Business Watch
A Corvallis Police Department Crime Prevention Program
"At first it looked like real money, but too late I realized it was a clever counterfeit. After checking with other businesses, I found that several had experienced the same problem. If only we had alerted each other…"
What is Business Watch?
Business Watch is a crime prevention partnership between community businesses and Corvallis Police. Its purposes are to reduce crime-related financial losses to businesses and to reduce the fear of crime from both the business owner's and the customers' points of view.
Business Watch is designed primarily to prevent crimes affecting cash and credit card transactions. These crimes include the various forms of fraud such as negotiating bad checks, forgery, counterfeiting, unlawful use of credit cards and identity theft. Business Watch also aims to prevent computer scams and confidence schemes as well as shoplifting and vandalism.
Business Watch is provided by the Corvallis Police Department free of any costs to Corvallis businesses. Please join us in this program to help make your business and all of Corvallis a safer place for conducting business.
How Does Business Watch Operate?
As a partnership, Business Watch works by two-way communication between program members and the Corvallis Police Department.
Corvallis Police developed a city-wide Business Watch Alert e-mail network through which it notifies program members about business-related criminal activity. Alerts warn members about forged, stolen or lost checks and credit cards, stolen identities, counterfeit bills and checks, names and account numbers of persons actively passing bad checks, current business scams, shoplifters, area vandalism, and other topics of interest that may arise.
In turn, businesses can notify the Corvallis Police of crimes or suspicious activity at their location. Corvallis Police then will warn the other Business Watch members by forwarding that information over the program's network.
Alerts are issued as soon as possible after the Corvallis Police respond to a call for service or otherwise becomes aware of criminal activity.
Important Business Watch Concepts:
Know your business neighbors. There is a social component to Business Watch: the better you know the people who work in your neighboring businesses, the more likely you -- and they -- are to look out for each other. Make personal contact and let them know you are a member of Business Watch. Talk about working together to prevent crime and keeping an eye on each others' businesses. Ask them to join Business Watch and display a Business Watch decal.
Watch and Report. Report suspicious activity to 911 immediately. Corvallis Police would rather you call in a report and have it be nothing than to not call and have it turn out to be a crime. If the situation is occuring at the moment but is not an emergency or if it occured while your business was closed, call 541-766-6924 during business hours (M-F 8-5) or call 541-766-6911 after hours.
Do not endanger yourself. Rather, learn to be a good witness. Take note of unique or unusual characteristics such as scars, tattoos, missing fingers, bad or missing teeth, speech mannerisms, limping, bruises, or odd clothing. Note the direction the person goes and get a license plate number if possible.
Identify Valuable Assets. Engrave valuable office equipment, tools, and other assets with your Employer Identification Number or your Oregon driver license number. Engravers, with instructions, may be checked out free of charge by Business Watch members from the Corvallis Police Department. Call ahead to the front desk at 541-766-6924 for engraver availability.
Advertise Aggressively. Make it clearly known you -- and your neighboring businesses -- actively report criminal activity and that you regularly receive crime alerts from the Corvallis Police. Post decals that state you are a member of Business Watch. Decals are available at no cost from Corvallis Police by requesting one at businesswatch@corvallisoregon.gov.
Secure Your Property. Conduct a security survey of your property and of the way you handle money, financial records, and other sensitive information. You can download a self-guided survey form at http://www.corvallisoregon.gov/police/page/crime-prevention.
Business Watch Works!
The Corvallis Police Department has direct evidence of arrests being made as a result of Business Watch members responding to alerts. One good example is of an alert warning program members about a woman passing bad checks and for anyone already having received checks from her to call CPD. The response was immediate. And it gave detectives the evidence needed to arrest her the next morning for over 50 counts of negotiating bad checks.
How To Enroll
Joining Business Watch is easy. Just e-mail businesswatch@corvallisoregon.gov with the following information:
- Business name
- Name of principal contact
- Business street address
- Business e-mail address
- Business phone number
Encourage your neighboring businesses to join Business Watch
Business Watch Contact Information:
Corvallis Police Department
Business Watch Program
180 NW 5th Street
Corvallis, OR 97330
541-766-6863
businesswatch@corvallisoregon.gov (preferred method of contact)
Other Crime Prevention Programs:
The Corvallis Police Department provides several other crime prevention programs that are also free of cost. All crime prevention programs are coordinated by the Auxiliary. For information, just click on these links.
