Burglary Prevention Tips

Burglary is a crime of opportunity. Burglars will often walk around a house several times looking for the easiest way in. These tips are suggested to make your home a less attractive target:

1. Create the appearance that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and televisions.
2. Keep the perimeter of your home well lit. Motion sensor lighting or thermal sensor lighting should be used illuminating all possible points of entry.
3. Keep doors and windows locked. Over thirty per cent of burglaries are through an open door or window. Doors should have dead-bolt locks with at least a one inch throw and a reinforced strike plate with three inch screws. All windows should have locks.
4. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and windows.
5. Secure sliding glass doors with a metal bar, known as a "charlie bar", in the track. This prevents the door from being forced open or lifted from the track.
6. Lock the garage door. Do not rely on the garage door opener.
7. Know your neighborhood. Get to know your neighbors that surround your house. Neighbors who communicate regularly are more likely to report suspicious activity to the police. Let a neighbor know if you are going away.
8. Do not leave clues that you are away. Burglars look for uncollected trash, newspapers, mail and deliveries. Stop your paper and mail delivery. Ask a neighbor to take in any unexpected deliveries or flyers. Do not leave a message on your answering machine that says you are away.
9. Do not hide keys under mats, above ledges or in planter boxes. Experienced burglars will check these places.
10. If you see something that may be suspicious call the police. Many times after a burglary a neighbor will say that they saw or heard something and wished they called the police. We are never too busy to check out suspicious activity. Concerned neighbors are our best source for crime prevention.

If you want more information about burglary prevention or would like a security survey of your home please call Det. Sgt. Michael Pattman of the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department at 201-652-1700.