Part three and four of Sheriff Sanders home burglary crime prevention tips

Home Burglary Crime Prevention Tips – Part Three

"Target Harden Your Home and Property"

The most significant thing you can do is mark your valuables with an engraver with your state driver license number or any other unique number that can be traced back to you. Marking your property serves as a deterrent to would-be burglars and it helps police in identifying and returning stolen property. The Garland County Sheriff's Department has engravers for loan, if you would like to mark your property with a unique number or name.

Along with engraving and marking your property, keep an inventory form with serial numbers and take pictures and video of all your valuables to aid in making an insurance claim and the recovery of your property. Store it in a safe and retrievable place in the event you are a victim of burglary.

Don’t hide keys in the mailbox, under the door mat or in a plant.

Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed. Even if it is for a short time, lock your doors, and set your alarm if you have one.

Keep your garage door, fence gates and sheds/storage buildings closed and locked. Regrettably, this should be done even when you are at home. Side gates allow thieves easy access to the back of your house, away and out of sight from the street. Not only are these areas full of valuable and easy-to-steal tools, but they usually contain implements that thieves can use to break into your home. Always lock doors between your house and garage.

All exterior doors should be solid and have deadbolt locks.

Install motion activated lights at all exterior doors. Install motion activated lights in carports and any other areas of your home that are not easily viewed by your neighbors. Make sure that exterior lights are mounted out of reach, so that burglars can't easily unscrew bulbs.

Don't keep valuables in the bedroom. (Burglars go there first.)

Shrubbery should not obscure windows or doors from being seen by neighbors or police officers on patrol. Bushes and plants that grow too tall can be places for burglars to hide behind while trying to break into your home. Keep shrubbery trimmed to ensure that your doors and windows are visible.

Secure all sliding doors and windows. For sliding doors cut a broom handle to the length of the bottom track so that the window or door will not slide open when forced. Also, drill one hole through both casings and sliding window and insert a nail or pin. To prevent wooden sash windows from being pried open, drill a downward sloping hole into the top of the bottom window through and into the bottom of the top window and insert a pin or nail. To prevent aluminum sash windows from being broken into, purchase a track lock that blocks the window track.

Valuable jewelry belongs in a safe or safe deposit box.

Home Burglary Crime Prevention Tips – Part Four

"Other Best Practices and Tips"

Sheriff Sanders provides a vacation watch service. Utilizing this service, the officer assigned to your beat will attempt to check your home at least once during his or her tour of duty. Contact our dispatch center, or Captain Carl Lacey, at 501-622-3660 to get signed up for this service.

Organize a Neighborhood Watch to protect your neighborhood. An alert community is a safe community.

Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your home.

Put alarm and/or beware of dog signs in conspicuous places even if you have neither. They are cheap and available at most home center and hardware stores.

Don't leave a message on your answering machine saying you've gone away, and turn the volume down on your home phone. You can also forward your home number to your cell phone.

Don't leave the box of your new TV or computer outside the house. Cut boxes into pieces and place them into your trash bin.

Display your house number conspicuously and have it well illuminated. This will help police and emergency personnel find your home quickly.

Please remember these tips during the holidays and throughout the year. They will help ensure a safe, secure and joyous holiday season.

Remember, citizens and communities must be involved in order for law enforcement to be effective. It takes ALL OF US working together!