At the end of June, after twenty-eight years of service to the residents of Gates Mills, Officer Dale Whitmer will retire from the Gates Mills Police Department.  Dale began his Village service in 1986 when he was hired by Police Chief George Hughes.  During the ensuing decades, Dale has diligently patrolled the Village during snowstorms, floods and power-outages.  In the course of twenty-eight years, Dale has logged over three-hundred thousand patrol miles on Village roadways.

Dale’s retirement plans include traveling, boating and most importantly, spending time with his family, which includes five grandchildren.  On behalf of the men and women of the Gates Mills Police Department, we wish Dale the very best as he transitions into this new season of life.  

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Internet fraud continues to be an area of great concern for law enforcement.  To avoid becoming the next victim of cyber criminals, please consider the following tips when using online banking services:

• Check with your financial institution about enabling “alerts” and other security measures.
• Do not use the same login name or password for your financial institution that you use on any other websites or software.
• Never use a link to reach your financial institution, always ensure the website address starts with https://.
• Be suspicious of emails and text messages allegedly from financial institutions.
• Do not enable an option allowing a computer or web browser to save your login names or passwords.
• Never access a financial institution from a public computer or an unprotected mobile device.
• Do not post personal information on the Internet such as your high school, maiden name, date of birth, first car, sibling or parent’s full names, etc.; these are the answers to many security questions and can provide valuable information for cyber criminals.

Until next month – Proud to Serve…Sworn to Protect

Yours in Service,

Ronald L. Whitmer

Chief of Police

(440) 423-4405 ext. 132

rwhitmer@gatesmillsvillage.com