Residential Burglary & Home Security
Mi Casa Es Su Casa…unless you are a crook, thug, or other undesirable! Small communities are known for being hospitable and welcoming of their neighbors and strangers. But they can also fall victim to seasoned burglars intent on depriving people of personal belongings. Those who have perfected their craft of residential burglary often canvas an area prior to making entry into a home. They may continually drive-by a house or series of houses in a neighborhood observing environmental factors and traffic patterns. These criminals are intent upon hitting the easiest and most concealable target.
Fortunately criminal justice practitioners have studied trends in residential burglary and have identified certain key variables that may lead to victimization or may cause a burglar to scatter away. Most of the findings are simply common sense and require minimal work on behalf of the homeowner. Other factors are not as easily controlled for the mere reason of logistics and environment.
The residential thief brings to mind the term “Cat Burglar” with the vision of an individual moving about throughout the night lurking in the shadows. There is a good reason for this depiction and that is the fact that criminals like to hide behind the cloak of darkness. They don’t want to be seen or recognized so they attempt their criminal endeavors utilizing whatever concealment can be found at the time. Combating this method of operation or M.O. is as easy as conducting a residential survey to identify potential problematic areas. You have heard the saying, “To catch a crook you must think like a crook!” Well keep that in mind when you conduct the home audit. Ask yourself, “Where would I hide around the exterior of my house if I did not want to be seen by others? You will quickly begin to see the hot spots that are crying out for attention. Here are some tips for home security:
Look at your landscaping and assess the number of trees and shrubs encroaching upon the doors and windows of your home. Foliage makes for a great hiding place especially when observing from across the way. Obstructed vision at the point of ingress / egress will most certainly increase the odds that your home will be burglarized. A good rule of thumb is to not to have trees and shrub larger than five-six feet in height surrounding your doors and windows. Trim the trees and prune the shrubs so visibility is unimpeded from the street or surrounding homes. Ground floor windows that are hidden or partially obstructed by shrubs, give the thug visual protection. There should be a direct line of sight from the street to your windows otherwise burglars have the opportunity to enter a house with minimal chance of being observed or seen. Those of you who own two story houses bear in mind that low hanging tree limbs provides the burglar ease of access to multi-level residences. They can easily access the tree limb and climb to the second story window. To combat this entry point, simply cut back the limbs so the burglar can’t reach them. Unless the crook is an experienced gymnast, access may be too difficult to overcome! Remember we want to make it difficult to get inside so the burglar will pass on your house.
Testing the locking mechanisms on doors and windows are a crucial part of your home audit. Replace broken or non-operational locks as these are of no use and can be easily compromised. Keep your doors and windows locked when away from your home for any extended period of time. Many people who live in the country leave their homes unlocked when meandering around town. An unlocked door or window is of particular interest to a burglar because it makes for easy access with little to no evidence being left behind. There is no need to make forced entry when the homeowner left the house unlocked!
Many people have installed beautiful front doors with gorgeous hand crafted glass panes. The visual impact provides wonderful curb appeal, while at the same time minimizing security to the home. Doors with windows make forced entry rather easy. The burglar simply breaks the glass and reaches inside to open the door. Think an interior key activated deadbolt will delay the unwanted guest? It probably will unless you leave the key in the locking mechanism on the inside, then a thief can simply reach in and turn the key to disengage the lock. Make sure you lock the deadbolt at night or when you leave and remove the key from the locking mechanism. Place it somewhere close by but out of the reach of an extending arm through the window on the door.
Splash some light around your house! A well lit area can spot light unexpected visitors and burglars. Motion activated lights are economical, easy to install and a very good means of protecting your home and the people inside. You don’t need stadium sized wattage lighting up your neighbor’s house either. A 75 watt motion activated flood light will work just fine. Place one at each corner of the house in the backyard. This location is critical to protecting your home because the area behind the house is the least observed from the street. The lights should be installed just under the rain gutter or higher so a thief cannot reach up and disengage the bulbs. Once those are erected concentrate on illuminating the front door. You want the police or others to see what is occurring at the front entrance of your home at night. It is very important that you provide light to the exterior of your home at night. Don’t believe in the myth that the use of artificial lighting at night will substantially increase your electric bill. Closing the lights around the exterior of your house doesn’t really save much money. In reality, the cost for electricity is minimal for these added security measures. Remember that a dark concealable house does substantially increase your chances of being victimized.
And finally stay home once in awhile. This is your castle…..enjoy it. A contributing factor to escalating rates of burglarized homes is the appearance of an unoccupied and poorly secured house. Burglars don’t tend to visit occupied houses in the day time.
Remember (in the interest of being hospitable,) my house is your house….unless the doors and windows are locked and I am not at home! Burglars beware…..Mi Casa No Es Su Casa!