The Mercer Island Police Department used yesterday’s National Night Out event as the vehicle for rolling out a minor update to their “Lock It or Lose It” crime prevention campaign. The campaign now has a new slogan: “Lock Your Damn Doors, You Morons.”
Announced MIPD spokesperson Joe Viernes: “Despite introducing the ‘Lock It Or Lose It’ campaign last summer, we’ve continued to see the rate of unattended property crime on Mercer Island go up. So we decided to refresh our message with one that’s just slightly more direct.”
Viernes said that Island police officers will be available at various upcoming community events to train Islanders to perform tasks such as how to turn a key and how to close a window.
“I read the Mercer Island Reporter’s Police Blotter column every week, so I’m well aware of fellow Islanders having their stuff stolen from unlocked cars and houses,” said long-time Island resident Anita Schlage. “But until I saw this new crime prevention slogan, I didn’t realize that the ‘Lock It or Lose It’ message applied to me, too.”
Viernes had one additional message for Island residents: “Even if you lock your car, don’t leave your iPad or laptop sitting in plain sight on the seat. Duh!”
If this updated campaign is successful, the police department plans to follow it up in the fall with a new public education effort explaining how to drive at all-way stop signs.