STRANGERS IN THE DARK
A few weeks ago the weather got very warm here (at least here in Northern California) for a week. We were so used to cool temperatures for so long that when the thermometer got in the high 80’s to low 90’s, we got spring fever. A little teaser of the coming summer. Sleeping with the windows open is great, and it saves on the air conditioning bill. But the consequences can be frightening.
When the weather gets warm, the prowlers and burglars come out. I don’t want to scare anyone but this is a reality. Prowlers, burglars and rapists often work the warm nighttime hours because they know windows and doors will be left open and unlocked. If a victim is lucky, they wake up to find only property missing and an open door. If a victim is unlucky, they wake up to find a stranger standing next to their bed.
Prowlers and burglars go door to door and yard to yard looking for easy access. When the weather gets in the 80’s, 90’s or even 100’s, its easy pickings for them. The reports of burglaries while the occupants are home drastically increase. Most burglars prefer breaking into a house when no one is home. No confrontations, time to ransack and look for goods, no rush.
But the burglar who enters an occupied house is more dangerous. They are more likely to be violent if confronted or be tempted to commit other crimes (such as rape) if they confront a desirable victim. Someone who enters an occupied home is very bold and very dangerous. The thing is most of these incidents can be avoided.
If someone breaks a door or a window to get into an occupied house at night, most likely someone will hear it and wake up. Most burglars know this and don’t want a confrontation and won’t force entry if someone is home. But if a burglar can simply open a screen door or take a screen off a window, they are inside your house undetected while you are asleep. I don’t know about you, but the thought of someone walking around my house or standing next to my bed while I’m asleep is pretty frightening. Unless you have a big bad dog to alert you of an intruder, there are other steps you can take to prevent a theft (or worse, a sexual assault).
Put stops in the sliding door frames and window frames. You can purchase several types of locks or stops at a local home improvement or hardware stores. These will prevent someone from lifting the sliding glass door or windows off the track while it is locked, or from opening it while it is secured ajar. These types of locks enable you to leave your sliding glass door or windows in a slightly open locked position. ** (you never want to keep a window or door open wide enough to allow access by a person).
Don’t ignore upstairs windows. If there is a roof, overhang, or any other type of access to a window, make sure you have a lock to secure the window shut or partially open. Thieves can “case†a neighborhood to see who leaves windows open or shut.
While it’s nice to sleep with windows or doors open, never feel that you are not vulnerable. Even the most remote home can become a nightmare if a burglar or prowler finds an open door or window.
If you would like to leave your sliding door or windows open 4â€-6â€, install a window or door lock on the frame. Or another simple solution is to cut a piece of wooden dowel to fit in the window frame. If the door or window is open 6†and you lay a piece of wooden dowel in the remaining window or door track, nobody can slide the windows or doors open the rest of the way. Just make sure the wooden dowel is a sufficient thickness to withstand pressure if someone tries to force the door or window open.
Hardware stores even sell window locks with thumbscrews for portable use. There is no drilling of holes and no installation. These come in handy for motel or hotel rooms, boats, RV’s, etc. You simply lay the lock on the window track at the desired position and tighten the thumbscrew. The window won’t open past that point.
If you have an alarm system, don’t disable the whole system just to keep a window open. Most alarms enable you to bypass a door or window keeping the rest of the system armed. Just make sure you have the bypassed door or window secured with a lock or wooden dowel to prevent entry. If you have a motion sensor, keep it armed.
With summer just around the corner, it’s time to take precautions. The thieves and burglars get bolder because opportunity exists. Take precautions and avoid becoming a victim.
