Begun in 1984, FREE SECURITY SURVEYS– are conducted by the crime prevention officer of your local precinct. Upon expert inspection you will be appraised as to what you can do to improve the security of your business, home or factory. Contact crime prevention specialists in your local precinct or our office to set up a security survey. Remember, the crime prevention officer in your precinct has been specially trained to do this, not all officers are. Take advantage of this function of the police department as thousands of people have in our area. Do something before a burglary occurs and you just might save yourself and your possessions from an unwelcome and preventable intrusion.

In cooperation with the Astoria-L.I.C. Kiwanis, THE ASTORIA-L.I.C. KIWANIS SAFETY BOOKLET is published. Included in this highly informative booklet are all emergency and useful telephone numbers for the N.Y.C. area, specifically Queens. Also included are safety instructions for fire, crime, and emergency situations. Kept near a telephone it’s an invaluable time saving aid. Available free at 24-40 Steinway Street / 29-21 21st Avenue / 114th Precinct 34-16 Astoria Blvd. / 108th 5-47 50th Avenue / L.I.C.. Many other safety booklets are available at the Steinway Street location of the New York Anti-Crime Office. Updated versions of this booklet are available every two years in new printings.

OPERATION IDENTIFICATION consists of the registration and permanent marking of all your household valuables through the Police Department “Operation Identification” program. The tool for etching, the window and door stickers identifying you as a participant of Operation Identification and your personal registration card are all available free at the Italian-American Federation office located at 29-21 Avenue, Astoria, NY or at NYAC offices at 24-40 Steinway Street, Astoria. The benefits of this program are that it discourages theft, reduces the value and salability of stolen items and facilitates identification and recovery of these same items by police. Hundreds of local families and individuals have etched their ID numbers, usually their social security numbers, on their valuables since 1984.

FINGERPRINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHING OF CHILDREN, performed in cooperation with Immigration Advocacy Services; we will fingerprint and photograph all children free of charge at 24-40 Steinway Street. The hours are Tuesday – Thursday 9AM-1 PM. The one and only copy taken will be returned to the parent upon printing. Fingerprinting is also available as a community service at outside locations such as churches and schools by appointment. Interested community groups should contact Mr. Meloni or Ms. Gilmore at (718) 274-4926. Literally, thousands of schoolchildren and their parents from a variety of local public, parochial and private schools in our neighborhoods have gratefully used the expert services of these two agencies. One of our better received and most utilized crime prevention programs to date.

OPERATION COMBAT AUTO THEFT (C.A.T.) Automobile owners will register at precincts and be given a decal signifying precinct of registration. The decal will be placed on the rear window on the driver’s side. A serial number will be registered on the decal, and this serial number can be cross-referenced with the registration log maintained at the precinct for owner identification. The precinct crime prevention officers will manage the enrollment, distribution, and maintain precinct records of the auto program in their respective precincts. This sticker gives police officers the right to stop the car if it is being used between the hours of 1AM-5AM, the hours in which most cars are stolen. The stolen car rate of vehicles registered under this program is much lower than the general rate of theft of unregistered ones.

THE ‘VIAL OF LIFE’ PROGRAM consists of a small vial in your refrigerator which contains your medical history, especially life-threatening illnesses, your physician’s and emergency relatives name and telephone number and any current medication and its location in the household. A blue sticker on the refrigerator door alerts emergency medical personnel and police of the presence of the “Vial of Life.” Precious time can be saved in an emergency — seconds that could mean the difference between death and life. Call A. Meloni (718) 274-4926 or A. Markham (718) 204-2444.

A second vial can be kept in a purse so that the same level of emergency protection can be available outside the home. An especially useful program for our valuable and vulnerable senior citizens. Thousands of vials have been issued since 1987.