With the holidays quickly approaching, many of you will be moving into gift shopping mode. Chances are, you might be doing a good portion of your holiday shopping over the internet. Emarket, an independent market research company, predicts U.S. web shoppers will spend approximately 61.8 billion dollars during November and December of this year. Internet criminals are undoubtedly preparing for this prime opportunity. Listed below are some helpful tips as you contemplate those internet purchases.

We had a very good turn out for the National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26, 2013, taking in 17.5 lbs of old/unwanted medications.  We would like to thank all who participated and remember you can turn in medications year round at the Gates Mills Police Department.  At this time we are unable to accept liquids and creams.

The 7^th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for October 26^th.  Since 2010, this nationwide initiative has collected 2.8 million pounds (1,409 tons) of unneeded medications, helping to prevent the diversion, misuse and abuse of these drugs.  This event provides a means of disposing of prescription drugs in a safe, convenient and responsible manner. Once again, Gates Mills Police will be participating in the event.

Well it’s time to get ready for the cooler temperatures ahead. With home heating season upon us there are a few things you can do to improve safety around the house.

In 2011, U.S. fire departments responded to 370,000 home structure fires. These fires caused 13,910 civilian injuries, 2,520 civilian deaths, $6.9 billion in direct damage. Working smoke detectors reduce the risk of dying in reported home fires by 50 percent. Experts estimate that 1 in 3 homes have an inoperable smoke alarm.