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Honesdale PA State Police Issue Burglary Prevention Tips

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The WayneIndependent reports that due to a higher degree of burglaries that citizens should be proactive and protect their properties.

Here is an abridged version of their safety tips with my spin:

Walking in on a burglary?

DO NOT ENTER — a trapped burglar is dangerous. DON’T try to capture him yourself.

Call the police immediately. Always protect the scene — vital evidence may be destroyed needlessly.

If the burglar is caught, testify against him.

Doors/Windows

Lock your windows and restrict the opening to a maximum of four inches. Make sure your basement windows are outfitted so entry through them is prevented.

Equip your exterior doors with good locks. If you don’t have a solid core door install a double-cylinder, dead-bolt lock which requires a key both inside and out. Make sure this is allowed by fire officials.

DON’T leave door keys in mail chutes, under doormats or on top of door frames

While gone for and extended time

Stop deliveries and have a dependable neighbor clear your porch of all items.

Arrange to have your immediate neighbor watch your house while you are away. Leave a key with them and a telephone number where you can be reached in an emergency.

Garages

Keep your garage locked. Remove the keys from your garaged automobiles. Close your garage door each time you leave, even though you may be gone for only a short time.

Consider unplugging the electric opener.

Lighting

Install approved, automatic timers. These can be set to turn on a light in your home at a time when are expected to be on. It will also turn off the light at your normal retirement hour.

A constant light in a room which cannot be looked into from the outside, such as a bathroom, is a good idea.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

Prolific Burglar Shares Tips from Prison

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Who better to tell you how to protect your home than a career criminal that began breaking into homes at the tender age of 14. Up until he was finally jailed,  he fed a heroin addiction for almost 30 years by breaking into over 200 homes. That’s an average of breaking into one home every 2 months for 30 years!

How he chose homes:

He randomly chose single level homes that had open shades where he could see inside if anyone was home. He cased the homes over a few days.

Often he would choose a home near the parking lot of a business, church or other establishment where he could park his car unnoticed.

A big attraction was if he saw any degree of mail or newspapers accumulating. One to 2 days worth of mail would prompt him to case the home further. If the home didn’t have that “lived in look” he would knock on the front door, ring the bell, tap on windows and if nobody answered he would jiggle the doorknob.

He also looked at a home’s lighting. If an exterior light was on at 2pm during daylight and still on at 4am, then it was likely the person was away from the home and left the light on to give the false impression they were home at night, not thinking a burglar would notice the light during the day.

What homes he avoided:

Any home with a “Beware of Dog” sign or any pictures of dogs wasn’t worth the risk. If the home had the appearance of a home security system, home security cameras, signage, stickers or a visible alarm keypad, he avoided the home saying again, it’s not worth the risk.

I think it’s pretty clear what you should do and what you shouldn’t do to attract the attention and deter a burglar.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston.

Home Safety Tips to Prevent a Burglary

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Imagine pulling in the driveway and seeing your side door open and some of your stuff on the ground. You wonder what’s happening and think maybe your spouse or kids dropped something or left the door open. But as you look closer the door is smashed and inside the house looks disheveled. Then the sinking feeling of “I’ve been burglarized” sets in.

Secure entrance ways: Burglars often go right through your back or front door. They first ring the bell or knock on the door to see if you’re home, and if you don’t answer they jiggle the doorknob. If the door is locked they will use a crowbar to force it open. Lock your doors. Install solid core doors that can’t easily be compromised. Install heavy deadbolts that go deep into the jam with 3-4 inch screws that go into the door’s frame. For sliding glass doors, install an additional wooden dowel preventing the door from being opened from the outside. Make sure your home security alarm has open door sensors.

Secure windows: When a burglar encounters a locked door they may look for unlocked windows. Lock your windows. As an extra layer of security install a wooden dowel on top of the window to prevent it from being opened. Install window film that prevents the glass from being broken. Install glass break sensors to compliment your home security system.

Use high wattage lighting: Lighting on the exterior is an effective way to keep the bad guy away. The benefit of additional lighting helps your neighbors to see suspicious activity at night. If you have home security cameras, this also helps the cameras do their jobs more effectively. Motion sensors are OK, but I prefer timed lighting that goes on at dusk and off at dawn. Motion sensors sometimes “ghost” and give the impression that someone is there when they aren’t.

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

Home Invasions Are Ugly

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I always do my best not to create fear. Fear based motivation and training stifles progress and turns people off.

Years ago I was invited to present a program at a person’s home to their families and was asked a series of questions that devolved into a hopeless mess. At one point, the Mom’s voice cracked and I could see my answers crossed the lines and her whole body exuded fear.  I’ll never forget it.

Unfortunately, the reality of crime is real, and it’s scary. While trying to keep things light, and with a little perspective, try to learn from the following and brace yourself then acknowledge a few days worth of news reports depicting real stories of bad things happening to good people.

Pregnant Woman Shot During Home Invasion. Deputies said two men forced their way into the home and shot the woman twice, in the arm and upper torso. Two children were at the home at the time. They were not injured. Scary. Home with two kids and they witness this. Maybe she’s “lucky” it wasn’t worse?

Newark teen and grandmother are attacked in home invasion by men posing as police. Two men impersonating police officers were armed with handguns, barged into a home in Newark. The two men, who wore police-type badges around their necks, handcuffed the 18 year old forcing the man into a closet while pushing his 76-year-old grandmother to the floor. You never know who is a good guy and who is a bad guy. Just because they have a badge doesn’t mean you should immediately open the door.

Robbers beat paraplegic man, killing his dog in Parker County home invasion. A disabled man was pistol-whipped and his service dog was shot to death during a home invasion robbery. The man had just gotten into bed when two masked robbers kicked in the door of his rural home. The gunmen held the paraplegic man down on his bed and demanded cash. That’s when his 12-year-old German shepherd, Major, entered the room. The intruders shot and killed the dog, then fled with more than $500. “He was doing what he was supposed to do,” Hammons told Channel 8. “I feel like he saved mine and my wife’s life.”

Wow. Again, no fear based training here. This stuff is real and it needs to be acknowledged. Here are a few home safety tips:

Lock your doors day and night.

Don’t open for anyone without first calling a supervisor to confirm their legitimacy.

Every home must have a home security alarm that is also equipped with security cameras. And one of my personal favorites, get a trained German shepherd.

Another consideration is a home safe-room also known as a “panic room” where families can hide out in a relatively bullet proof, well stocked room equipped with wireless communications and wait for law enforcement to show up.

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