Cactus Village Community

Preventing Property Crimes . . . by CAO Cindy Kralovetz

Jul 17, 2003

Many burglars will spend no longer than 60 seconds trying to break into a home. Some simple precautionary measures and good neighbors can be great deterrents to burglars.

Keep your garage doors closed and secure at all times.

Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed dead bolt lock. Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by installing an additional lock or pin to prevent the door from being lifted off the track. Drill a hole through the sliding door frame and into the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole.

Lock your windows. ?“Pin?” your windows by drilling a small hole between the inner and outer frame then insert a nail that can be removed. Secure basement windows with grilles or grates.

Instead of hiding keys around the outside of your home, give an extra key to a family member or a neighbor your trust.

When you move into a new house or apartment, re-key the locks.

A lock on a flimsy door is about as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down. All outside doors should be metal or solid wood. If your doors don?’t fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them. Install a peephole or wide angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don?’t keep out intruders.

Look at your house from the outside keeping the following tips in mind:

Thieves hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night. Install motion sensing outdoor lights that turn on when someone approaches, or lights with photo cells that turn on when it?’s dark and off at daylight.

Keep your yard clean. Prune back shrubbery so it doesn?’t hide doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that a thief could use to climb to an upper level window.

If you travel create the illusion that you?’re at home by getting some timers that will turn lights on and off in different areas of your house throughout the evening. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house.

Leave shades, blinds, and curtains in normal positions. Don?’t let your mail or newspapers pile up. Either call to have the deliveries stopped or have a neighbor pick them up.

Make a list of your valuables, VCRs, stereos, computers, and jewelry. Take photos of the items and make a list of serial numbers and descriptions. For further identification, engrave your social security number or drivers license on your property.

Never leave a message on your machine that indicates you will be away from home, say ?“We?’re not available right now.?”

Alarms can be a good investment. Be sure to check with several companies before you buy so you can decide what level of security fits your needs. Do business with an established company and check references before signing a contract. Learn how to use your system properly in order to
avoid false alarms.

If you arrive home and find something that looks questionable, an open door, or a broken window, don?’t go in. Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor?’s house or a pay 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 you are not already a part of a neighborhood Block Watch group, get involved. if you already are active in Block Watch, try to get another person involved. . . ☺