SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT BEGINNING COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Morgan County Sheriff Robert Garner has announced the beginning of a
community awareness campaign to draw attention to criminal activity
that may occur in the county.

The campaign involved placing large posters in schools and local
businesses that will target six criminal activities that are either a
continuing problem or on the rise.

Identity theft, stranger danger, shoplifting, sex offenders,
methamphetamine labs, and online predators will each have a poster
outlining items people should be looking for.

With the holiday season coming up, identity theft and shoplifting
incidents will increase as more people are shopping at stores.

For people who have suffered identity theft, life can become
complicated for years as they try to remove bad information the
imposter has placed on their credit reports. The poster gives tips
for people on how to protect their personal information and what to
do if you suspect someone is using your identity.

Shoplifting is a crime and costs businesses millions of dollars a
year in lost income. While it occurs everyday, shoplifting usually
peaks during the holiday season. Those loses have to be recovered and
the merchants have to pass those costs on to their customers.
Shoplifting is not always confined to stores and people at shopping
centers have suffered when thieves target the items in their vehicles.

Three of the posters work together as they target sex offenders,
online predators, and stranger dangers. In many cases, sex offenders
use computer chat rooms to make contact with children, often trying
to lure the unsuspecting child into a situation where they can be
abducted. The posters contain information for parents on monitoring
what their children are doing with their computers and what children
should do if a stranger approaches them.

Meth labs and the debris they leave behind have been a growing
problem for years. While recent changes in the law have made it
harder for those involved in the Meth business to obtain the
ingredients they need for their illegal work, there are still some
who find the materials they use to make their deadly drugs.

The poster shows what the public should be on the lookout for and
what to do if they find items that may have been used for Meth making.

Garner said law enforcement counts on the public for much of the
information used to find criminal activity.

The sheriff said many criminal cases are the result of members of the
public being aware of criminal activity in their area and informing
authorities.

Community awareness is crucial if law enforcement is to be effective
in fighting crime said the sheriff.

With the public's help, this holiday season could be quieter for all,
Garner said.