MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - In the blink of an eye, summer came and went. Now, it's fall and along with some cooler weather,  people are getting ready to show off their halloween costumes, dust off their favorite sweaters, and enjoy the fall foliage.

To many people, October is the time of the month to focus on the changing seasons. However, in the law enforcement community, October is Crime Prevention Awareness Month.

In 1984, the National Crime Prevention Council made October Crime Prevention Awareness Month, designed with the intention to raise awareness to community safety procedures and to educate the public on these procedures.

"It's just reinforcing some of the very basic things that people should do to keep themselves and their home safe. Locking your doors to your vehicle and your home are things that we commonly have to remind folks to do," said Meridian Township's Lieutenant Greg Frenger.

Although the Township's safety concerns most likely don't lie with murders, grand theft auto or armed robberies, Frenger says that there are other crimes people need to be aware of.

"Mostly, it's property crimes. So we have larcenies from motor vehicles and typically those are vehicles parked at apartment complexes or in residential areas," Frenger says.

According to the Meridian Township Police Department's Crime Report, there were 172 reports of larceny in between April 1st and June 30th, 2015, a 17 percent drop from 2014. During that same period, there were 39 recorded burglaries in Meridian Township, an increase from the 28 reports between April and June last year in 2014.

Along with commending and recognizing the efforts of those who partake in crime prevention, the event also focuses on creating new partnerships between members of a community.