Valentine’s Day was an opportunity to express our love for the special person in our life through cards, gifts, and other thoughtful gestures. Unfortunately, teenagers and adults sometimes confuse love with control and abuse. Many teens in Rice County find themselves in relationships with abusive partners who confuse love with control and violence. Often teens in these relationships fail to understand that what is happening to them is wrong, and potentially dangerous. Parents and teens need to discuss what a healthy relationship is, and what abusive relationships involve. Educate yourself to …

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. This year’s theme—“Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It”—challenges us to fight this dangerous crime by learning more about it. In 2012, 6.6 million people across the U.S. were victims of stalking. On average nationally, one in six women and one in 19 men have been stalked at some point during their life. Minnesota’s criminal definition of stalking is more broadly defined than in most States. This means that statistically, in Rice County, one in four women and one in 13 men could be stalked in their lifetime. Stalking is a crime in every State. Yet…

Gifts are given for many special occasions, the largest probably being the Christmas holiday. Christmas and Hanukkah traditions include gift giving and many businesses gift employees and clients at year’s end. Although gift giving is big business to retailers, the tradition of giving gifts has a time honored history, and hopefully reflects joy and thanksgiving for all. Unfortunately, recent headlines remind us that holiday gift giving is perceived differently by local burglars. For them, the holidays are an opportunity to steal cash, credit cards, and new electronics, jewelry, and other …

Minnesota’s largest prison facility is located in Rice County, on the former Regional Treatment Center site in Faribault. Ninety-nine percent of all prisoners are eventually released to make their way in the world. Some are released with parole conditions, while others have completed their sentence requirements. Most catch a bus out of town, and return to the familiarity of their former community and friends. Unfortunately, this often means a return to the lifestyle that resulted in their incarceration. It paints a bleak picture. As a community—at local and state levels—we need to evaluate …

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. My office receives reports almost daily of women, children, and men who have suffered abuse at the hands of someone claiming to care about them. On average, three women are killed each day in the United States by a boyfriend or husband. And each year, women experience 2 million injuries from intimate partner violence. It is estimated that 10-15 million children live in homes where violence has occurred at least once in the last year. It can be hard to talk about domestic violence. But to prevent abuse, stop ongoing abuse, and to heal the abused, …

To the relief of most parents, Rice County schools are back in session! The Rice County Attorney’s Office, all of Rice County’s Chiefs of Police, and the Rice County Sheriff want everyone to make it to school safely. Here are some back-to-school safety reminders – for students, parents, motorists, and pedestrians. Have a family discussion on safely loading, riding, and exiting the school bus, and how to safely walk to school – consider this your “back-to-school homework.” Parents, talk to your teen drivers about a motorist’s responsibility to pay attention to school bus traffic – it will be a…

Di-ver-sion: the act of turning (anything) aside from its course, or occupation or purpose. Webster dictionary. Crime and punishment theories abound as to what methods of accountability produce the best results for public safety and rehabilitation. Some theories call for hash punishment for even the smallest of crimes. States following these theories generally have higher incarceration and recidivism rates. Minnesota has adopted the theory that graduated penalties and rehabilitation typically results in lower incarceration and recidivism rates. Minnesota law requires every County Attorney’s …

Easy cash is not the only motive behind identity theft. One of the fastest growing trends associated with this crime are thieves who steal Social Security numbers (SSN’s) to apply for jobs, obtain health and other benefits, or fleece unsuspecting victims out of their tax refunds. Common Signs: You have been denied credit or turned down for a loan You are receiving debt collector notices even though you are current on your bills You are retiring and have been turned down for government benefits You are retired, but your Social Security Earnings Statement shows an active wage You don’t receive …

Summer is here and our children are happy to be spending time outside (as are their parents!). That said, our children are still “plugged in,” and online through computers and phones, texting and tweeting every exciting event of their day. The volume of time our children and young adults spend talking, texting or browsing on their cellphones has grown to the point where we now question when someone doesn’t have a cellphone. With summer vacation from school schedules, our children have more time and access to “plug in” to the electronic world we live in today. June is Internet safety month. …

There has been a rash of phone calls from solicitors claiming to be from the ‘Senior Medicare Card Office’ who are manipulating Medicare beneficiaries into revealing their bank account numbers. Once they have obtained this information, the solicitor then goes on to steal money from the beneficiary’s bank account. The caller initially explains that the beneficiary will be receiving updated Medicare cards within the “next three to five days”, but first, the beneficiary must verify over the phone, personal information, such as name, address and other information. As a lure to get the banking …

For the last year Rice County has waged a “Take It to the Box” campaign, encouraging people to bring unused prescription drugs to black boxes found at law enforcement stations in Northfield and Faribault. You simply drop medications into the secure black box to dispose of them - no questions asked and all medications welcome. The effort has accomplished much by educating the public about the dangers of prescription medications and the need to properly dispose of them. A common notion exists that prescribed drugs fall into a different class than street drugs. We presume they are safe to have …

This year we dedicate the week not only to educating the public regarding victims’ rights, but also to honoring crime victims and the nation’s progress in advancing their rights. Each year 18.7 million Americans are directly harmed by crime, and each crime affects many more family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. The physical, emotional, and financial impact of crime falls on people of all ages and abilities, and of all economic, racial, and social backgrounds. Crime victims face a criminal justice system that, at times, ignores their rights and treats them with disregard …

Shredding important documents is one of the most effective ways of insuring that financial information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. The following is a simple record retention guide that may help to eliminate some of the confusion over how long financial information should be retained (Source: www.bankrate.com): 45 Days Credit card receipts: Receipts that match up with monthly statements can be shredded, but statements should be kept for seven years if used as documentation on tax returns (see Tax Returns, below): One Year – Permanently Paycheck Stubs: Reconcile paycheck stubs with the …

The past few months we have seen a dramatic increase in what has been referred to as the “Emergency Scam” or the “Grandparent Scam.” Seniors—for the most part—are contacted, usually late at night, via telephone. Typically the caller starts the conversation by saying in a panicked tone of voice, “It’s Me.” The caller waits for the person who answered the phone to identify someone he or she knows, who is often a grandchild. The caller pretends to be the person who the “grandparent” identifies and proceeds to claim that they need money for an emergency situation. Reasons range from bail money, …

Parents and children need to talk about the dangers of synthetic drugs. Just because a product is sold at a store does not mean it is safe or harmless. The term “synthetic marijuana” fosters a misconception that these substances are comparable to marijuana. Nothing could be farther from the truth. People who tell you otherwise need to explain why those who use synthetic marijuana end up in the emergency room. Because the substances are often referred to as “fake pot,” they are considered less dangerous and are thought to be equivalent to marijuana in their effects. Due to inconsistencies in …

Tax fraud is becoming widespread and is a form of identity theft. With tax season upon us, it is a good idea to take special precautions. The most common tax fraud this time of year is committed by perpetrators who use stolen identities to file tax returns in the hopes of collecting tax refunds. However, not all identity thieves have financial motives in mind. Stolen Social Security numbers are also used by perpetrators or others with questionable backgrounds to get a job. Victims may not discover such theft until they see obvious wage discrepancies on their Social Security earnings statement…

February 2012 has been proclaimed as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. This is especially fitting, since Valentine’s Day occurs in February—a day made for focusing on the relationships dearest to us. The call to awareness on the topic of teen dating violence needs to last and continue through February and beyond, just as we need to work on our most important relationships every day. One in three teenagers in the US is a victim of physical, emotional or sexual abuse by someone they are dating. Young women, ages 16-24, are three times more likely to experience abuse …

Recently our office has received complaints about a telephone scam where the person is claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. They are claiming they need to update their files and they will send you a new ID or a new medical card. These people are asking for your banking information and may even provide the banks routing number to you once you provide the name of the bank. These people are scammers! It is alright to hang up if you believe it is a scammer or you are uncomfortable with the conversation.  Protect yourself by not providing your information over the telephone:  …

The numbers are in for 2011 traffic safety and Rice County achieved the lowest numbers in 20 years in all categories: Total Crashes: 653 Fatal crashes: 2 Serious Injury: 14 DWIs: 268 As in golf, the lower the numbers the better you have done. Two deaths are still two too many and our ultimate goal is zero deaths on our roadways. Recognizing the milestone requires reflection on the goal of zero deaths and the road traveled to date towards achieving that goal. Traffic crashes in Minnesota claimed the lives of 349 people in 2011, according to preliminary reports from the Minnesota Department of …

Looking for a way to make a little extra cash? If so, you aren’t alone. But please be careful to avoid employment scams. Many companies hire consumers to patronize stores and restaurants as a way to evaluate how a business is performing. These “undercover consumers” are known as mystery shoppers or secret shoppers. It can be a legitimate “work from home” opportunity. There are also many scams that try to take advantage of consumers. In most scams, a consumer receives an unsolicited recruitment ad offering them an opportunity to earn money as a secret shopper. The scams usually involve sending…