Burglary

Vehicle Burglary Prevention 

Most auto burglaries can be prevented and are considered crimes of opportunity.  An experienced car thief can gain access to your car in seconds, and most vehicle burglaries take less than two minutes. The damage done to locks and windows can be very expensive to repair and cause great inconvenience.

What Are Thieves Targeting? 

• Electronics (laptops, CDs, iPods, cameras, cell phones, and chargers)
• Equipment in your vehicles such as GPS devices, stereos, and airbags
• Purses, wallets, gym bags, and backpacks (searching for cash, credit cards, ID cards, etc.) 

Reducing Your Risk

The following recommendations can reduce your risk of being a victim of vehicle burglary:

• Take your valuables with you or place them in your truck before you arrive at a location where people might be watching.  
• When exiting or entering your parked vehicle, stop and look at your surrounding areas.
• Before leaving your parked vehicle, always remove the keys, roll up the windows, and lock your car.
• Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If possible, store your vehicle in a closed and locked garage.
• If your vehicle is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting and trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
• Consider replacing the light fixture closest to your car with a motion detector unit.  Motion detectors are good psychological deterrents since the normal assumption of a person seeing a light come on is that someone has seen them.  Additionally, the light makes the prowler or thief more visible.

Residential Burglary Prevention

There are more than 5 million residential burglaries each year in the United States, and most of them could have been prevented.  Burglars actively choose their targets, and will assess a neighborhood by looking for the easiest houses to break into. Ones that have overgrown landscaping providing places to hide, ones that have doors and windows that are unlocked or open, and ones that have older window panes and door frames that are easy to pry open all make easy targets. 

Despite the common fear that a burglary will take place in the middle of the night when you are at home and asleep, most residential burglaries actually occur during the daytime and during business hours. This is because people who steal do not want to be caught by an irate homeowner who calls the police. Burglars make the common assumption that people will be away during the day and homes will be vacant.

What can you do to prevent your home from being burglarized?

• Arm your home with an alarm system
• Install lighting, inside and out
• Consider installing a security camera
• Know your neighbors
• Don't advertise what's inside your home - use window coverings
• Make your home look occupied, and make it difficult to break in
• Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed
• Leave lights on when you go out; if you are going to be away for a length of time, connect some lamps to automatic timers to turn them on in the evening and off during the day.
• Keep your garage door closed and locked
• Don't allow daily deliveries of mail, newspapers, or flyers build up while you are away; arrange with the Post Office to hold your mail or have a friend/neighbor pick them up regularly.
• Pushbutton locks on doorknobs are easy for burglars to open; install deadbolt locks on all your outside doors.
• Sliding glass doors are vulnerable; special locks are available for better security.
• Other windows may need better locks; check with a locksmith or hardware store for alternatives.
• Have adequate exterior lighting; a motion-sensitive light is recommended for backyards.
• Trim trees and shrubs so that they cannot be used as hiding places for intruders
• Make sure your door hinges are on the inside

Neighborhood Security

Neighborhood security encompasses many different ideas and strategies.  However, the unifying element is the need for neighbors to work together.  If your neighborhood is having chronic problems with nuisances such as noise and speeding, or serious issues such as drug or gang activity, you are not powerless to change the situation.  The immediate role of the police is to respond to criminal activity.  However, when a situation is part of a recurring problem, active neighbors assist with investigations and allow police to take further action. Your response can make a difference. Often time, partnerships between neighbors and police are required to resolve the problem.

What Can You & Your Neighbors Do?

• Be a good neighbor! Meet your neighbors, keep a watchful eye on the neighborhood and report suspicious activities.
• Keep a log - If your neighborhood is experiencing chronic issues, keeping records of where, when, and what type of activity is occurring will help later, especially if there is a criminal prosecution or need to establish a patter of behavior.
• Start a Neighborhood Watch Group - an active Neighborhood Watch Group may be the most important tool you have to reclaim your neighborhood or to stop issues before they arise.
• Join your local Nextdoor.com.