Full Notification

MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNITY ALERT
FROM THE CITY of SAN MATEO POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Rain is Coming and So Are Our Trick or Treaters! Here Are Some Halloween and Storm Safety Tips from Your Police Department

With the storm approaching, this promises to not only be a wet Halloween for our Trick or Treaters, but also a wet weekend with rain in the forecast until Monday. So, while we here in California welcome the much needed rain, it’s important to your police department that we as a community do everything we can to keep our neighborhoods safe. SMPD will have plenty of officers out and about tonight, watching out for you and yours in your neighborhoods, but here are some Halloween and storm safety tips for both kids and adults…

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS:
• Be visible, stay visible – use flashlights and reflective clothing, walk on the sidewalks rather than cutting through yards, and cross streets only at intersections and with due caution.
• Avoid running – walk, and be aware of your surroundings
• Trick or Treat in groups and have an adult with you
• Keep identification on your person that is easy to read and keep a mobile phone with yourself or your group for any emergencies
• Don’t approach unfamiliar pets or animals
• Have an adult inspect your candy before eating – beware of loose wrappers, unwrapped, or homemade candy
• Drivers should be especially cautious and aware on this night, especially during high trick-or treating time between 4 and 8pm, and in our residential neighborhoods
• If you must drive tonight, PLEASE SLOW DOWN on the wet roads and keep your full attention on the roadway ahead. Tonight’s pedestrians, although dressed as zombies, ghosts, or ghouls are by far our most precious community members

STORM SAFETY TIPS
• Sorry, but it bears repeating: PLEASE SLOW DOWN on the wet roads, for both your safety and our trick or treaters
• Please use caution however you choose to travel this weekend. Be aware of the potential for flooding as we experience rains and wind throughout the weekend.
• Call the Storm Hotline at (650) 522-7300 to report blocked storm drains, street flooding and any creek concerns.
• Need sandbags?? Sandbags are available to San Mateo Residents Sandbags as critical tools in storm preparedness; therefore, we make them available to our residents year round.

City of San Mateo Corporation Yard: 1949 Pacific Boulevard, San Mateo
Available Monday through Friday, from 7:00am to 3:30pm
Limit 10 sandbags per household
For more information please call (650) 522-7300

HALLOWEEN EVENT AT THE MARTIN LUTHER KING CENTER
The City of San Mateo’s Parks and Recreation Department is hosting their annual Halloween Event tonight at the Martin Luther King Center, 725 Monte Diablo Ave., from 6pm to 8pm, to provide a dry and safe alternative for this Halloween – Open to all San Mateo Residents

SOME HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR YOUR WEEKEND
• Visit the SMPD Blog for more Halloween safety tips and subscribe to the blog for updates: http://sanmateopd.org/2013/10/28/halloween-safety-tips-from-san-mateo-police/
• PG&E's website is full of information: http://www.pge.com/myhome/edusafety/naturaldisaster/stormsoutagessafety/
• Traffic updates: http://www.511.org
• National Weather Service: Bay Area Weather Updates: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/
• San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services - Storm and Flood Preparedness Information: http://www.smcready.org/

DO YOUR PART TO MAKE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER
As always, we count on our community members to be SMPD’s “extra eyes and ears.” Please report ANY suspicious activity to SMPD right away via 911, or 650-522-7700. For information related to any ongoing SMPD investigation, call the Detective Bureau at 650-522-7650. You may also contact us anonymously by voicemail 650-522-7676 or text message 650-262-3473.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH -- WORK AS A TEAM AND PROTECT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Please help us make your neighborhood safer and take a stand against crime. Please report all criminal behavior, join a neighborhood watch program, and help anyone that might fall victim to a crime. If a Neighborhood Watch doesn’t exist on your block, you can start one with help from SMPD. For additional information about the City of San Mateo Neighborhood Watch Program, call SMPD Community Services at (650)522-7626 or visit our web www.cityofsanmateo.org. For more tips on how to celebrate a safe and happy 4th of July, see your Community Blog at www.sanmateopd.org.

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