The Ludlow Police Department would like to provide the following tips for Celebrating Halloween and Trick-or-Treating Safely.
Ludlow Police Department Shares Package Theft Prevention Tips During Holiday Season
LUDLOW — With the holiday season fast approaching and more people shopping for gifts, Chief Daniel Valadas and the Ludlow Police Department would like to provide tips to prevent theft for residents expecting package deliveries in the coming weeks.
According to the National Neighborhood Watch, nearly one in four adults in the United States has reported having a package stolen at least once.
The Ludlow Police Department wishes to share the following tips from the National Neighborhood Watch to help prevent package theft:
- Consider getting a P.O. box at your local post office or having packages delivered to your office
- Set up notifications to track your packages
- Install a security camera in the area(s) outside your home where packages may be delivered
- Require a signature upon delivery to ensure packages are never left unattended
- Reschedule delivery or ask for a package hold when on vacation
- Research potential home security technology and locking device options to protect and monitor packages
- Ask your neighbors to grab your packages for safekeeping until you return home
- Sign up for the USPS “Informed Delivery” service, where you can get a daily email with a picture/scan of the mail you will receive that day. To sign up, click here.
If you believe you have fallen victim to package theft, you should do the following:
- Confirm with your delivery company that your package was actually delivered
- Identify which package was stolen and what the contents of that package were
- Contact the police immediately and report your package as stolen
- If you have a security camera on your home, give a copy of the video to police
- Report the package theft to the applicable carrier:
Should you happen to witness package theft, do not approach the suspect. Instead, pay attention to what their vehicle looks like and its license plate number. If possible, get a physical description of the suspect to share with the police.
Residents should note that around the holidays mail carriers such as Amazon and FedEx contract independent carriers to help deliver items during the peak season. These independent carriers typically drive their own vehicles that have no affiliation markers. Residents should be mindful of these individuals who are oftentimes mistaken as thieves when dropping off packages on behalf of carriers or delivery companies. As always, though, if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood report it to the police immediately.
Chief Valadas would also like to offer tips to holiday shoppers on how to avoid any incidents or theft while shopping in stores and online:
- As more people are on the road during the holiday season, be sure to drive carefully. Be patient when looking for a parking space. Do not speed up in a parking lot to catch an empty spot. Look for other cars or people when backing out of a parking space, and back out slowly.
- Keep shopping bags out of plain sight in your vehicle, preferably in your trunk.
- Keep your purse close to your body or your wallet in an inside coat pocket or front pants pocket.
- Save your receipts and monitor your credit card activity.
- When shopping online, stick to retailers you know or have shopped with before.
- Do not use public Wi-Fi to make purchases in order to prevent hackers from intercepting your information.
The men and women of the Ludlow Police Department wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season!
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Ludlow Police Department Shares Information on 2021 Civil Service Police Exam
Chief Daniel Valadas announces that applications for the 2021 Civil Service police exam are now being accepted.
The Civil Service exam is held annually to establish a list of eligible candidates for entry-level police officer vacancies in municipal departments, State Police, and MBTA Transit Police.
“This exam is an important first step when pursuing a career in law enforcement and helps provide departments throughout the Commonwealth with a list of qualified candidates,” Chief Valadas said. “We hope you will apply to take this exam if you are interested.”
Written exams are scheduled to begin on Saturday, June 12. Those interested are encouraged to apply by April 20; applications filed from April 21 to May 4 will be assessed a late fee. Applications will not be accepted after May 4.
Exams will be held at physical locations around the state. Applicants will receive an email two weeks before their exam, informing them of the date, time and location of their test.
Eligibility requirements for local, state and MBTA officers differ. General information may be found here. The site also contains a preparation guide, reading lists, application forms and a list of police departments that operate under Civil Service guidelines.
Ludlow Police Department Shares Guidance for Staying Safe, Healthy this Halloween
Chief Daniel Valadas wishes to provide important safety tips and guidance for reducing the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread this Halloween.
Trick-or-treating will take place in Ludlow on Saturday, Oct. 31.
“We hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy Halloween this year,” Chief Valadas said. “To do so, community members are asked to take the necessary safety precautions such as wearing appropriate face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as bright or reflective clothing.”
Should residents choose to partake in trick-or-treating, they are encouraged to make individually wrapped goodie bags that can be placed at the end of a driveway or the edge of their yard for families to take. Those who do not wish to participate in Trick-or-Treat are asked to shut off their outdoors lights as an indicator. Residents are also encouraged to explore other options to celebrate Halloween other than trick-or-treating, which better promote social distancing.
Children should:
- Only approach well-lit houses and always travel in small groups
- Wear clothing that is bright, reflective and flame retardant
- Use flashlights for guidance on sidewalks, walkways and when crossing the street
- Make sure masks have eye-holes large enough to see any tripping hazards or oncoming traffic, and mouth openings large enough to breathe easily
- Practice safe street-crossing by using crosswalks and walk signals
- Wear sturdy shoes and temperature appropriate clothing under costumes
Parents and guardians should:
- Supervise children under 12 years old
- Establish a designated curfew for older children
- Make sure children are wearing safe costumes that fit well and don’t drag on the ground
- Apply reflective tape to your child’s arms, legs and treat bags
- Assure costume accessories such as swords and other pointed objects are made with soft and safe materials
Homeowners should:
- Keep inside and outside lights on during trick-or-treat hours
- Avoid placing lit candles and jack-o-lanterns on doorsteps and walkways where costumes could brush against them and cause burns or fire
- Only hand out candy that is packaged and wrapped
- Avoid handing out small toys that could cause choking or lead poisoning for small children
All residents are advised to take the following precautions from the Department of Public Health if they choose to trick-or-treat this year:
- Wear a face mask or face covering. For more information on face masks and face coverings, please see the state’s Mask Up MA webpage.
- Observe good hand hygiene, including hand washing and use of alcohol-based sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol. Carry hand sanitizer and use it often, especially after coming into contact with frequently touched surfaces and before eating candy.
- Refrain from touching your face.
- Stay home and refrain from Halloween activities, including handing out Halloween treats, if:
- you feel unwell;
- you have tested positive for COVID-19;
- you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19; or
- you have traveled to or from a state that is not classified as lower risk within the last 14 days. For more information on lower risk states, please see the state’s COVID-19 Travel Order webpage.
- Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet of physical distance from all other participants who are not members of the same household.
Additionally, the Ludlow Police department would like to share the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists of several low and moderate risk alternative activities that community members can take part in for Halloween.
This includes lower risk alternatives such as carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them, or at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends; having a virtual Halloween costume contest or a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart; or having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart.
Additionally, residents are encouraged to avoid higher risks activities, such as indoor haunted houses or costume parties; hayrides or tractor rides with those outside of your household; or having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots.
More information and holiday safety tips from the CDC can be found here.