Oshkosh Police encourage community awareness and safety with #9PMRoutine

OSHKOSH, WI – (WISS) – Each night as the kids are being put to bed, the dishes are done and things are settling down for the night, the Oshkosh Police want you to adopt a simple habit to help with crime prevention. They call it the #9PMRoutine.

“It’s a social media campaign to remind people to remove valuables from their car,” said Kate Mann, the Public Affairs and Crime Prevention Officer for the Oshkosh Police. “And then to lock their car and also to lock their home.”

Mann says the #9PMRoutine is a crime prevention measure. As spring arrives and the weather warms up it’s even more important.

“We do seem to see an uptick in thefts from unlocked vehicles as the weather gets warmer because more people are out and about,” said Mann.

There have been successes and community feedback on the program that show it is working. Citizens are letting her know that the #9PMRoutine does remind them to lock their cars and doors.

“A citizen reached out to us and said ‘Hey! You might have saved a fire because when I went to go and lock my doors, I walked through my kitchen and saw that I left the stovetop on.’” Mann said. “Whew! That was a good catch. Simply from a social media post that we are putting out each night.” 

Oshkosh Police have been promoting the #9PMRoutine for about 6 years now. Now other police departments in the Fox Valley have started doing similar things on their social media accounts.

“Hopefully by all the departments working together in collaboration, we are reminding people and hopefully preventing some thefts from occurring.” Mann said, “And like that one case, maybe (preventing) a fire from occurring as well.”

The #9PMRoutine is posted on the Oshkosh Police Department social media pages around 8:55 each night. It reminds people to remove valuables from their cars, lock the cars, and lock the doors to their homes.