Burglary prevention

Secure your home or apartment

• Close and lock all of your doors and windows, even if you are just working in the backyard, running a short errand, or visiting with a neighbor.
• Upgrade locks for better safety.
  • Use pin locks on windows, especially on the first floor.
  • Install and maintain deadbolt locks on exterior doors.
• Lock your garage by securing all doors and windows.
• If possible, invest in a security system.

Do not leave valuables in plain sight

• Valuables may include computers, bikes, lawnmowers, snow blowers and other expensive items.
• Store sensitive, important items in a secure place.

Make a home inventory

• A home inventory is a list of your valuable items.
  • It should include the make, model and serial number whenever possible.
  • Some items like jewelry or art may have an appraisal that can be included in the inventory.
• This information can be helpful for prosecution as well as an insurance claim.
• Store a copy of this document in a safe place.

Exterior safety

• Use exterior lighting and consider setting these lights on an automatic timer.
• Strategically plant a garden with shrubs or other greenery underneath ground floor windows. Keep bushes and plants well trimmed.
• When you are away from home at night, make sure your home looks occupied by leaving on an interior light.

Best practices to protect your home when you are away:

• Close and lock all your doors and windows.
• Don't announce vacation plans on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
• Don't post pictures to social media sites while you are away.
• Stop mail and newspaper deliveries or ask a neighbor to pick them up.
• Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your home and keep up basic maintenance, like picking up packages and shoveling snow.
• Set up timers for interior and exterior lights.
• Don't leave valuable items in plain sight. Store sensitive, expensive and important property in a secure place.
• Activate your alarm systems.

If you see suspicious activity, call 911.

When neighbors call 911, it prevents crime. It can also help police to arrest a suspect and prosecutors to get a conviction.