The Redwood City Police Cadet Program

The Redwood City Police Cadet Program has a long and well-established history of offering valuable experience to local teens and young adults as they explore the vocation of law enforcement. At the same time, these volunteers provide many hours of service to the Redwood City community during City events and large-scale incidents handled by the Police Department. Yet the Program also strives to provide participants with direction and guidance to prepare for the responsibilities of becoming a successful adult.

The Cadet Program has refocused its emphasis on early development of youth interested in seeking careers in law enforcement. Throughout the year, cadets learn and practice police techniques including enforcement tactics and strategies, legal precedents and statutes, and community policing. Those who are interested travel regionally and throughout the State to compete with other Cadet teams in order to further develop their skills and challenge their resolve to pursue a career in law enforcement. In recent years, the Cadet Program has grown into an award-winning group, gaining regional acknowledgments for their performance.

Cadets are unarmed and are not police officers, nor do they undertake enforcement tasks in any capacity, however cadets are exposed to policing topics within controlled environments and under close supervision of Police Department employees. The primary goal of this program is to expose youths with an interest in law enforcement to core values and functions that frame this profession. The Redwood City Police Department continues to benefit from the Cadet Program, as a number of cadets, have eventually gone on to be selected as police officers.

The Cadet Program is located in the Police Activities League (PAL) building on Bay Road and enjoys partnership with this program as Cadets serves as role models for youth in the community. Cadets must volunteer at least ten hours of their time each month, as well as attend monthly meetings and training sessions. Working with sworn police officers at public events and assisting in various capacities throughout the Department helps the young people develop new leadership skills and explore many of the facets of public service while learning to stand on their own two feet. 

More information can be found on the Redwood City Police Department’s Cadet Program webpage at:

http://www.redwoodcity.org/departments/police-department/police-divisions/patrol-division/cadet-program

Black Friday / Cyber Monday Safety Tips

The holiday season is up on us and we want to give you a quick reminder to stay safe while you are out shopping for the holidays. The National Crime Prevention Council has great tips to help you shop safely while getting those great holiday bargains on Black Friday. Here are some safety tips to remember:

Shopping in Stores

• Do not buy more than you can carry.  Plan ahead by taking a friend with you or asking a store employee to help you carry your packages to the car.
• Save all receipts.  Print and save all confirmations from your online purchases. Start a file folder to keep all receipts together and to help you verify credit card or bank statements as they come in.
• Don’t flash the cash. Consider alternate options to pay for your merchandise, such as onetime or multi-use disposable credit cards or money orders, including at online stores.
• Wait until asked by a cashier before taking out your credit card or checkbook. An enterprising thief would love to shoulder surf to get your account information.

 Walking to and From Your Car

• Be informed about your surroundings.
• Deter pickpockets.  Carry your purse close to your body or your wallet inside a coat or front trouser pocket.
• Have your keys in hand when approaching your vehicle. Check the back seat and around the car before getting in.
• Do not leave packages visible in your car. Lock them in the trunk, or if possible, take them directly home.

 Shopping With Small Children

• If you are shopping with children, make a plan in case you are separated from each other.
• Select a central meeting place.
• Teach them to know they can ask mall personnel or store security employees if they need help.
• Have them memorize or keep your cell phone number handy.

 Shopping Online

• Before surfing the Internet, secure your personal computers by updating your security software. Everyone’s computer should have anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-spam software, as well as a good firewall installed.
• Keep your personal information private and your password secure. Do not respond to requests to “verify” your password or credit card information unless you initiated the contact. Legitimate businesses will not contact you in this manner.
• Beware of “bargains” from companies with whom you are unfamiliar — if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
• Use secure websites for purchases. Look for the icon of a locked padlock at the bottom of the screen or “https” in the URL address.
• Shop with companies you know and trust. Check for background information if you plan to buy from a new or unfamiliar company.
• To avoid purchasing counterfeit products, carefully examine the products you want to buy for signs of missing information (manufacturing information, warranty, product codes, etc.), broken or missing safety seals, different or incomplete packaging, and subtle or obvious changes to a company logo.

Back to School Safety Tips

School days bring traffic, kids on bikes and walking, and hurried parents trying to drop of their kids before work.  The Redwood City Police Department reminds residents that schools will be back in session starting the week of August 21st. Officers and will be out enforcing traffic laws at our schools. It's never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present – especially before and after school.

Here are a few recommendation 

If You're Dropping Off

Schools often have very specific drop-off procedures for the school year. Make sure you know them for the safety of all kids. More children are hit by cars near schools than at any other location, according to the National Safe Routes to School program. The following apply to all school zones:

• Don't double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles
• Don't load or unload children across the street from the school
• Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school

Sharing the Road with Young Pedestrians

• According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they're walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe:

• Don't block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic
• In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection
• Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign
• Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas
• Don't honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way
• Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians
• Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way

Sharing the Road with School Buses

If you're driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It isillegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.

• Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if 
• you're on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children
• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is 
• extended, traffic must stop
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough 
• back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus
• Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks

Sharing the Road with Bicyclists 

On most roads, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as vehicles, but bikes can be hard to see. Children riding bikes create special problems for drivers because usually they are not able to properly determine traffic conditions. The most common cause of collision is a driver turning left in front of a bicyclist.

• When passing a bicyclist, proceed in the same direction slowly, and leave 3 feet between    your car and the cyclist
• When turning left and a bicyclist is approaching in the opposite direction, wait for the          rider to pass
• If you're turning right and a bicyclists is approaching from behind on the right, let the rider       go through the intersection first, and always use your turn signals
• Watch for bike riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling; children               especially have a tendency to do this
• Be extra vigilant in school zones and residential neighborhoods
• Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars
• Check side mirrors before opening your door

By exercising a little extra care and caution, drivers and pedestrians can co-exist safely in school zones. The National Safety Council has prepared a reference sheet on school zones / traffic enforcement and isavailable HERE for download.

Keyless entry system auto burlgaries

The Police Department has been noticing a trend recently with auto burglaries.  These auto break-ins, also called “amplification attacks, occur when thieves amplify the signal from the vehicle key fob to trick the keyless entry system into thinking the key was in the thieves hand.  Most newer model vehicles have a key fob that you do not have to press a button to unlock the door.  With the new fob you can simply approach the vehicle and the door will unlock.  In some vehicles the engine will even start if the key is close enough to the vehicle.

 

With a traditional press the button key fob a unique code is created by the computer chip on the fob that pairs with the vehicles algorithm.  If the codes match up, the vehicle doors open.  There is a bit more to it, but it is harder for thieves to hack this system.

With always-on, true keyless entry systems there is a risk.  As long as your key is in range of the vehicle anyone can open the vehicle and think it is you.  Most newer systems activates when the key is approximately one foot away.

What thieves are doing is purchasing an amplifier.  The amplifier “amplifies” the signal from your key fob tricking your vehicle to think that the key fob is close to the vehicle.  Some of these devices can amplify a signal up to 300 feet.

In other words, your key could be in the house and a thief could walk next to your vehicle with one of these transmitters and open your car door.

We spoke with the San Mateo County Vehicle Theft Task Force and they confirmed that these type of break-ins are occurring in San Mateo County, and that they are on the rise.

There are several ways to block the amplified signals from thieves.

A signal blocking bag blocks the radio waves transmitted by the key fob by surrounding it material that interferes with the radio waves. There are several styles and models to choose from. You can also search for a “Faraday Bag.” Here is the official Wikipedia Definition;

A Faraday cage operates because an external electrical field causes the electric charges within the cage's conducting material to be distributed such that they cancel the field's effect in the cage's interior. This phenomenon is used to protect sensitive electronic equipment from external radio frequency interference (RFI). Faraday cages are also used to enclose devices that produce RFI, such as radio transmitters, to prevent their radio waves from interfering with other nearby equipment. They are also used to protect people and equipment against actual electric currents such as lightning strikes and electrostatic discharges, since the enclosing cage conducts current around the outside of the enclosed space and none passes through the interior.

We have also heard that some put their key fob in the freezer or microwave.  Before you set your key fob into a deep freeze, check with the manufacturer to make sure it will not damage the key, and do not use the microwave if you use this option.

The last option we have seen is to wrap your key fob in aluminum foil.  While this is the easiest solution the signal can leak if you do not wrap the key correctly.

These are just suggestions, we do not have the perfect solution to these types of attacks, but if you own a newer keyless entry system, please be aware.  As always do not leave anything of value in your vehicle while parked, this includes cash, laptops, purses, or other expensive items.  Leaving these items in view will temp any thief, whether they have a amplifying device or break into your vehicle the old school way.

Andy Greenberg (Feb.26,2017) Radio Attack Lets Hackers Steal 24 Different Car Models.  Retrieved June 7^th 2017, https://www.wired.com/2016/03/study-finds-24-car-models-open-unlocking-ignition-hack/

Wikipedia, Faraday Cage, retrieved June 8^th 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage