Burglary is a crime of opportunity. Make their work risky and difficult, and you stand a good chance of stopping them before they get in.
- Keep all doors and windows locked at night and every time you leave your home.
- If you have a home alarm system – USE IT.
- Use doors that feature wide-angle peepholes at heights everyone can use.
- If you have glass panels near or in doors, make sure glass is reinforced so they cannot be shattered.
- Make sure the door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt.
- Lock the overhead garage door – do not just rely on an automatic door opener.
- Make sure sliding glass doors have strong, working key locks.
- Keep grills, lawnmowers and other valuables in a locked garage or shed.
- Store firearms unloaded and locked in a gun safe and secured with trigger guard locks.
- Inscribe valuable items, such as televisions, stereos and computers with your Driver’s License Number.
- Have an up-to-date home inventory that includes pictures. Keep a complete copy somewhere outside of the house.
- Never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates you may be away from home.
- If you hear an intruder while at home, leave safely if you can, then call police. If you can’t leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call police.
- Trim all shrubbery that could conceal criminal activity near doors and windows.
- Consider using timed interior lights and outdoor timed or motion lights to make your home appear occupied when you are away.
- If you park your car outside, never leave a garage door opener inside your vehicle.
- Start or participate in a Neighborhood Watch program.