Safety First! Do as instructed. Do NOT resist or take risks.

Be observant. Fortunately, most robberies are over in less than a minute. Take note of everything you can...the robber's size, weight, build, dress, speech, abnormalities, method, and direction of getaway. Note if the robber is wearing gloves or touches anything.

After the robbery - Call 9-1-1. Identify yourself, state that there has been a robbery and at what address. State whether anyone was hurt. State the number of robbers and give a brief description of them and their weapons. Give the exact time the robbers left and in which direction. Describe the getaway vehicle and try to get the license plate number if possible.

Close your business. Lock up and do NOT let anyone in but law enforcement officers. All witnesses should stay until the authorities arrive.

Preserve all evidence. Do NOT disturb anything involved in the crime. Keep everyone still to protect clues and fingerprints.

Use the description form. Ask all witnesses to fill out a Robbery Suspect & Vehicle Description form. If there is more than one witness, do not allow them to discuss details. Witnesses should immediately write down the details of the robbery in order to keep the information fresh and accurate. Do NOT release information to news media until you have spoken to authorities.

Camera - If you have a surveillance camera, remember to remove the videotape and give it to the police. Do NOT tape over the incident. (Also, please remember to replace your videotapes frequently in order to preserve the quality of the tapes.)

For a free business crime prevention training contact the Richfield Police Crime Prevention Unit at 612-861-9875