Unfortunately a few of our neighbors have experienced residential property crimes recently. Crime prevention is all of our business. Most burglars look for easy targets. Watchful neighbors remain our best alarm. According to one IMPD North District officer, nine times out of 10, burglars are arrested due to 911 calls from neighbors who heard or saw something suspicious and made that call. To keep our homes safe from thieves, crime prevention specialists recommend the following:
- If you sense that something weird is happening, even if it isn’t an emergency, call 911 and simply state what you are reporting. The call taker will decide whether your call should be transferred off the primary line onto a secondary line. You don’t know what you prevent by getting a patrol cruiser coming into your neighborhood.
- All exterior doors be solid core doors or metal and a minimum of 1¾” thick. For maximum security, all exterior doors should be equipped with a deadbolt lock and reinforced strike plates using 3” screws which go into the framework. Locks within 40 inches of glass are vulnerable.
- Install a peephole in your door.
- Secure sliding glass doors by placing a broomstick or steel rod in the track.
- Install impact-resistant windows and sliding glass doors.
- Use lighting and landscaping to make your home’s surroundings unattractive to burglars, vandals, and other criminals. Plant thorny bushes under windows – they can help keep intruders away.
- Position outdoor lights carefully. Put them out of reach so bulbs cannot be easily broken or unscrewed. Aim lights at garage and shed doors, entryways, and ground level windows.
- Consider motion sensor floodlights and photoelectric lights that automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn.
- Consider an alarm system. It can offer extra protection, especially for people who live alone, are away often, or have lots of valuables. Please remember that alarms can give you a false sense of security. They are meant to be used with other security measures, not in place of them.
- Put away machinery, ladders, and tools. Don’t leave them where they could be stolen or used to gain entry into your home.
- When you’re away, leave on a TV or radio to make people think someone is home.
- Be an alert neighbor. If you see a stranger at a neighbor’s door, on their property, or if you see a vehicle you don’t recognize backed up in a neighbor’s driveway or parked in an alley, don’t hesitate to call the police.
- Take extra precautions when you’re on vacation. Make your home look lived in. Have a friend or neighbor pick up mail and newspapers daily. Put interior lights on timers.