Courtesy of Officer Holly Tafoya and Officer Larry Hesselgesser, Community Relations Officers from Northern Division:
Before making any attempt, burglars look out for your weak spots that can compromise the security of your home. They need to make sure that they can pull off entering and exiting your house successfully, with little to no obstacles in their way.
These weak spots often seem like small details to you, but for a burglar, these are huge advantages that increase his chances of a successful break-in.
Inactivated burglar alarms – Some homeowners forget to set their home security alarms before they go out, or even if they do have one, they rarely arm it. Even if they do sound – homeowners and neighbors often assume it’s a false alarm. This is why it pays to have your alarm monitored.
Open doors and windows – Sometimes we forget to close or lock a window or two. But that one time we let our guard down could become a golden opportunity for a burglar. And an open garage door is an instant invitation for a burglar to go in and loot.
Evidence of non-occupancy – Burglars always look for indicators that you’re out-of-town and the house doesn’t have a living occupant. These indicators include newspapers and mail that pile up, curtains that always remain closed, or security lights that are never turned off. Once they make sure that no one’s at home, there’s nothing to stop them from breaking-in. A common method used by burglars to see if you’re home is to knock or ring your doorbell repeatedly and obnoxiously. If you answer the door they will use some made up excuse why they are there. Forward this information to your neighbors ASAP through your preferred network and try to get a description or better yet a picture of them or their vehicle.
No barking dogs – A house with a noisy dog puts a burglar at a disadvantage. They avoid breaking into these houses and just move on. If you don’t have a dog at home, or your dog is always tied up, your house is fair game to a burglar.
No vehicles in the driveway – No car parked out in the driveway is another indication that the house occupants are away. Many smart thieves have a simple rule to avoid breaking into homes when there are cars present. If you will be away for more than a couple days ask your neighbor to park one of their cars in your driveway.
No nosy neighbors – Neighbors who are vigilant and watch out for each other as part of a neighborhood watch group put a burglar at a disadvantage. He’ll more likely scour other neighborhoods with less vigilant or less observant neighbors.
To view related posts, visit https://www.universitycitynews.org/category/neighborhood-watch/
Notes: Join UCCA today at https://www.universitycitynews.org/join-ucca-today/
If you have a news item to share, please submit your story through UCCA’s Contact Us link at https://www.universitycitynews.org/contact-us-or-volunteer-in-uc/
Review article guidelines at https://www.universitycitynews.org/ucca-newsletter-archives/
What do Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, ImproveUC and UCCA have in common? They are all ways neighbors can connect with neighbors and the University City community. Create a post, start a conversation, share the news, organize an event, keep in touch, take a look:
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/universitycitycommunityassociation
- Twitter – https://twitter.com/UCCA_SD
- Nextdoor– https://nextdoor.com/sandiego/
- ImproveUC– http://improveuc.org/
- UCCA – https://www.universitycitynews.org/
