Crime Prevention:
· Make sure that EVERY external door and lock has a Sturdy and well installed DEAD BOLT LOCK. Standard key locks are not enough security against intrusion.
· Sliding glass doors can offer EASY access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them with something as simple as a broomstick or dowel inside the track to jam the door.
· To prevent a sliding glass door from being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the door frame, and the fixed frame. Insert a pin in the hole and that door isn’t going anywhere.
· Lock double hung windows with key locks or “pin†the windows. Drill a small hole into a 45- degree angle between the inner and outer frame, and then install a nail, screw, or pin in the hole.
· Don’t HIDE keys around the house. Anywhere. Give an extra key to a neighbor you trust, or to a relative that may live close by.
· Whenever you move into a NEW house or apartment, re-key the locks.
· A flimsy door is a potential entry for the bad guy. 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 Peepholes or a wide-angle viewer IN ALL entry doors so that YOU can see whose outside without opening the door. DOOR CHAINS BREAK EASILY AND DO NOT KEEP INTRUDERS OUT!
OUTSIDE YOUR HOME:
· Crooks HATE bright light. Period! Install outside lights and KEEP THEM ON AT NIGHT. If a Crook has a choice, he or she will go to the House of Darkness compared to the well lit home.
· Keep your yard clean! Prune back shrubbery so it doesn’t hide doors or windows. Cut back limbs that a Crook could use to climb up to upper level windows.
· Clearly DISPLAY YOUR HOUSE NUMBERS! On so many calls, valuable time is lost while we try to find your home. It is crucial that We, or other Emergency Vehicles, can find your home QUICKLY. Make sure that the numbers on your house are legible. Put them on your mailbox. Re-paint them on the curb.
· If you live in a rural area, it becomes even more important. Try responding to an assault in progress, in the middle of a foggy night. The dispatcher tells us, that the “PR†(The person reporting) said to turn left at the 5th mailbox on the left after the red barn, and then turn at the driveway just past the old rusty tractor in the field. You think I’m kidding? The only way I found this place was when the Suspect almost hit my car head on as he was fleeing the scene! If you live in a rural area, please clearly mark the numbers and path to take to get to your home.
· If you travel, create the Illusion that you are home. Get TIMERS that will turn lights on and off in all different areas of your home. Lights left on 24 hours a day signify an EMPTY house. Music playing isn’t a bad idea either. Leave shades, blinds, and curtains in normal position.
· Don’t let your Mail or Newspapers pile up. Call the post office to have your mail held until you return. Notify the news carrier to hold your paper delivery as well, OR, have a friend, neighbor, or relative pick it up for you.
· IF you are going away on vacation or are traveling on business, call your local Law Enforcement agency and request a “Vacation House Check†or Extra Patrol. Many people don’t know what a vacation house check is. In my department, citizens can call our dispatch center for a vacation house check, and we ask the following questions.
· When are you leaving.
· When are you returning?
· Will you have an emergency contact number?
· Do you have timers on in the house?
· Do you have an alarm system?
· Person to contact in case of an emergency.
· Do you expect any gardening or pool service?
· Do you have any pets?
· Do you expect anyone to be at the house? House sitters, Pet care, relatives staying over.
· In the event of ANY THEFT, Have the serial numbers and model numbers of your property recorded! This is a topic all in itself. It’s listed later in the text.
· Alarm Systems are one of the most costly ways to secure your home. Unfortunately they are also one of the best. There are different types of systems.
· *Audible. (May or may not be monitored.)
· *Silent. (Usually monitored.)
· *Motion. (May or may not be monitored.)
