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1 1 UPDATED: Tuesday, May 12, 12:30:12 PM Sun City Posse Phone: Our Posse H.Q. pictured below at: W. Sunland Dr. Sun City Commander Danny Moore The new Commander for the year 2015 was sworn in bysheriff Joe Arpaio. the Commander: spsccmdr@gmail.com (Web mail: type this in) We serve you! Sun City Posse provides requested assistance to MCSO, but is not a Law Enforcement Agency and is not supported by taxes or any level of Government. We depend on personal, business, church and organization donations for everything we need to purchase. Even the modest contributions are accepted with gratitude. We then carefully budget and manage these funds, working for you! Your donations are exclusively applied to Sun City Posse local community operations. See the Events Page for programs of interest: CLICK ON THIS BUTTON: 1

2 2 Newest items of public interest are found on the [Events Page] This Newsletter will always be a source of on-going policy and a library of general information. Please drive with caution, and watch for stopped school buses: WHEN SCHOOL IS IN SESSION: Look out for School Buses with flashing red lights. Remember that you cannot pass any School Bus with RED flashing lights; BOTH COMING AND GOING! Unless there is a raised Median between both directions of traffic. * * A violation is not a traffic ticket, it is a crime, a misdemeanor and expensive. The rules concerning the operation of Golf Cars have changed. The new vehicle code laws are somewhat complicated. It is suggested you stop by the State MVD office or stop by the Posse Headquarters. Click on the button [Events Page] for more information> (On Home Page) A brochure of the new Arizona State Golf Car laws can save you a traffic ticket. Our new Block Watch Contact is Lt. Laraine Schweig NOTE: You missed the 2015 Posse Open House, but can view several photos of the activities and available safety equipment for Sun City. 2

3 3 Here is a simple way you can earn money to help the Sun City Posse provide services to the community, and it will not cost you anything except for a minor effort. Fry's Community Rewards Program MOUSE CLICK HERE: Fry's Community Rewards Program Sun City Posse Rewards Organization number is You can register and sign in. Another person runs a stop sign and was killed, story below: A letter from the new Commander of the Sun City Posse will be published soon. PLEASE, DO NOT RUN STOP SIGNS, YOU ALSO COULD DIE! A 97-year-old man died after his golf cart was hit by an SUV on Wednesday, January 15. (We feel this could happen again, please be careful) Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies say the man was driving a golf cart near 99th Avenue and Thunderbird when he ran a stop sign and was struck by an SUV. (PLEASE READ THE FULL STOP ADVICE BELOW) If you run a stop sign, THIS CAN BE YOUR NEWS STORY 3

4 4 SAME AREA, SAME RESULTS FROM ANOTHER RUNNING A STOP SIGN. Running stop signs and turning right on red without stopping causes these crashes County wide. Now, two have been killed in the same general area of 99 th and Thunderbird. Are you next? Photo, credit to Channel 5 CBS news. CBSaz.com State law requires a FULL STOP: a. At any posted stop sign. 4

5 5 b. Before making a right turn on a red signal light. c. Before entering ANY HIGHWAY; From a side street or any parking lot or driveway. It does not matter if there is a posted Stop sign or no Stop Sign; FULL STOP! DIRECT LINK TO MARICOPA SHERIFF WEB SITE In lakes or ponds. Questions? Call SCHOA Or go directly to the SCHOA Web site: 5

6 6 Another lesson about taking MEDICATION: Extrication of victim: 99 Ave and Union Hills Dr. Result of a car crash. This is what is left of one car after Fire Department rescued the victim. Occupant was pinned by the crushed vehicle wedged under the culvert. Sun City Posse assisted Maricopa Sheriff s Deputies with traffic control while Sun City Fire Personnel extricated the victim that was trapped inside. Indications were, this driver had a medical issue. Please do not drive, right after taking prescription medications! 6

7 7! Distracted Driving Causes Collisions: This occurred at Peoria Ave and 105 th Ave. Tuesday Oct. 8. The Posse Radar Trailer was in service and surrounded with warning cones. Still, a distracted driver ran over the cones and the trailer. No injuries reported, but the car needs some serious repairs. Also our Radar unit no longer works properly. Please Note: Sun City Posse patrols are not law enforcement and cannot issue traffic citations. However the Sun City Posse patrols the streets looking out for our residents. We are only a radio request away from immediate assistance by a Maricopa Sheriff Deputy when seconds count. 1. Are drivers of Golf Cars required to completely stop for stop signs? If making a right turn on RED do they have to STOP? 7

8 8 a. YES! All vehicles must fully stop at red lights and stop signs! b. A right turn is allowed on a red signal, but there is a requirement that any vehicle fully stops, and then proceeds when safe. A so-called rolling right turn on red is a violation. Also, ALL drivers remember that when leaving any driveway to enter a public road, you must come to a complete stop, and then proceed when it is safe. This stop is required even though there is no stop sign. To drive directly into a roadway from a driveway without stopping is a violation and law enforcement can issue a citation which will place points on your driver license. It will cost money for the fine and your auto insurance premium can also be affected. + CONSIDER THIS: How will the Fire Department enter to save you if you are not able to open the door?. BE READY FOR AN EMERGENCY! Fire Department Lock Boxes. $65. (Page 19) Please do not put this off; a broken door is much more expensive! LOCKBOX IS FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY ONLY! Think about this. Cost of a window or door repair versus a one-time cost of $65? Is this a no-brainer? Make the call today:

9 9 THIS IS WHAT WE ALSO DO FOR YOU: An early morning fire destroyed a Sun City home on Desert Rock Drive during the summer and some time ago. Fortunately no persons were injured and no loss of life. Due to the nature of the fire, Sheriff s Detectives obtained a warrant and searched the charred remains. This was an arson investigation. Uniformed Sun City Posse members were requested by Maricopa Sheriff s Deputies to guard the scene for public safety and preservation of evidence. Several uniformed Quick Response personnel braved up to 109 degree temperatures for most of the day to provide this assistance. This is an example of the expanded protective services that your Sun City Posse provides on a daily basis. Did you know about our Funeral Watch? Another service is the placing of a uniformed Posse member and either a patrol car or an unmarked patrol van by the home during a funeral. Criminals have been known to burglarize a home while everyone is at the service. Our Posse stands by at this time to prevent problems. Call our volunteer Posse for information about this free service between 10 Am and 3 Pm weekdays. Phone: We Serve Sun City 9

10 10 CONSEQUENCES: Posse patrols continue to see these violations! THIS COULD BE YOU! Stopping on the Train tracks: 3 Accidents in the area: We all see others do it. We may have stopped on the train tracks ourselves or stopped just past the tracks, which this person did but did not move forward enough. Fortunately the driver suffered only minor injuries but received a Traffic Citation. This was the THIRD auto vs. train accident in a 4 week period. Driver; stop at the limit line and do NOT STOP ON THE RAILROAD TRACKS. This person could have been killed. LOOK for the warning line where the Crossing Gate comes down. If the Gate lands on your vehicle and breaks, this counts as a Traffic Accident and violation, with points on your License. Driving away is a Hit & Run crime! Please revisit your mailed invitation to donate to the Sun City Posse. We need your help to continue our services to the residents of Sun City. Even a modest donation will greatly assist the Posse. Thank you! Our 501C3# is: Save this number for tax purposes. Your donations are exclusively applied to Sun City Posse local community operations. Call the Posse at if you have any concerns or questions. 10

11 11 Tell everybody about this Newsletter: Remember that it is our dedicated Posse and Associate volunteers that do this important work. The vehicles we patrol in, our Headquarters Building and all operation expenses are based on your kind donations. However, our Posse Membership is down at the present time. Please give us a call and check the Web Site. The Sun City Posse presence helps to make this a safe Community. Please join our Posse. Experience the satisfaction. Did you know that our Patrol Personnel --consistently see suspicious persons who are probably planning to commit a crime? Many of these characters see our patrol units and then drive away quickly--leaving Sun City. Recently one of our patrol units was instrumental in the observation and recovery of a stolen car. Think about the concept of more Sheriff Patrol Units. The Sun City Posse provides a higher level of perceived patrol presence than is found in many other cities. As a result we can all feel much safer in Sun City. PLEASE READ THIS DRIVER INFORMATION WARNING: 11

12 12 fault. These drivers were ticketed. Diagram from AZ MVD Driver Handbook: Too many Sun City drivers are not following the Arizona turning laws. Instead of turning per the diagram below, many drivers are using the opposite lanes. That is; making a left turn from the RIGHT CURB. Or; making a right turn from the CENTER of the roadway. These illegal turns from the WRONG LANE have caused accidents. The illegal TURNING CARS were at Also, do not SWING your turns by using more than your one proper lane. Just turn the car. Yes, a turn from the wrong lane IS a citable traffic violation. Ask any friendly Posse Member or Deputy, if you have questions. Kindly tell your friends about Arizona traffic laws may be different from your home state. Also, consider stopping by a Motor Vehicle Office to pick up a copy of the Arizona Driver Rules. 12

13 13 Another traffic law question answered: In Arizona, can you make a left turn on a red signal arrow? See the rumors and the facts: Always drive safely, watch out for other drivers who may be distracted by conversation, cell phones etc. Operating any motor vehicle in Sun City: Another Urban Legend: See the box below: The word going around on the Internet is that in Arizona, a person CAN make a left turn on a red arrow unless a sign is posted that states Left Turn on Green Arrow Only (On 99 th Ave. and Bell Road the Posse sees a number of these illegal left turns.) MCSO Deputies and DPS are now aware of the violations and are ready to issue traffic tickets to violators. FALSE! Making a left turn against the red arrow will be grounds for a very expensive Police traffic citation with bad points on your driver s license. Please, do NOT try making a left turn on a RED arrow! ALSO; LOOK before you turn left for oncoming traffic. A second reminder of a very present danger, please be careful: DANGER RAILROAD CROSSING Do NOT stop on tracks! Watch for Crossing Gate Drop Zone The gate can hit your vehicle! Too many drivers pay little or no attention to the Railroad Crossings. That could lead to tragedy. 13

14 14 Caution: Do not leave a purse or wallet in your car. Two reported car break-ins at the Bell Recreation Center swimming pool parking lot. The thieves ran up over $2, on three credit cards within an hour after one theft. Lock your car and take valuables with you no matter where you park. The Sun City Posse is aware of these recent break-ins of vehicles and is patrolling the parking lots. Suspicious persons will be reported to MCSO immediately. Call the Sun City Posse at if you have any concerns about wild animals. We are here to help you with answers. Wild live Coyotes are not picked up by Maricopa Animal Control. WATCH YOUR PETS which are walking meals! 14

15 15 SCAM WARNINGS, LOTS OF THEM! Senior Abuse Line: Or the AZ Attorney General on the Web at Please visit this Website You can click on the above blue link. ===================== Other Scams are running rampant. Watch out for the You won the Pub Clearing House millions, just send $20 (up to) $100 for handling. Banks advising: lots of people are winning the Australia Lottery, just wire $1, cash to another country for handling. Some people are so convinced they won that one person sent total of $12, and is still waiting. They are convinced they won the big prize! Granny Scam is a phone call in the middle of the night. He or she will say either Grandma or Grandpa depending who answers. The grand parent will say Bill is that you? and now they know that there is a grandchild by name. Next will be request for WIRED money, along with Please do not tell anybody. It gets worse, the grand parent is called back, I did not get the money, there was a spelling error Grand parent sends MORE money. Per the Attorney General s Office, this is a real on-going threat Call the Grandchild, they may be sleeping in bed.. Another Recent SCAM Attempt: DO NOT RESPOND, NOTICE THE MISSPELLING: 15

16 16 Public Relations Service Computer Club of Sun City message: [Dear Internal Revenue Service customer, after the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $ Please submit the tax refund form and allow us 3-5 business days in order to process it. To access the form for your tax refund, please Click Here. (ICON) Thank you, Tax Refund Deparment Internal Revenue Service.] Please do not fall for this scam! ####################### Please the Sun City Posse if you hear about any new ways that criminals are trying to steal from our citizens. Click on this link to send information directly to the Commander: spsccmdr@gmail.com This Newsletter is updated frequently to provide the residents and visitors of Sun City with updates on Posse activities. Please Bookmark this Newsletter URL so that you can go directly to the Newsletter in the future. The Sun City Posse Command Staff carefully monitors the crime rate, which is much lower than surrounding cities. Should problems occur, Commander Danny Moore is ready to quickly dispatch additional patrol units. 16

17 17 SCAM ALERT: Watch for contractors that wish to clean and paint your Heater/Air Conditioning ducts for $150. Do not let them in your home. Yes, even more Scam Alerts: threats: Please be aware of these SCAM ALERT: If you receive a call stating that you missed a jury duty summons HANG UP! The scammer will ask for your name, social security number, etc. Maricopa County contacts only by MAIL. This scam is being worked in all states in the country. Tell your friends please. SCAM ALERT: If you receive a letter stating you need to pay $150 for a Deed to your home, it is a SCAM disguised as an official document. If you really want a copy of a deed to your home, the fee is $10. Want Crime Reports or Block Watch information? Fraud Alerts? Scam Alerts? Amber Alerts? Just click below: You can be included on our crime info mailing list. spscblockwatch@suncityposse.net?subject=report-request CONTRACTORS AND YOU: DON'T BE A VICTIM: FOLLOW THE RULES BELOW DON'T respond to scare tactic door to door salesmen who were just driving by and noticed a problem with your roof or driveway or want to install attic insulation. DON'T make major or full payments to the contractor for purchase of materials. DON'T supply telephone solicitors with credit card information. DON'T accept the first bid that comes along. DON'T assume that if a contractor is licensed you will get what you pay for. (More on page 16) DON'T allow solicitors or contractors to have access to your home or property without a prior appointment. 17

18 18 Verify the contractor's name, license number, and name of the person coming to your home. DON'T judge a book by its cover. Many con men are friendly and appear professional. ALWAYS CALL THE ARIZONA REGISTRAR OF CONTRACTORS Posse Sgt. Terry Olthoff Crime Prevention/Block Watch CRIME ALERTS INFO AT END OF NEWSLETTER: Block Watch Information below, please scroll down: We have reinstated Pay Pal as a way to donate to the Posse. Please visit our [Be a Sponsor] page. You can use the [BACK] arrow of your browser to return to the Posse Home Page. IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY! The Fire Department Emergency Entry can result in a broken door. A broken front door can be expensive in the aftermath of a medical, police, or fire emergency: Installing a Sun City Fire Department Lock Box gives the Fire Responders a quick way to enter your house if someone inside needs emergency services. Authorities may break in under emergency circumstances and the cost of a replacement door plus the door jam and hardware can be in the Hundreds of dollars. These lock boxes are secure and contain the front door keys. Only the Fire Captain has this unique security key. This feature is available for Sun City and Sun City West at this time. Call today for information; please do not put this off! (See Page 18) 18

19 19 DO YOU HAVE A SUN CITY LOCK BOX? One time installation fee: $65. Call SCFD: Are the keys in your Fire Department lock box CURRENT? (Will they work?) Call the Sun City Fire Department to exchange keys if locks changed! LOCKBOX FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY ONLY! If you cannot afford a lock box, call anyway for special programs. Please click this link about the Maricopa Posses: An Important Announcement: An efficient and free program to ensure Sun City and Sun City West single occupant residents are O.K. The R.U.O.K. program is featured below. This is a great free alternative for persons who want the freedom of living alone in Sun City and Sun City West communities. Relatives please check it out! PLEASE READ ABOUT THIS LIFE SAVING SERVICE: This is a free service See below: 19

20 20 Quick access by Fire Department in an Emergency Mentioned below in this R.U.O.K brochure is How does the Fire Department get in? (A forced entry can result in costly repairs.) A SUN CITY Fire Department Lock Box costs only $65 including installation. (Sun City & Sun City West only) Call Sun City Fire Dept at Please, consider an Emergency Lockbox! 20

21 21 A LOCKBOX IS FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY ONLY JOINING THE PROGRAM IS FREE AND EASY! Call the Posse that covers your area during business hours and a message will be left with the R.U.O.K. Coordinator. The Coordinator will call you and set up an appointment to fill out an application. The application consists of the necessary information for the program to work: Your Name, Phone Number, Emergency Contacts, Doctor, Clergy Contacts and Physical impairments. 21

22 22 This information is not given out to anyone and is used for the express purpose of the R.U.O.K. Program. A Warm Welcome to our News Letter The Sheriff s Posse of Sun City welcomes you to our new public information service. You will see underlined links to often requested forms to fill out and Web pages of interest. The forms are a convenience that you can print out at home and mail to the Posse. Adobe Reader 10 (X) is best for you to just click below and see the forms. In the future, it is possible that a 404 error will come up while trying to access this Newsletter. This means that the Newsletter is updating, which takes one minute. So, just try again, and you will access the Sun City Posse Newsletter. You may have a question as to the version of your Adobe Reader: (See a hand only when you touch an underlined link with your cursor? OK to click.) If the hand is constant, you have an older version of this PDF file viewer. No problem, the Adobe Reader update is just below: Hover the hand over the link and click. Please allow some time for the PDF file to download and open in your computer. Rest assured, the files are safe and will not harm your computer. Some Anti-virus programs may issue a warning when you click the Adobe Link. There is no chance of danger to your computer. If not wanted; uncheck the free toolbar offer... If you do not wish to type in or cannot copy the above, go to Search for ADOBE READER X (10) See the [Contact Us] page for the link directly to the Commander. Home Page--Click on: 22

23 23 Please help the Posse! Safeway E-Scrip form is on page 25: For our Winter Vacationers, do not forget to bookmark: You can view this News Letter from anywhere on the Planet where WWW is available! Neighborhood Watch Program Also Known as Block Watch The Block Watch Program is as always, a high priority for the Sheriff s Posse of Sun City and meetings between Posse members and concerned residents of Sun City continue. To schedule a meeting with your Block Watch residents or Condo Members, just call our offices during our business hours. As we are volunteers our business hours are weekdays, between 9 AM and 1 PM. 23

24 24 The number to call is Please ask for our Block Watch People, in charge of the program. The link to a Vacation Watch form has been removed. You may also contact any patrol for a blank Vacation Watch form. Please do NOT send an abbreviated or incomplete Vacation Watch Card to us, as we will be unable to service such a request. Homeowners have stated that an obvious Posse response to a home with the residents gone is a tip-off to thugs that this is a house ripe for a burglary. Lt. Laraine Schweig Can be contacted during our normal business M-F 9:00 AM to about 1:00 PM. (We are volunteers) Please observe for your neighbor s safety. This Neighborhood Watch Program really makes us all safer. You may contact Terry at the Posse H.Q. and arrange for a meeting. He will assist you in setting up a Block Watch Team in your neighborhood. Besides the advantages of enhanced safety in your neighborhood, this is a great way to get together with your residents in your community. It is a proven fact that Neighborhood Watch works! Vacation Watch Patrols: The Sheriff s Posse of Sun City quietly checks homes where the residents are away on vacation. This service must be requested. You may pick up a Vacation Watch Card at our Base Headquarters or obtain information by calling us during business hours at Think about it; the Posse removes old newspapers, door hangers and reports to key holders of any problems. All that stuff if not removed is advertisement to burglars at a glance. Your choice: When residents go on vacation, we check the home immediately or as soon as possible. MANY LEAVE A WINDOW OR DOOR UNLOCKED OR EVEN OPEN. We see to it that the home is secure. Does that sound like a plan? It needs to be stated once again; that absolutely no funds are received from County Government, and that the sole source of our operations is from donations. Please Click this Link for Information: DEX.HTML It is a fact that Posse members personally donate thousands of hours of their time and receive absolutely no compensation. Your Positive Remarks Requested: While you are reading this, you might have some suggestions as to what useful information should be included in this News Letter. Emergency phone numbers may come to mind. You may need to call and report an emergency. 911 will contact all the emergency help needed within Sun City. 24

25 25 Welfare Checks on Family: Many persons moved from another part of the country and relocated in Sun City. As time passes and people age, there are substantiated concerns about the well being of family members. For those reading this News Letter that are out of state, we have a solution, should there be concerns about the welfare of a loved one. Call the Sun City Posse at or the Maricopa County Sheriff s Office at We all view a personal welfare issue as very important. See above about the RUOK program that is administered by Maricopa County at no charge to members of this program. Call the Posse Base Headquarters for more information. Please Assist The Sun City Posse: Click on the underlined link below for more information: www. *SAFEWAY E-SCRIP PROGRAM* You may also wish to consider joining our Safeway Market e- Scrip program. Click the underlined link below for an application. You can print it out, send it to the Posse or give it personally to a posse member. As you shop and purchase, Safeway donates funds to our Posse. This does not cost you a cent. Download an application file by clicking on the underlined link below and printing it out: We also have an Albertson Market program that donates to the Sun City Posse based on your purchases. The donation is by the Albertson Markets and does not impact your total at the cash register. Stop by the Base HQ during our business hours before 3:00 PM on -- weekdays or contact any of our patrol units in the field for a bar code card. The Sun City Posse collects used Cell Phones and passes the phones on to be used as 911 phones. The recipients may be battered women and other needy persons. If you have an old pistol, rifle, or shotgun that you no longer want, just bring it to us or call the dispatcher at and our Duty Officer will pick the firearms up. We can safely dispose of old ammunition as well. Old American Flag Disposal: Please stop by and drop off your worn American flags. We will see that the flag is retired properly. You can give your flag to a Posse patrol member also. We do it right the first time: Someone aptly stated: Do any task properly, as if you are being watched, even if no one is watching. Having observed fellow Sun City Posse members doing their appointed missions in patrol and many other functions, it can be stated that the Sun City Posse members are conscientious and dedicated to do the right thing in every situation. The Sheriff s Posse of Sun City provides additional personal service to the Sun City community and is only a phone call away. We assist challenged senior citizens in many ways and every day. If you are 25

26 26 living in the Sun City Community and have any serious problems and concerns about your health and safety, please give us a call during business hours. Sheriff Joe advised that the Posse Program saves County taxpayers 7 million dollars a year. Please support our Sun City Posse. We have no control over political situations. CRIME ALERTS SUN CITY Greetings all Crime Watchers, I am happy to report that we have partnered with SPOT CRIME and are now able to provide you with more timely crime reports. Instead of a monthly report as you have received in the past you may now get daily reports on crime in Sun City or anywhere you are interested in. You will need to sign up with SPOT CRIME to get their daily s. To do this go to Click on the Sign Up tab at the top of the screen. You will be asked for your address, a password, and your home address. It will then give you a list of the crimes in your area. I thank you for your interest and I will still provide the SCAM ALERTS as they occur. Click on the link below to join the Crime Prevention mailing list: mailto:spsccrime@gmail.com?subject=report-request%20request We still observe partly open garage doors on patrol. This can place your home at risk! DANGER! PLEASE CLOSE YOUR GARAGE DOOR AT ALL TIMES FOR YOUR SAFETY! Thieves take advantage of a partially open 26

27 27 garage door. Hundreds of dollars of tools were stolen. A Home Invasion did not result. A robbery is terrifying! Regards, Lt. Laraine Schweig Crime Prevention/Block Watch Sun City Posse Jules Staats Webmaster Sun City Posse Suggestions: SCposse@cox.net END OF NEWSLETTER CLICK THIS LINE FOR THE HOME PAGE: Thank you for visiting us. 27