November 20, 2018

Crime & Neighborhood Safety

It’s the holiday season and it’s time to review some safety tips. Keep in mind that neighborhood safety requires team effort. The following tips are great for keeping our homes and families safe, but also for fostering a safe community. If everyone in our neighborhood practices these simple tips and works together to be vigilant by looking out for each other, it can really help to ward off thieves and criminals -- making it a more enjoyable place to live.

Know your neighbors.

Being able to recognize who lives in your neighborhood goes a long way in recognizing when there is a suspicious person in the area. Be aware of your neighbor's habits, such as when they are generally at work, if they have small children or teenagers, if they are elderly and may need extra assistance from time to time. This awareness will make the neighborhood a much tighter community, and everyone will be able to better prevent crime.

Keep your vacation dates off of social media.

With social media being such a large part of our lives today, it's only natural to want to share the excitement of an upcoming vacation. However, by doing so, you are essentially setting yourself up as a target for burglars. Criminals in the past have relied on public social media profiles like Facebook and Instagram to stalk and intrude homes while residents are away.

Make use of timers.

Timers are great especially on nights you won't be home. Just because you aren't home doesn't mean that you should keep all the lights off at all times. Set a timer and have the lights go on and off at specific times so that it looks like your home is being occupied. Many burglars study when people exit and enter their homes to plot their next move. By setting up these timers and lights to go on and off, it'll throw them off.

Lock all doors and windows.

As simple as this sounds, it's important to make note of. Many homes have multiple doors and windows and it can be easy to overlook one or more of them. For optimal safety, make sure to lock all doors when you are not home or home alone. Make sure that windows are securely fastened so that burglars can't enter the home through any of them. If you have any sliding doors, place a rod in the track to prevent thieves from forcing the door open and entering.

Utilize blinds and curtains.

These guys are especially handy at night because people can easily see the inside of your home and track activity, where you're putting your valuables, which room you're in and which ones are vacant. By keeping the blinds closed and curtains drawn, you prevent any creepy stalkers from targeting your home.

Install motion-sensored lights outside of your home.

Burglars are usually discouraged by these lights. When the lights go off, it gives them a chance to run away from the bright lights before you catch them trying to enter your house. This is also a great way for you to know when someone is approaching your home.

Keep your neighbors informed.

It's always smart to get to know your neighbors and get to a level where you can at least trust one of them. This is a good idea especially if you plan on being away for a few days or more. By giving a copy of your keys to a trusted neighbor, you can have them make sure everything is okay at home.

• Inform a trusted neighbor that you will be away for a few days if there's a vacation coming up.
• Give them a copy of your keys. This way, they can make sure that everything is okay at home.
• Having mail accumulate can be a red flag and invite intruders. Ideally, you don't want your mail, packages, and newspapers stacking up in front of your door or in your mailbox. With that said, kindly request that your neighbor collect mail and hold it somewhere safe for you until you get back.
• Are you a pet owner? Your neighbors can make sure that your pets are safe and sound, and well-fed!
• Of course, it goes the other way around too. If a neighbor needs help, you can be there for them and report any suspicious behavior around their home if you see it.

Be conservative with your pricey possessions.

Flaunting your luxuries may result in unwanted chaos and break-ins when you least expect it. Try to keep these things on the down-low. If you've just purchased a brand-new iMac computer, for example, take the time to carefully deconstruct the box before throwing it away. When throwing it away, make sure that it can't be easily found or seen by passerby-ers.

Never leave anything out in plain sight inside your car.

Yes, even if the doors are locked! Thieves can break through the windows to take your belongings if they feel motivated enough. So, don't give anyone any reason for them to target your car. Even if it's something as simple as a blanket - by leaving this out in the open, thieves may think that the blanket exists in there to hide something valuable beneath it. By keeping your car completely clear of your possessions, it will not only save you the trouble of recovering your valuables and the inconvenience of having to fix broken car windows. To be extra safe, lock up your car's compartment and trunk from the inside as well. This way, if someone is able to somehow get in the car, they aren't able to go through these parts of the vehicle.

Do not keep garage door openers in a car parked outside.

If you have a garage, but park your car outside with a garage opener in the car, then you might want to consider placing your garage door opener inside. A thief can break into your car, and then use the garage door opener within your car, to easily gain access to your garage and possibly your house as well. If you need to park outside but want to use the garage opener as a way to enter the house when you get home, then develop a habit of bringing the garage door opener inside with you. Over time, it'll become as habitual as always grabbing your keys and your purse/wallet, and this will go a long way in preventing serious break-ins.

Get a reliable security system installed and use it.

When used properly, a good home security system can really help to improve neighborhood safety. In fact, a Rutgers study in 2009 found that the more homes that had a security system installed in an area, the less robberies took place in that given area.