By far, the most common threat to our home is burglary. According to the FBI, a burglary occurs somewhere in the United States every 15.4 seconds. The majority of home and apartment burglaries occur during the daytime when most people are away at work or school. Prime burglary hours are from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Although home burglaries may seem random in occurrence, they actually involve a selection process. Burglars choose an unoccupied home with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and with the best escape routes. What follows is a list of suggestions to minimize your risk by making your home unattractive to potential burglars.
- Use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points
- Use a quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt
- Use a quality, heavy-duty, knob-in-lock set with a dead-latch mechanism
- Use a heavy-duty, four-screw, strike plate with 3-inch screws to penetrate into a wooden door frame
- Use a wide-angle 160° peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches
- Use a secondary blocking device on all sliding glass doors
- Use anti-lift devices such as through-the-door pins or upper track screws on sliding doors
- Secure all accessible windows with secondary blocking devices
- Block accessible windows open no more than 6 inches for ventilation
- Make sure someone cannot reach through an open window and unlock the door
- Use crime prevention or alarm decals on ground accessible windows
- Alarm systems are effective deterrents with visible signage
- Alarm systems to be properly installed, programmed, and maintained
- Alarm systems need to have an audible horn or bell to be effective
- Instruct your neighbor how to respond to an alarm bell
- Identify your valuables by engraving your drivers’ license number
- Photograph and record the serial numbers of all valuables
- Photocopy the contents of your wallet and other documents
- Get to know all your adjacent neighbors
- Agree to watch out for each other’s home
- Do small tasks for each other to improve territoriality
- While on vacation, pick up newspapers, and flyers
- Report suspicious persons or vehicles to the police
Emergencies call 911
Police Non-emergency 972-273-1010
Source: News for Neighbors – Special Edition – January 18, 2012
Officer L. Peikert #840
Irving Police Department
Community Services Division
Crime Prevention Unit
(972) 721-3557
lpeikert@cityofirving.org
