned it off).
The back seat is the safest place for kids of any age.

Kids over one year old and between 20 and 40 pounds can be in forward-facing car seats.

Route harness straps in upper slots at or above shoulder level.
Place car seat in upright position.
Fasten harness clip at armpit level.Keep harness straps snug.Take a minute to be sure your child is riding safely. Study your vehicle owner's manual and car seat instructions carefully.

Send in the car seat registration card to be notified in case your car seat is recalled. If you have any questions, call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline (888-DASH-2DOT).

Replace any car seat that has been involved in a crash.
Route the safety straps correctly through the car seat.
Correctly buckle the car seat into the vehicle.
Get a tight fit -- the seat should not move more than one inch from side to side or toward the front o the vehicle.
Check your vehicle owner's manual to see if you need a locking clip.

Michigan Law requires that children up to the age of eight must be properly buckled in a car seat/booster while riding in a motor vehicle.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Credit card numbers, driver's license numbers, social security numbers, and other personal identification can net criminals thousands of dollars in a very short period of time.

While the financial loss incurred by this type of crime is not always incurred by the consumer, it can significantly traumatize them and take them months if not years to restore their credit and good name, and may keep them from being able to cash checks, obtain loans, or event rent an apartment.

Ten Ways to Protect Yourself

You can minimize the risk of being victimized by taking the following steps:

Never leave your purse or wallet unattended at work, at restaurants, at health fitness clubs, in your shopping cart, at church, at parties, etc. Never leave your purse or wallet in open view in your car, even when locked.
Destroy all checks immediately when you close a checking account. Destroy or keep in a secure place any courtesy checks that your bank or credit card company may mail you.
Reconcile your check and credit card statements in a timely fashion and challenge any purchases you did not make.
Limit the number of credit cards you have and cancel any inactive accounts.
Never give any credit card, bank or social security information to anyone over the telephone.
Minimize exposure of your social security and credit card numbers. If the numbers are requested for check cashing purposes, ask if the business has alternative options such as a check cashing card.
Safeguard your credit, debit and ATM card receipts and shred them before disposing of them.
Scrutinize your utility and subscription bills to make sure the charges are yours.
Memorize your passwords and personal identification (PIN) numbers. Keep your PIN numbers in a secure place. Don't give out your PIN. Keeping your numbers to yourself is the best way to keep your credit cards secure.
Keep a list of, or photocopy, all credit and identification cards you carry with you, including front and back, so that you can quickly call the issuers to inform them about missing or stolen cards. Keep this list in a secure place.

If You Are the Victim of Identity Theft

Report the incident to the police immediately.
Report all stolen cards to the issuers immediately and request new cards be issued. Follow up with written notification.
Notify your bank in the event your checks were stolen and request that your account be closed.
In order to prove your innocence, be prepared to fill out affidavits of forgeries for banks, credit grantors and recipients of stolen checks. They are joint victims with you and may suffer a financial loss.
Contact the social security office if someone is using your social security number to establish credit or new accounts.
FTC Identity Theft Toolkit

All three major credit reporting agencies in the United States have Fraud Assistance programs, with toll-free telephone numbers. Report the theft of your credit cards and request that your account be flagged to all three of the following companies:

Equifax Credit Information Services
Consumer Fraud Division
PO Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
Phone: 800-525-6285

TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634
Phone: 800-680-7289

TRW Information Services
Consumer Fraud Assistance
PO Box 1017
Allen, TX 75013
Phone: 800-301-7195

Put ICE on Your Phone

You're in a car accident and rendered unconscious?

You're at the mall or work and become incapacitated?

Put "ICE" in your cell phone and make it easier for emergency personnel to contact loved ones IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. Simply make a new entry with the word ICE next to the name you would want called in emergency situations. For example: ICE-Mom or ICE-Adam. Make sure that the person you choose as a contact knows your medical history.

If you don't have a cell phone, you should keep a business sized card containing emergency contact information with you in your wallet or purse. Click here to learn more about ICE and how to setup on your phone.

Sex Offender Registry and Most Wanted

Access to the Sex Offender Registry via the Internet is required by Michigan's Sex Offenders Registration Act (Public Act 85 of 1999). The Sex Offender Registry includes individuals in Michigan who were convicted of a listed offense on or after October 1, 1995. The entire Michigan Sex Offenders Registration Act can be accessed from the Michigan Legislature website.

Search the Michigan Sex Offender Registry

Lists of the Most Wanted individuals:

Oakland County Sheriff's Office Most Wanted
FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives
Michigan's Most Wanted

Weather Safety

When you hear the early Weather Warning System sirens, check the weather conditions and take cover.

A change in the activation of the Weather Warning System has been implemented. In the past, sirens were activated in Pontiac when storms were approaching the western borders of Oakland County. With that setup, it was not uncommon for a storm to approach Farmington from the west and actually pass over our City before the sirens sounded.

Under the new procedures, sirens will activate when a tornado warning is issued in either Washtenaw or Livingston counties. As storms generally come from the west, this will provide for earlier tornado warnings. Informational pamphlets are available at the police station.

Additional weather safety information is available:

Emergency preparedness information from Oakland County
Michigan State Police Winter Travel Hotline: 1-800-381-8477
AAA Snow Reports: 1-800-644-7669
Oakland County Early Weather Warning

How and When Winter Snow Emergencies Are Declared

The following is a summary of how and when winter snow emergencies are declared:

With winter upon us, we would like to residents know that the City of Farmington will usually declare a snow emergency when the weather forecast indicates that six (6) or more inches of snow is expected. The decision to declare a snow emergency is made following a thorough discussion between the Director of Public Safety, Director of Public Works and the City Manager.

Once a decision to declare a snow emergency has been made, the public safety department will notify the media and send out electronic messages via Nixle to residents who are signed up to receive such notifications. A snow emergency means all vehicles need to be removed from the roadway within twelve (12) hours so the streets can be plowed from curb to curb.

The public safety department is responsible for making sure all vehicles have been removed from the roadway. Public safety personnel will make a concerted effort to notify the owner of vehicles that are still parked in the roadway before impounding them. The owner of the vehicle will be responsible for the towing fee associated with the vehicle impound.

The snow emergency is used to ensure that all of the roadways in the city are plowed to allow prompt emergency responses to residents living in the neighborhoods. The prompt removal of the snow from the roadway before it freezes into ice also reduces the chances of damaging city owned snow plows.

If you have not signed up to Nixle, please go to Nixle.com to sign up for the free service or contact Commander Todd Anderson at 248-474-5500, ext. 5107, or email at tanderson@farmgov.com