BURGLARY PREVENTION IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS

BURGLARY PREVENTION IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS
Have you ever been locked out of your home? Were you able to get in anyway? Now
think about it…if you could break into your own home, it’s just as easy for someone else to break in, too. One out of ten homes will be burglarized this year, and many intruders will spend no more than 60 seconds trying to break into a home. The best prediction of a future burglary is a past burglary. Therefore, it is important to take preventative measures now.

Strong locks—and good neighbors who look out for one another—can be effective
deterrents to burglars. Here are a few tips that can help you keep you—and your property—safe and secure.

Check—and use—your door and window locks. Make sure every external door has
a strong, well-installed dead bolt lock. Sliding glass doors offer easy access if they are no properly secured. You can secure them by putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door or by installing commercially available locks. To prevent the door being lifted off of the track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole. Never hide keys around the outside of your home. Instead, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust. When you move into a new house or apartment, re-key the locks.

Another good idea is to take a look at your home from the outside. Keep in mind the
following tips to help make your home as safe as it can be:

• Burglars hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night. Motiondetector lights can be particularly effective.
• Keep your yard clean. Prune shrubbery so it doesn’t hide windows or doors. Cut back
tree limbs that a burglar could use to climb to an upper-level window.
• If you travel, create the illusion that you are at home by getting timers that will turn lights (and
perhaps a television or radio) on and off in different parts of your home throughout
the day and evening hours. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house.
• Leave shades, blinds, and curtains in normal positions. And make sure you don’t let your mail and/or newspapers pile up. Call the post office and newspaper to stop delivery or have a neighbor pick them up.
• Make a list of your valuables, such as TVs, stereos, computers, and jewelry. Take pictures of the items, list their serial numbers and description. This will help police if your home is burglarized.
While most burglars prefer to strike when no one is home, intruders can commit
other crimes such as rape, robbery, and assault if they are surprised by someone entering the home, or if they pick a home that is occupied. If something looks questionable – a slit screen, a broken window or an open door – don’t go in. Call the police from a neighbor’s house, a cell phone, or a public phone. At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely if you can, then call the police. If you can’t leave, lock yourself in a room with a
phone and call the police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.