Anonymous Crime Tip Hotline

Your assistance in providing information can be very helpful in solving a crime. Although we hope that you feel comfortable contacting the Police Department with information you may have, we also understand that you may have some reservations in doing so and therefore we offer anonymous ways to report crime.

The Palm Bay Police Department's mission is to protect and serve the people of our community. One way we can continually improve our service to you is by hearing from you.

Your assistance in providing information can be very helpful in solving a crime. Although we hope that you feel comfortable contacting the Police Department with information you may have, we also understand that you may have some reservations in doing so and therefore we offer anonymous ways to report crime.

Reporting Anonymous Tips

The Police Department offers several ways to report concerns and information regarding criminal activity anonymously:

• Leave a voicemail message on the City's Anonymous Crime Tip Hotline at (321) 952-3450. (Make sure you speak clearly and slowly and give as much information as possible, e.g. dates, times, addresses, vehicles, and people involved.)
• Text "crimeline" plus your tip information to CRIMES (274637)
• Call the CRIMELINE 24/7 Call Center using a toll free number: 1 (800) 423-TIPS (8477); no caller id and no recorded calls.
• Visit crimeline.org give a tip anonymously.

Please do not use these resources to report a crime in progress or issues of an emergency nature. To report an emergency or a crime in progress, please call 9-1-1.

Although anonymous information is useful, please consider leaving your contact information. This will allow Detectives to properly follow up if additional questions need to be answered.

Report Suspicious Activity

By reporting suspicious activity, neighbors and residents play a key role in the prevention of crime (and swift apprehension of criminals, when crime does occur).

What is "Suspicious?"

Suspicious activity may include:

• Someone going door-to-door with no apparent reason 
• Someone walking down the street trying car door handles or looking into windows of parked cars 
• A stranger walking into a neighbor’s back yard 
• People ringing door bells and walking away quickly 
• Transactions taking place from a car window or trunk 
• A stranger loitering in a residential area for an extended amount of time

What Phone Number Do I Call?

There are two numbers available for our residents to call for police services. Depending on the issue, the matrix below may help when deciding which number would be best. This is merely a guide and each incident varies. However, common sense should be exercised when summoning public safety resources.

911 = Emergency

• In progress crime
• Life threatening issues
• Child in danger (i.e. locked in a car, appears lost, etc.)
• Property at risk of being stolen, damaged or destroyed
• Drunk drivers
• Traffic collisions with injury
• Suspicious activity
• Missing persons

(321) 952-3456 Option "0"= Non-Emergency

• Any incident that does not require an emergency response

What To Do If You Observe Suspicious Activity...

While observing a behavior or incident that you feel is suspicious, call the Palm Bay Police Department. The following information is important to note:

• Where is this happening? (address, cross streets, landmarks)
• What are they doing? (lurking, loitering, trespassing, stealing, etc.)
• How many subjects are there?
• What do they look like? (sex, race, hair color, height, weight, clothing)
• What are they driving? (make, model, color, license plate, and/or oddities)
• Which way did they go?

Be proactive in your neighborhood!  Talk to your neighbors if you see:

• Garage doors left open 
• Newspapers/mail stacking up 
• Cars left unlocked
• Personal property left in vehicles 
• Unsecured homes (windows open, doors unlocked)

Am I Bothering the Police?

No, you are never bothering the police department when you call to report an incident. PBPD encourages residents to call whenever there is a feeling of suspicious activity, an unusual occurrence, something out of the ordinary and/or when an obvious crime has occurred.

Crime Prevention Tips

When it comes to crime there are no guarantees; anyone can be a victim.  If you are burglarized in the future there is one final step you can take now to help the police recover your items.  Keep an up-to-date list of serial numbers and descriptions for all your electronic devices and other valuables.  The list should include the make/brand, model number, serial number and physical description of each item including the color, size and other identifying characteristics.  Follow these few simple steps and start taking a proactive stance against burglars and crimes of opportunity.

Don’t open your doors to theft!

The on-going financial crisis affects more than budgets and your pocketbook.   Now more than ever criminals are turning to crimes of opportunity.  In the past few months Palm Bay has seen a widespread increase in burglaries of unsecured cars and homes.  It is not financially or physically possible to have an officer patrol every street corner.  But there are several tips and measures you can follow to help decrease your risk of becoming a theft victim.

• Always close your windows and lock all doors. It may sound easy, but make it a nightly routine. A two minute walk around the house or your car is the first step in preventing a possible burglary.
  
  
• Don’t keep valuables in plain sight. These items include wallets, cell phones, mp3 players, GPS systems or laptops. Car burglars feel like they’ve struck gold when they see valuables left in an unattended car. If the item is easy to grab and run with, no locked window will keep a burglar from breaking it and taking off with your valuables. Don’t forget to keep your garage door opener hidden as well. Once a burglar gets their hands on it they will have easy access to your home.
  
  
• Park in well lit areas. If you are traveling at night, even a quick run to the grocery store, make sure you park in well lit areas. Burglars work in secrecy and are less likely to strike an area of the parking lot that is clearly visible. If you park your car in the driveway consider installing motion detector lights. This preventative measure will help alert you and your neighbors if someone is in your driveway in the middle of the night. Not to mention the light coming on may also deter the burglar from continuing any farther.
  
  
• Secure all outside storage units and equipment. Keep lawn mowers, barbecue grills, bicycles and other outdoor equipment stored out of sight from passersby. And when you are making your nightly rounds checking locked doors, don’t forget the garden shed.
  
  
• Don’t leave spare keys out in the open. Hide-a-keys and door mats are not secure ways of leaving an extra house key around. If you need to have a spare, get with a trusted neighbor and swap keys. This way they can identify the appropriate people who can have access to your home while you are away.

When it comes to crime there are no guarantees; anyone can be a victim.  If you are burglarized in the future there is one final step you can take now to help the police recover your items.  Keep an up-to-date list of serial numbers and descriptions for all your electronic devices and other valuables.  The list should include the make/brand, model number, serial number and physical description of each item including the color, size and other identifying characteristics.  Follow these few simple steps and start taking a proactive stance against burglars and crimes of opportunity.

Emergency Preparedness

We recommend families consider these three ideas when making a plan: who to call, where to meet and what to pack. More Emergency Preparedness Information

Fraud

Skimming Information

The Palm Bay Police Department would like to make its citizens aware of a growing trend among criminals. The crime is referred to as "skimming" and it involves the illegal capture of personal credit card information.

A person intent on perpetrating a crime like this can use any number of legally obtained electronic devices which are designed to collect the information contained in the magnetic strip on the back of a debit or credit card. The electronic device can be held in the palm of the hand or can be installed inside a gas pump or on the exterior of an automated teller machine. Some cards containing RFID (radio frequency identification) chips can be read as far away as four feet. The use of RFID "readers" has been called "electronic pick-pocketing."

Report Fraud

Fraud Crime Prevention Tips

The best defense against “skimming” is to use cash to make purchases. If you must use your card, keep it in your sight. If you dine out, make sure you plan ahead to use cash. Oftentimes, a server will take your card and it will leave your sight, providing an opportunity for the compromise of the card information. If you use cash, it will offer you more security knowing the opportunity for skimming has not been provided.

You can avoid “skimming” at the gas pump by being observant. Some inventive fraudsters have devised ways to install a “skimmer” behind the card readers at gas pumps. Look for signs of tampering around the area of the card reader on the pump. Look at the lock on the panel that allows technicians access to work on the pump. To avoid an external skimmer, tug on the card reader and look at the other pumps. Does it look as though it has been modified in any way? If it looks wrong, don’t use it. Some gas retailers have begun using a strip of security tape around the access panel to the card reader on the pump. This will usually have a serial number on it. Don’t use the pump if that tape is broken- think of it as the seal on a grocery or pharmacy item and “void if seal is broken”!

If your card has an RFID microchip, it will usually have a specific RFID symbol on the back. The symbol looks like four arcs arranged in increasing size and equidistant apart. If you are unsure, you can ask your financial institution if your card has an RFID chip in it. The cheapest protection against electronic pick-pocketing is to make a small envelope out of tinfoil and store your card within it. There are companies that manufacture and market RFID protection and have many specific products. Any “big box” store that sells a high volume of computers may also have anti-static bags available. The bags are used to ship computer hard drives and are discarded after shipping.

These few simple steps can significantly reduce your risk of losing information to “skimmers” and improve your peace of mind and confidence in our ever-changing digital age. If you have questions about “skimming” or other fraudulent activity, or if you have been the victim of fraud, please call (321) 952-3456.

Information Courtesy of Detective David Raney, Winter Springs Police Department

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO THE POLICE
Emergency: 911 / Non-Emergency: (321) 952-3456

Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators Database

This Neighborhood Search allows users to enter any address in Florida and search the Florida Sexual Offender/Predator Registry for any registered sexual offender or predator living within a 1 to 5 mile radius of the address entered by the user. Search Sex Offender Database

Safe Exchange Zone

The Palm Bay Police Department has two location in Palm Bay that serve as a “Safe Exchange Zone” for residents to utilize for child custody, private property and e-commerce exchanges. Residents can make exchanges in the two provided spaces found at the main Palm Bay Police Station located at 130 Malabar Rd SE, or at the Police Sub-Station located at 1575 Main St. NE. These spaces are located in front of the buildings and the lots have video surveillance on it at all times.

"The Compound" - Not A Recreation Area

The area known as "The Compound" is not zoned as a recreation area open to the public. Even though nearly all The Compound is privately owned, the area has been increasingly used, illegally, as a popular spot for recreational outdoor activities. This misconception has led to an increase in illegal activity in the area. Anyone entering private property without consent of the landowner is trespassing. Learn More About The Compound