SHERIFF HANAK URGES CAUTION DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

  
Sheriff Otto Hanak
Sheriff Otto Hanak

Washington County Sheriff Otto Hanak has a message and a warning for the citizens of Washington County concerning suspicious activity this time of year.

“As your Sheriff, keeping our county and its citizens safe is my primary goal.  During this festive and busy time of year, it is so easy to get distracted and lose focus, and I would like you to take note of the following tips and reminders to help keep you and your families safe during this holiday season.

Pay attention to your surroundings.  In parking lots, while shopping and even in your own neighborhoods, take note of what is going on around you and look and be alert.  Criminals choose victims that oftentimes appear distracted or make themselves easy targets.  Carry the essentials on your person if possible, and do not turn your back on your bags, purse or other belongings even for a moment.  If you are licensed to carry concealed, I recommend that you do so, and do so diligently.

Get to know your neighbors and look out for one another.  If you see something suspicious, but you do not believe it to be an emergency, report the activity to the Washington County dispatch non-emergency number at 337-7272.  Take care of each other and let your close neighbors or friends know if you will be gone, or if there will be someone that is unknown to them staying on your property.  If you are going to be gone for an extended period of time and live outside the city limits, you may fill out a form via our website so that your home maybe put on ‘close patrol.’  This form may be printed out at www.washingtoncosheriff.org and dropped off or mailed in to the Sheriff’s office.

Beware of scams.  New and increasingly clever scams seem to surface every day, and I do not want any of my citizens to fall prey to their ploys to steal your hard earned money.  The IRS will never call you, they only communicate via mail.  No parking ticket or ‘strange’ fine by persons claiming to be with law enforcement agencies, will require you to make a payment via a credit card over the phone to ‘avoid penalty or arrest.’  Nor will they call you to solicit donations.  Should you feel compelled to donate to law enforcement agencies, there are many ways to do so locally or via the Sheriff’s Association of Texas.  Be cautious and smart about email scams as well.  No friend of yours is ‘overseas in a different country and in trouble’ contacting you via email for money.  These criminals hack into individuals private accounts and gain access to their contact lists.  It is all fabricated and almost impossible to track down and especially prosecute these criminals, so the best defense is not to fall for their nonsense in the first place.  With that said, it seems a good time to remind you to be smart about social media.  Why give criminals and would be thieves the details about your extended vacation or being away from home by posting it on social media for the world to see?  Post those great holiday photos from your ski vacation or trip to relatives out of town when you come home, and not before.  Your kids need to follow these rules as well!  Teach them now how to be smart about things such as this.

Last but not least, if you are going to attend holiday gatherings, please be sure and designate a driver.  We want everyone to make it home safely and without incident.

We are so honored to serve the citizens of this county, and I cannot thank you enough for all of the positive feedback and support for our office.  I want each and every one of you to have a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year!”

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3 Comments

  1. I agree with Brian. Thank you WCSO for all you do and may God keep you safe as you perform your jobs !!

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