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Category: Security - Topic: Burglary Caution Best Practices

Burglars, thieves, and muggers are opportunists. They prowl about looking for things such as high bushes around doors, windows, or garages. They wait around for access to an inviting open garage door or seek out accumulation of flyers & newspapers little or no lighting around entryways and garage. As a homeowner you need to fight back with your insurance company if anything is stolen. First, keep a written inventory of your property along with photos or videotape. Store the list along with pictures/video in a secure place away from the house such as a safety deposit box. Include a description of each item, purchase receipts, and any serial numbers helpful for insurance/recovery identification. If something were to happen to your belongings contact the local police department immediately. Many offer free home security inspections.

Remember that burglars and muggers hate light. Have all entrances to your home and garage well lit with fixtures out of reach from ground level. Install lights with motion sensors but be aware they may give false alarms. Use photocell controlled lighting. The lights come on at dusk and stay on until dawn and cost pennies per month. If you have an electrical or fuse box mounted outside, secure it with a strong lock. Muggers and burglars don't like to work in the open. If you have bushes or shrubs near any windows or doors, trim them down to clear the view from windows and trim them up 12 feet from the ground to eliminate potential hiding places. Trim shrubs around the garage doors. Keep doors and windows locked at all times, even if you're in the back yard. Install a peep hole/wide angle viewer at a height convenient for everyone in the house. Don't rely on door handle locks. Experienced thieves can easily open these. Don't rely on chain locks. They can be easily cut or pulled out. Instead, install deadbolt locks in all outside doors. Make sure the lock has at least a 1" bolt or throw. If you already have a deadbolt, check the length of the kick plate screws. These screws should be at least 3" long to go into the frame. If there is a window next to or in the door, you should have a double cylinder deadbolt requires a key from each side. That way, a burglar can't break the window to gain access to the deadbolt lock. Keep the key nearby but accessible only to your family for emergency use.

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