Fish House Crime Watch

What is Fish House Crime Watch?
Why do we need Fish House Crime Watch?
When do you need to join Fish House Crime Watch?
How do you participate in Fish House Crime Watch?



What is Fish House Crime Watch?
It is a pact to actively lookout for one another, to promote the personal safety of ourselves and others and to protect our property and the property of neighboring anglers.

Why do we need Fish House Crime Watch?
Crime is on the increase throughout the U.S. and our peaceful Minnesota lakes are not immune. These lakes become small towns filled with thousands of fish houses every winter. Most are located in rural areas where law enforcement is responsible for patrolling hundreds of square miles. It is difficult to give lakes the attention needed to deter criminal activity. Sportsmen and women can help law enforcement and conservation officers by being concerned and aware of the activity around them and reporting unsafe or illegal activity as soon as possible.

When do you need to join Fish House Crime Watch?
When you put your fish house on the lake, no matter where in the state it is located. Consider this - the average fish house is equipped with $300 - $500 or more in sporting goods and personal property, depending on how comfortable you like to be. Criminals know that some of us don't remove our equipment each time we leave. They also know that fish houses, by the nature of their construction, are sometimes not very secure. This makes them a desirable target for thieves intent upon taking your property.
Three elements are necessary for crime to exist - Ability, Desire and Opportunity. The criminal must possess the ability to enter your fish house, the desire for your property, and the opportunity to take it. Here is what you can do to affect all three areas. The ability to enter your house is affected by good physical security measures, desire is lessened by marking your property with Operation Identification, and the opportunity to take your equipment doesn't exist if it isn't in the fish house.


How do you participate in Fish House Crime Watch?
1. Join Operation Identification. Operation ID is an identifying number that you obtain free of charge from the police or sheriff department in your home community. The number can be written with a permanent marker (for property made of cloth) or engraved onto items of any value that you wish to identify. An engraver can be borrowed from your local law enforcement agency or purchased for under $10.00 wherever hardware products are sold. A metal stamping kit is also available on free loan from Minnesota Crime Watch and can be obtained through your local law enforcement agency.

The description and serial numbers (if it has one) of the items you mark are recorded on a list and kept in a safe place. If your property is stolen, the Operation ID number, a description of each item and any serial numbers, are entered into a nationwide law enforcement computer system.

You may also find it advantageous to photograph the equipment you normally use in your fish house, especially your tacklebox. (Could you describe its contents without looking?) Keep the photos with your property list.

2. Place Operation Identification stickers on your equipment and your fish house. This will send a message to the thief that you have marked your property and taken precautions to protect your belongings.

3. Remove as many items of property as possible from your fish house when you leave at the end of your day. The equipment that is left behind should be marked with your Operation ID number.

4. Incorporate sound physical security measures when building your fish house or upgrade your security:
Use a strong steel hasp that covers the screws.
Use either a shankless padlock or a padlock with a 7/16" shank to prevent cutting.
Mount the door hinges inside or use hinge pins to prevent the hinges from being removed.
If you are using a standard door/frame combination, install a deadbolt lock and reinforce the frame and strike plate with 3" wood screws and an extra 2 x 4 stud if needed. The frame will be better able to withstand the force of kicking or prying.
· The windows in your house should be covered with cloth to conceal the contents of inside and small enough to prevent a thief from crawling through. Otherwise, use a removable window pin (or nail) to secure the frame.

Information about the suggestions listed above is found in the Minnesota Crime Watch booklet "What To Do Before the Burglar Comes". This booklet and other crime prevention literature from Minnesota Crime Watch is available free of charge from most law enforcement agencies and sheriffs. The hardware recommended in these publications can be purchased at hardware stores and building centers and installed by the user.

5. Communication with your fishing neighbors and nearby homeowners and agree to watch out for one another's property.

6. Know where the nearest phone is located and use it to report suspicious activity while it is occurring. To report a crime or suspicious activity in progress or a medical emergency, dial 911 anywhere in the State of Minnesota. If you dial 911 from a cellular telephone, the Minnesota State Patrol will answer your call and transfer you to the police agency in the jurisdiction you are calling from.

The police need to know as much of the following information as you can provide:
The number of suspects,
Tall/short, small/medium/large build, color of hair/mustache, eyewear
A brief clothing description (color/type of hat/coat),
Objects or weapons they're carrying,

What they are doing:
Breaking into a fish house, vehicle, or a house/cabin on shore
Walking from house to house or car to car, (looking for a place to strike)
Running into fish houses with a vehicle,
Driving recklessly,
Juveniles having a drinking party.

Remember that the thief may be the owner, occupant or visitor from a neighboring fish house or a house/cabin on shore.

If the suspects are in or on a vehicle, a description including the make, model, and license plate number or DNR registration would be ideal.

In poor conditions, try to see:
If the color is light or dark,
If the body is old or new, big or small,
The type of vehicle (car, pickup, van ATV or snowmobile),
Markings on the vehicle,
The shape of or absence of headlights/taillights,
The number of people in or on the vehicle,
The direction of travel, if they're leaving.

While you are waiting for that fish to bite, create a scenario in your mind involving a theft, suspicious activity, medical emergency or fire. Think about what you would do, how you would describe the situation, suspects and vehicle and where you would go to report your observations. When you think through your options in advance, you are better prepared to act if you need to. Above all, never try to take the situation in your own hands. Neither your personal property nor another's is more valuable than your safety!