FRANKLIN
Since late Wednesday afternoon, residents and businesses that have signed up for CodeRED alerts from the Franklin Police Department have been getting the following message:

“Please be aware that we recently have experienced multiple residential and commercial burglaries and related incidents. Police patrols have been redirected to detect and deter criminal activity.

“Residents and businesses are encouraged to be alert and call the police for any suspicious activity. It is critical to crime prevention and suppression that each individual take steps to assist in the prevention of criminal activity. If you see anything out of the ordinary or something that seems out of place, please call police. Watch out for your neighbors and “If you see something, say something. Call the police.”

Franklin Deputy Chief Robert Porti said on Thursday morning that there recently had been two commercial burglaries downtown, plus one unspecified residential break-in. In part, that prompted the department to send out the message.

This announcement also comes a week before Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season when people are shopping for presents and participating in related activities. That’s also when they’re more vulnerable to theft.

“We do start experiencing more burglaries [at this time,]” said Porti. “So we use the CodeRED system to bring people’s attention to the season.”

He said the department wants everyone to be aware, be prepared and be informed.

“We want people to get in the right frame of mind and help us help them,” he said.

The bulletins are part of the CodeRED system that enables the department to send out messages via email, phone and text. These can be for emergencies, general notices and weather warnings.

While CodeRED database gets phone numbers from public sources, people should not assume their information is automatically in that system. You can sign up at www.franklinpolice.org/page/codered.