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Sheriffs, FBI provide crime survival tips
By KEVIN FAYLE
Owners and employees from two groups of businesses most vulnerable to violent robberies--banks and jewelry stores--gathered at the Cupertino Senior Center on July 19 to hear suggestions on how to handle all aspects of an armed robbery.
Representatives from the FBI, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, county emergency service agencies, and the office of the district attorney reported on the situation in Cupertino, which has witnessed a significant number of violent robberies so far in 2001 they then listed tips for getting through a robbery safely.
Sergeant Skip Shervington, the sheriff's community outreach officer for Cupertino, arranged the meeting with the help of the mayor and the city staff. The idea came about during discussions over the high level of bank and jewelry store robberies in Cupertino so far this year.
The presentations dealt with every aspect of a robbery, from what to do if a suspicious person lingers in a store, to the best ways to navigate the court system. Agent Modinger encouraged business owners to take the proper precautions to ensure safety and a speedy apprehension of robbery suspects.
While Modinger said cool heads and calm reactions help during a robbery, he told the audience: "don't be a hero."
Supervisors from the county communications office, which handles incoming emergency calls and dispatches, explained the best way to report a robbery. The supervisors, Keith Garvey and Bob Eger, encouraged owners and employees to call the communications center even if they have already triggered the businesses' alarm system. The alarm goes through the alarm company first, so a direct call to the communications center will get a more immediate response.
Eger also explained that 911 calls made through mobile phones do not go to county communications. He urged businesses to make 911 calls on a landline, or program the direct seven-digit number for communications into their cell phones.
He also tried to assuage concerns over the process the center goes through when receiving an emergency call. Many people become frustrated with the operators, Eger said, because they ask a number of questions during the call. He stressed the agency designed the questions to provide them with the most important information to respond to the call, and assured the businesses that as soon as the nature of the crime and the location are known, officers make their way to the scene. They don't wait to send out a dispatch.
Shervington said he thinks the meeting performed a good service for the banking and jewelry store communities, and he hopes to expand the event into a series..
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
