COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sunscreen? Check.
Towel? Check.
Hide your phone in your towel or shoe? Do not check that.
“We’re seeing a lot of people will just put their belongings under a towel and walk away,” says Community Education Officer Rick Hannah with the Columbus Division of Police.
He says theft is the number one crime at pools, and most likely throughout central Ohio.
“I’ve looked at data the past five years and the reports always start Memorial Day weekend and end Labor Day weekend,” he added during an interview with CrimeTracker 10’s Angela An.
Officer Hannah says it takes not even 10 seconds for criminals to walk by and steal your belongings. And often times, thieves will try to blend in wearing swim trunks and shades.
“They’ll sit there and watch and wait for you to get up with your kids and make your way to the pool,” he says while describing how criminals will scope out their pool-side victims.
“It’s equivalent to thieves checking car handles, they'll just come up and flip the towel, find something and take it,” Officer Hannah added. “We’ve had incidents where they looked in a shoe, looked in a towel, took the keys, checked the key fob and took your car.”
CrimeTracker 10 reached out to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Division. In a statement, they told several ways families can stay safe while enjoying some pool time.
“We do have coin-operated lockers for public use for a quarter. Parents can take their child or family to the bathroom as a group, since most facilities have family restrooms for use,” says Stephanie Garling, the communications and marketing manager.
Other crimes Officer Hannah noted include disorderly conduct, motor vehicle theft and break ins, assault, and robbery.
“The trend is it is from the outside coming in,” he says. “People in the neighborhood, two parties, maybe have a disagreement and it travels into the pool area.”
Garling noted the same.
“Whenever large groups of people come together, problems may arise out of conflict. We want to remind the community that our pools are family-friendly environments,” she wrote.
Officer Hannah also noted that it is quite common for online sellers to exchange items at a pool since it is a public place. However, on a few occasions, Hannah says criminals intending to rob sellers do not care whether it is a pool or another public setting. Instead, he recommends people turn to designated areas outside police agencies to make those exchanges in person.
Hanna also recommends lockers to store valuables such as wallets and cell phones.
“It might be a little inconvenient, but it’ll save you a lot of heartache in the end,” he added.