This issue:

- Happy Holidays from OVPD

- Vehicle Security Alert

- Darkhouse Program is Back!

- Winter Holiday Safety Tips

Happy Holidays from OVPD

As the year winds down, the Oro Valley Police Department would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for the support we receive from our community throughout the year.  Whether it's words of kindness to our officers, meals dropped off at the main station, hand-made cards from children, or the thousands of volunteer hours given by our Citizen Volunteer Assistants Program (CVAP) members, we truly appreciate it!

With your help, here are some of the things we have accomplished this year:

Safest City in Arizona – In June, the Town of Oro Valley was ranked #1 of “Safest Places in Arizona 2022” by Elite Personal Finance.  The website extracted the latest data from the FBI crime statistics in the United States to make its determination.  OVPD is proud of this award, as it recognizes our dedication to fight crime and enhance the quality of life in Oro Valley.

Accreditation – After a two-year long process, OVPD finally received accreditation from the Arizona Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ALEAP) in September.  The process involved a review of every aspect of OVPD’s policies and procedures by outside auditors and showed compliance to over 170 benchmarks that meet industry standards and best practices.

National Night Out – The Community Resources Unit, in partnership with Walmart, hosted our annual National Night Out event at the Oro Valley Marketplace in October.  There were over 50 displays from partner agencies, and we were overwhelmed with record attendance of over 3,500 people!

Community Outreach – The Community Resources Unit (CRU) has been busy this year!  We have hosted two Citizens Academies (totaling 24 weeks), two Teen Academies, six Dispose-A-Med events collecting over 800 pounds of drugs, five Start Your Engines Ladies automotive classes, and multiple crime prevention presentations for area hotels and residents.  CRU Officers became certified Child Passenger Safety Seat installers, earned Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) professional designations, restarted the Crimefighter monthly newsletter, updated/restarted the Neighborhood Watch program with new signs, modernized/restarted the Darkhouse program, and coordinated 40 other special events including races, concerts, festivals and town-sponsored events.

We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Vehicle Security Alert

The Oro Valley Police Department has seen a recent spike in thefts from vehicles and garages over the past several months.  During the month of October, there were approximately 16 thefts from vehicles parked in residential driveways and 3 thefts from garages.  Unfortunately, these were a combination of forced entry (breaking into vehicles by smashing windows) and doors left unlocked.  All of these thefts occurred during the overnight hours in residential neighborhoods.

Typically, these criminals come to our neighborhoods and go up and down the streets looking into vehicles for valuable items, such as electronics, garage door remotes, wallets, and bags.  They also check for unlocked doors and dig through unlocked vehicles to check for items of value.  Criminals typically look for the easiest target, and do not want to be seen or heard.  They want to get in, take the valuables, and get out undetected.  As a reminder, even if you live in a gated community, you are not immune from crime.

To reduce the risk of becoming a victim, we urge residents to REMOVE any valuables from your vehicle, including garage door and gate remotes, and LOCK your doors.  Removing valuables or parking inside the garage are best practices towards not becoming a victim.  Additionally, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles show that proper lighting is an effective crime prevention tool, as a lighted area makes criminals uncomfortable because they feel like they will be seen.  Therefore, leaving exterior lights on or installing motion-activated lights is one more step that residents can take.

As always, if you see something suspicious in your neighborhood, please report it to your police department immediately by dialing 911.

Darkhouse Program is Back!

After a two-year hiatus, we are proud to announce that the OVPD Darkhouse Program is finally back!  Darkhouse is one of our most popular programs at the Community Resources Unit and, after a lengthy process to modernize the hardware and software, it is back and better than ever!

The Darkhouse Program allows Oro Valley residents the ability to register their unoccupied homes to be checked by members of our Citizen Volunteer Assistants Program (CVAP) on a regular basis while they are out of town or on vacation for at least seven days.

The primary purpose of this program is to offer vacationing, seasonal, and year-around residents the reassurance that if a problem exists at their property, such as suspicious activity, utility emergencies, or other emergency conditions, the resident or their designated key holder can be contacted expeditiously.  As frequently as staffing allows, CVAP members will check the exterior of your home for any concerns and will notify you if any are found.

Registration is online and completely free!  Visit www.orovalleyaz.gov/police and click on “Popular Programs and Services” for more information or to register your home.  Because the program was re-designed from the ground up, all previous Darkhouse registration numbers and forms are no longer valid.  You will need to register online as we are not taking walk-ins.