Learning to avoid being a victim

BONNERS FERRY — Theft prevention, identity theft, burglary and personal alarm systems, recovery of lost or stolen property, personal safety, neighborhood watches, internet and phone scams were among the topics of conversation during the Symposium on Safety, called a Night Out Against Crime.

The event took place on Thursday, Aug. 22, and was sponsored by the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office.

People from the community gathered at the National Guard Armory from 5 to 7 p.m., listened to speakers, and received a wealth of information in the form of pamphlets and more, all displayed on large tables.

“There is a lot going on that we really don’t see,” said Paula DesBiens, Certified Instructor for “Refuse to Be a Victim,” to the attendees about potential crimes.

DesBiens and Andrea Kramer, also a Certified Instructor for Refuse to Be a Victim, spoke to the people attending about ways to avoid becoming a victim, as well as their upcoming four-hour class on Oct. 19.

“This is an amazing program,” said Kramer. “It is a creative four hours and it will help you start thinking.”

Kramer gave an example of why it is important to never just assume you are safe. A lady moved to North Idaho, choosing it for the safe reputation. She chose a place out in the country with no neighbors.

“She thought she was completely safe,” said Kramer. “She had a game camera so she could see the game in her yard. Well, she looked at it and saw a different type of game. There was a man, crouched down in camo, right next to her front door.”

The incident was recorded around 1 a.m.

“Is that scary or what?” she asked the audience, who quickly agreed.

Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer also spoke about Crime Prevention by Environmental Design, using slides to show good and bad designs, and the reasoning behind them. He showed a slide of the Kootenai River Brewing Company at night, showcasing the easy visibility for civilians and law enforcement to know what was going on inside before entering.

He also talked about having a fenced yard.

“By having a fence, that is saying that this is our property,” he explained. “It is obvious that if you are coming beyond this fence, you are coming into our territory.”

Boundary County Sheriff’s Level 2 Reserve Deputy, Rhome DesBiens, spoke about subjects such as marking items for easy identification if stolen, where to keep important paperwork, and creating a valuable property items list, with sheet for that provided for the attendees at the symposium.

A subject also covered were the substitution of longer bolts on the stiker plates of doors, making it more difficult to kick in a door. Boundary County does not see as much forced entry crimes, so simply locking doors and garages can deter a crime.

Community watches were also encouraged, as well as just reporting things that look out of place in the neighborhood.

“We encourage you to call in if you see something out of place — when you see it,” said Sheriff Kramer. “We have someone working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.”

He explained that they sometimes get calls the morning after a suspicious event happened. The reporting party often states that they were worried about bothering anyone at night.

“We have someone on duty,” said Sheriff Kramer. “Bother us — please — so we can check it out when it is happening.”

The symposium provided tools to improve safety, in the form of a wealth of information, both presented and also in the form of pamphlets that could be taken home and read.

“Hopefully we made a difference, and these people will tell their neighbors,” said Sheriff Kramer. “Maybe by doing this we will have prevented one of two victims.”