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Small Town investigates String of Burglaries

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Home burglaries don’t just happen in the big cities that everyone’s heard of. They can also occur in small towns—simply because the burglar lives in them or in neighboring areas. Such is the case with Kirksville, Missouri.

2BA recent report from heartlandconnection.com tells of multiple burglaries. They have elements in common: The thief enters overnight while the occupants are asleep and takes cash.

Are the homes’ occupants very hard of hearing and can’t hear the window smashing or the door being kicked down? Did they all take a few sleeping pills and were thus in a very heavy sleep and that’s why they didn’t hear the windows smashing or the door being busted through?

Or…do you suppose that a DOOR or WINDOW WAS UNLOCKED and that’s how the burglar got in?

Don’t be a victim!

  • Before going to bed at night, what do you always do without fail? Brush your teeth. Let the dog out for one last “business.” Set the clock alarm. Lay out your clothes for next day. Is something missing here? Yes! LOCK ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS.
  • Have a deadbolt installed and other protective devices for doors.
  • Keep doors and windows locked during the day, too—even when you’re home.
  • Have a motion detection light installed.
  • Put away the purse, wallet, credit cards, checkbook and loose money…just in case someone does get in. The last place burglars usually check is the kids’ bedrooms. Consider stashing your purse and wallet in a shoebox in the toy box.
  • You can also put these items in a fire-proof safe that’s bolted to the floor.
  • Never keep the spare key “hidden” outside anywhere. Leave it with a neighbor or go keyless entry.
  • Before going away on trips, arrange with someone to check your home periodically.
  • Don’t leave any light on continuously; this looks like you’re away. Used timed lighting devices.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

New Alarm Systems are Cost Effective and High Tech

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Alarm systems used to be clunky and expensive to install, and all they did was set off a siren when a door or window was smashed in. Today, alarms are wireless and can even adjust your thermostat!

The Boston Globe reports, “The era of clunky black-and-white video monitors and recording devices crammed here and there, of blinking lights and keypads galore, has given way to slick, low-cost technology that homeowners control with just a few clicks—from wireless surveillance cameras that are monitored remotely, to door alarms that can be activated hundreds of miles away.”

Systems today have wireless cameras, remote-controlled thermostats, remote-controlled/timed light controls, flood sensors, full web access to the cameras, touchpad controls, and even iPhone/Android apps to control/monitor cameras/thermostat from anywhere. They often have a web dashboard that lets you control every single aspect of each control to inform you of activity or to set up a reaction to an incident.

New home alarm systems are very simple and easy to program. Once you dive into them, they give you a tremendous amount of awareness of the goings-on in and around your home—and they do it automatically.

Further, the article states, “For those who don’t want bells and whistles, there are still basic burglary alarm systems available, and indeed they remain quite popular. These usually include sensors and alarms attached to ground-floor doors and windows, wall-mounted keypads and remote-control devices that can be activated with key fobs.”

Don’t wait for a burglary to get a home alarm system. Be proactive and get one before something bad happens.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Burglaries Often Happen When People Are Home

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You might be sleeping, doing laundry in the basement, or simply watching TV, and you may accidentally walk into a burglar at work. The burglar may be just as surprised to see you as you are to see him.

The Associated Press reports that “Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies acting on a tip have arrested a 35-year-old Everett man in connection with a home burglary in which a 70-year-old woman was tied to a toilet.

“Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said the woman interrupted the Tuesday afternoon burglary, leading the intruder to tie her up. The woman was able to free herself after about an hour and then called 911. She was not seriously injured and declined aid. The intruder stole the woman’s 2011 silver Ford Escape.”

The obvious problem with bumping into a burglar in your kitchen is that it can end violently—or, in this case, tied to a toilet.

Burglars case a home and look for activity. If they see none, they simply enter through unlocked doors or break in through a door or window. Many alarms are only installed after a home is broken into, and even then many people don’t turn them on when they’re at home during the day. Once a home is burgled, people lose their sense of security and try to gain it back through the installation of an alarm system. A home alarm system can certainly provide security, but people who are victimized in this way often face years of emotional aftershocks.

The key to security is thinking proactively and doing things to secure yourself and your family before something bad happens. Don’t think “It can’t happen to me”; instead, think “Yes, there is a chance this can happen and I’m going to set an example and do something about it.”

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Best Secret Hiding Places: Dead Space

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Burglars know where you hide stuff. That key under the mat or in the flower pot or the jewelry in the dresser draw or the cash in the cookie jar. But there are better ways to do things. A heavy fire retardant safe bolted to the floor is best. And there are other options too.

We have dead space all over our homes. If you are handy, this dead space can become handy.

  1. Walls: There is a 16 inch center to center void in most of your homes walls made up of 2x4s and sheetrock. Newer homes built in the last 30-40 years have sheetrock opposed to horse hair plaster. Sheetrock is much easier to cut out and make a faux access panel.  This is a great hiding place for anything including long items like rifles and shotguns.
  2. Stairs: Underneath stairs there is often a big void as big as the tread itself. This isn’t always the case so consider drilling a hole before you go ripping up a tread.
  3. Staircases: Underneath many staircases is a closet of some kind meant to fill the big void the staircase creates. But there is always an additional void that gets boarded up because it’s too low to the ground to be effective space for a closet.
  4. Kitchen cabinets: In many homes the tops of kitchen cabinets are exposed giving plenty of space up top to lay things flat. In other cases the tops of the cabinets meet sheetrock that meets the ceiling. This can be a big void. Cut a hole in the top of a cabinet and put stuff up there, then seal the hole with a panel. The very bottom of cabinets have a similar void.
  5. Electrical outlets: Because your walls are hollow making a small hiding place out of a fake electrical outlet is easy. Hardware stores have all you need to cut a hole, put in a deep outlet box and put a non useable outlet or switch in.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist toHome Security Source discussingADT Pulse on Fox News Live. Disclosures

Miami Area Police Provide Burglary Prevention Tips

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The FBI reports a burglary occurs in the United States every 15.4 seconds. That’s almost 4 property crimes a minute. Wow! A burglary can be in a home, park, car, parking lot, gym or place of work.

They state:

  • Most burglaries occur during the day when everyone’s at work or school.
  • Unlocked, unoccupied homes that are off the beaten path have the best escape routes and are big targets.
  • Auto break-ins are “crimes of opportunity”. If the bad-guy sees your stuff in the front or back seat they smash and grab.

Home security tips they offer:

  • Use solid steel or solid wood doors.
  • Trim shrubs to eliminate hiding spots.
  • Report suspicious activity in your neighborhood.
  • Start a neighborhood watch and get to know your neighbors.
  • Inform a few trusted neighbors of any travel plans to assist in the collection of newspapers and mail.
  • Install a home security system monitored by law enforcement and consider security cameras too.

Auto security tips they offer:

  • Lock you doors and take your keys. Sounds, like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many don’t follow this simple rule.
  • Don’t leave valuables exposed. Put them in the trunk or take them with you.
  • Don’t leave papers that may have identity data visible.
  • Activate alarms, use antitheft wheel locks.
  • Carry your registration in your wallet and make photo copies that you keep at home.
  • Never leave your engine running and walk away from the car, even if it’s only for a minute.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston.

Police Offer Home Security Tips

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Wichita Kansas, an estimated population of 366,046 makes it the 51st largest city in the country and the most populous city in Kansas. It’s a city by anyone’s definition.

And like all cities, it has had its share of successes and bad apples. Including Dennis Lynn Rader (born March 9, 1945) is an American serial killer who murdered ten people in Sedgwick County (in and around Wichita, Kansas), between 1974 and 1991.

He was known as the BTK killer which stands for “bind, torture and kill” and describes his modus operandi. He sent letters describing the details of the killings to police and to local news outlets during the period of time in which the murders took place. After a long hiatus in the 1990s, Rader resumed sending letters in 2004, leading to his 2005 arrest and subsequent conviction. Fortunately he is behind bars serving 10 life sentences. But that doesn’t mean crime doesn’t continue in his absence.

Recently Police launched new efforts to help curb burglaries.  Local police say residential burglaries increased last year by 9% even as overall burglary numbers dropped 1.5%.

Police are reminding people that they need to practice safe techniques to make sure homes and belongings are secure.  That includes making sure doors and windows are locked and not leaving your garage door open.

You’d think a metropolitan city that has had a killer as bad as Dennis Rader would lock their doors. But the societal and cultural phenomenon known as “It can’t happen to me” is everywhere and people forget that a serial killer used to walk their streets. But not you Dear Reader. The fact you’re reading this you know there very well could be another Dennis Rader there right now.

Here are home burglary prevention tips direct from the police who once dealt with Dennis Rader:

Residential burglars work mostly during the day and when a residence is more likely to be unoccupied. Most burglars work alone and tend to probe a neighborhood looking for the right residence and the right opportunity. Home alarm signs and decals, bars on windows, strong locks and doors, big dogs, and alert neighbors can sometimes deter burglars. Also, burglars will avoid a confrontation and will usually flee when approached. Most burglaries do not result in violence unless the criminal is cornered and uses force to escape.

· Keep all doors locked at night and every time you leave your home.

· Use doors that feature wide-angle peepholes at heights everyone can use.

· If you have glass panels near or in doors, make sure glass is reinforced so they cannot be shattered.

· Make sure the door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt.

· Lock the overhead garage door – do not just rely on an automatic door opener.

· Make sure sliding glass doors have strong, working key locks.

· Keep grills, lawnmowers and other valuables in a locked garage or shed.

· Inscribe valuable items, such as televisions, stereos and computers with an identifying number approved by your local police.

· Have an up-to-date home inventory that includes pictures. Keep a complete copy somewhere outside of the house.

· Never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates you may be away from home.

· Trim all shrubbery that could conceal criminal activity near doors and windows.

· Consider using timed interior lights and outdoor timed or motion lights to make your home appear occupied when you are away.

· If you park your car outside, never leave a garage door opener inside your vehicle.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

Protecting Your Property When You are Home

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In a down economy, people make decisions they otherwise wouldn’t need to consider. Home invasions and robberies make the news every day multiples times a day.

In Huntington West Virginia in just the last two weeks, they’ve seen several different instances where homeowners have fought back and won. But, where is the line when it comes to self defense and protecting what’s your home?

One man says a machete saved his and his family’s lives. “They came at me physically with firearms, as far as I was concerned,” he said. When two thieves broke into his home waving a baseball bat and a toy gun that he thought was real, he wasted no time fighting back.

The suspects spent some time in the hospital before heading to jail. Jeez, the homeowner goes at them with a machete and they went to the hospital. Makes sense.

“They were masked and hooded, but due to their injuries, they were bleeding profusely from head and neck area,” the County Sheriff said.

This homeowner chose an extreme solution for an extreme situation. The whole event could have seriously gone wrong for the homeowner and put himself and family at risk. Ultimately whatever you to survive you’ve done the right thing.

The best defense is a good offense as they say. In this situation preventative measures would keep them from getting in the first place. Therefore, there is no need to hack them all up with a machete. Plus it’s all messy. Icky.

Home security tips:

Timed and/or motion activated lights, inside and out. This burglar stated lights turned on made him nervous and he would go to a home that didn’t pose a threat of getting caught.

Trim bushes and shrubs. Anything covering doors and windows that give a burglar cover is an invitation to a thief. I also recommend defensive shrubbery with lots of thorns.

Encourage your neighbors to report any suspicious activity around your home while you are gone or even while you are home.

Install a home security system. It’s not enough to just lock your doors. A home alarm is an effective deterrent while you are away and while you are home. Even home alarm decals and signage is a layer of protection.

Dogs big and small. A dog need not be an attack dog to be an effective deterrent. Barking dogs bring attention to the home they are protecting.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel Williams.

Elderly Couple Assaulted During Home Invasion

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Every day I scan the news for stories to report on. My job is to disseminate information in a way that is easily digestible and makes sense. Hopefully the reader will act on what they learn and make better decisions to protect themselves and their families.

It’s not easy to read stories every single day about horrible things happening to good people. The frustrating part is seeing the same awful crimes happening over and over and over again. I can write about “Elderly couple assaulted during home invasion” 20 times a day and each story will be worse than the next. If you are elderly or have elderly parents, please take heed:

The man’s wife, whom he’s been married to for almost six decades, lies in the hospital. The victim says the suspect broke a window in the bedroom and appeared in their living room around 10:30pm Sunday night as they watched television. “He grabbed me around the neck, and said he would cut my throat if I didn’t do what he said,” said the husband.

THEY WERE JUST WATCHING TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“He went through the drawers, getting jewelry and whatever else he saw he wanted,” said the husband. For four hours, the homeowner says the suspect tore through their belongings while they were forced to lie face down in their bedroom. “He was very comfortable with being in here.“

Any time his wife made a noise showing her fear, the suspect came back to the bedroom. “She was making noise and he didn’t want her making noise, he would kick her hard.” The victim’s wife was transported to Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center due to brain swelling from being kicked by the suspect. Her husband tells us they will monitor her overnight and she may be able to go home on Tuesday.

Locking your doors isn’t enough. Locking your windows isn’t enough. In order to prevent a crime like this the homeowner needs a comprehensive home security review. Bring in the local police to give your home a once over. Invite a local locksmith to determine what the best locks for your doors are. Call a home alarm installer to discuss a home security system. Consider taking it up a notch and installing home security cameras. Consider a do it yourself wireless home alarm system or hire a professional. But please, whatever you do, do something. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show. Disclosures