The Stoughton Police Department is committed to the tenets of community policing and ascribes to Sir Robert Peale’s belief that “the police are the community and the community are the police.” To that end, the department has developed many community policing initiatives designed to mitigate crime or improve the quality of life for the people of Stoughton.
Consider that the Stoughton Police do all of the following:
- Maintain a liaison officer with the council on aging
- Maintain a dedicated School Resource Officer (SRO)
- Inspect Child Safety Seats by appointment
- Are founding members of Organizing Against Substances in Stoughton (OASIS)
- Provide informational seminars on a range of topics
- Provide Community Service Hours for local youth
- Child fingerprinting at annual school fairs
- Maintains an Honor Guard for town ceremonies and funerals of law enforcement or their families
- Run an annual raffle benefitting school PTSOs for elementary schoolers to be taken to school by the Chief of Police
In addition, the department has put on large scale safety fairs, had open houses at the Police Headquarters, and organized disaster relief drives for other parts of the country.
Community Policing also involves you, the residents, letting us know what troubles may exist in your neighborhood. From speeding cars to house breaks, different neighborhoods have different issues and we want to know what they are.
Feel free to email us.
OASIS can be reached at http://www.stoughtonyouthcommission.org/staff.html .
Scam Information
Actions to Take if Scammed
- Check your credit report to ensure no one is trying to open credit using your credentials. The three major credit reporting companies are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
- Put an initial fraud alert on your credit report. This alert makes it harder for someone to open an account in your name because a business must verify your identity before it can issue credit. The alert stays valid for 90 days.
- Check your bank account and credit card statements for any unusual activity.
- Contact a financial institution directly if you think an account there may have been breached.
- Report the crime to your local police and the Federal Trade Commission.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.
Medicare Scams
The Council of Aging (COA) warns of a scam to get personal medical information to falsely bill the government (Medicare). The impersonator uses the name of the COA director in town. They proceed to ask a few questions regarding the name of their doctor, type and list of medications prescribed, and the victim’s Medicare ID number. The Council on Aging reminds elders and their caregivers that no one will call and ask for a Medicare number.
The COA suggests that if you receive a phone call of this nature, you simply hang up without revealing any information. If you have any doubts of the legitimacy of a phone call from Medicare, please hang up and contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.