1. Car Theft History and Prevention

2. Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety

1. Please, Please, Please, Lock Your Cars  And Take the keys With You

Crime prevention and safe communities require the participation of everybody; it's not a spectator sport. We had another car theft last week and the keys for the vehicle were in the car parked next to it. Eight of our nine car thefts this year had the keys used to drive it away. Don't let the overall safety of our community lull you into complacency. Many communities in the Milwaukee metro area are experiencing entry to unlocked automobiles and the theft of cars using the car's keys. Videos in other communities have shown a car pull onto a quiet street and 5 or 6 kids get out and start pulling on car doors. If the door is locked the thief moves onto the next car. This crime prevention is so easy, lock your cars up, take your keys with you and keep your garage and house locked.

These are property crimes and the owner is out of use and possession of their property. Sometimes stolen cars are more than property crimes. They may be used in a violent crime. One of our more recent stolen cars has been pursued several times by officers in nearby communities as the car is being used in other thefts. The people who are stealing these cars frequently are the type of drivers that drive recklessly, at high speeds and drive through red lights and hurt and kill innocent people driving through the intersections. For the safety of others we really need you to keep your keys with you and we need you to keep your cars locked. Please share this advice with your friends and neighbors.

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2. Bicycle Safety in Our Village  Oct. 13, 2017

To improve the safety of bicyclists, we need parents, bicyclists and drivers to work together.

Earlier in the week there was a segment on a local news station about two children on bicycles who were struck by cars (two separate incidents) as they were utilizing the crosswalk. Fortunately, both children suffered only minor injuries. Whitefish Bay is very safe for bicyclists and pedestrians. In 2017 there have been three car/bicyclist accidents, in 2016 (6), 2015 (3), 2014 (6), 2013 (6), 2012 (3). In the past 3 years, 10 of the 12 bicyclists struck were children. Four of the 12 bicyclists received treatment at the hospital, all for minor injuries.

To improve the safety of bicyclists, we need parents, bicyclists and drivers to work together.

Parents, make sure that your children have the necessary judgment and coordination necessary for bicycle riding in our Village. Your child may have the skills to ride the bicycle around the block in your quiet neighborhood, but Silver Spring Drive is dangerous for young riders. Sidewalks are not a solution for cyclists, as there are many pedestrians there. There are many cars coming and going on Silver Spring, many cars turning off Silver Spring onto side streets and many cars trying to enter Silver Spring. There are many cars entering and exiting the parking lots on Silver Spring. Many pedestrians and drivers are also using mobile communication devices. It is safest for young inexperienced bicyclists to be walking their bicycles across the crosswalks. Instruct your children to be looking in all directions and to make definite eye contact with the driver at the stop sign before they cross. Whitefish Bay Ordinance 7.01 (4) prohibits bicyclists 13 years or older from riding their bicycle on sidewalks. 

Also make your kids wear their bicycle helmets; we see way too many children not wearing helmets.

In addition, training is available. This past May, the Police Department, Eric's Bicycle and the North Shore Health Department had a bicycle safety "Bike Rodeo" for children to learn safe bicycle operations. Watch the Village Newsletter for the announcement of the spring 2018 bike rodeo.

Drivers need to pay extra attention to bicyclists, particularly for the children riding their bicycles on the sidewalk. At busy cross streets, drivers check back and forth for cars coming and going. Drivers are looking for a spot to enter traffic. You make have checked the sidewalk at the crosswalk when you pulled up to the stop sign but you need to quickly check both ways on the sidewalk again to make sure that a bicyclist is now attempting to cross. This is how bicyclists can "come out of nowhere." Drivers, please also check for bicyclists in the roadway as well. Drivers, please put your phones down when trying to enter a busy street. We do not have that many busy streets.