Home Safety Tips

Criminals look for easy targets places where detection is not likely and profit is the greatest. A few simple, but effective, precautions can help make your home and property less attractive to criminals.

Here are some steps recommended by The National Neighborhood Watch Program that can lessen your chances of becoming a target of a theft or burglary:

1. Keep expensive machinery and all vehicles near the residence in a visible, well-lit area. Lock all vehicles.

2. Keep any valuable machinery (lawn mowers or other portable machinery) locked in sturdy out buildings or a garage. Secure them with strong doors and dead bolt locks, or with case hardened steel padlocks and hasps.
3. Keep all fences in good repair and lock gates.
4. Keep any fuel supplies in a well lit area under lock and visible from the house when possible.
5. Install an emergency generator and wide area emergency lighting system to detect intrusions.
6. Avoid a regular, predictable schedule. Come and go at various times and avoid predictable absences in case someone is observing your habits.
7. Keep all doors closed and locked when not in use. Close your garage doors when leaving; don't advertise your absence.
8. Make your home look and sound occupied. When you're away, leave drapes and shades in their normal position. At night leave an inner light on and use automatic timers to turn lights and radios on and off again a few hours later.
9. Install deadbolt locks on the doors of our residence. Secure sliding glass doors with "Charley" bars and install good locks on all windows.
10. Don't leave keys to your house hidden outside and don't leave messages for visitors tacked on your door.
11. Report repeated wrong number telephone calls or silent calls to your law enforcement agency.

Be involved in your local neighborhood watch!!

A community crime prevention group can dramatically lower the burglary and break in rate in your area. Active Neighborhood Watch programs encourage cooperation in crime prevention and discourage criminals. Successful Neighborhood Watch groups advise the following:

1. Watch your neighbor's property and report suspicious persons, vehicles or activity promptly to the police.
2. Notify neighbors when you will be away but don't advertise your absence to the entire community. Know when your neighbors are away.
3. Develop a system for recognizing legitimate neighborhood vehicles.
4. Post neighborhood watch signs in a visible location at the entrances to your community.
5. Mark or brand your property.