Residence Protection
- 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.
- Store firearms unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks.
- 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.
- If you hear an intruder while at home, leave safely if you can, then call police. If you can't leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.
- 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.
Source: National Crime Prevention Council
Vehicle Theft Prevention
- When buying a used car from an individual or a dealer, make sure you have the proper titles, and that the VIN number is still intact. The federal sticker on the inside of the driver's door should match the VIN.
- Never leave your car running or the keys in the ignition when you're away from it.
- Always roll up the windows and lock the car.
- Park in busy, well-lighted areas.
- Be alert when parking in enclosed parking garages.
- Carry the registration and insurance card with you.
- Look into CAT (Combat Auto Theft) and HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) partnership programs where individuals voluntarily register their cars with the police, and allow the police to stop the car during certain hours when they normally would not be driving.
- Etch the VIN number on windows, doors, fenders and trunk lid. This helps discourage professional thieves who would have to either remove or replace etched parts before selling the car.
- Be especially alert at intersections, gas stations, ATMs, shopping malls, convenience and grocery stores - all are windows of opportunity for carjackers.
- Beware of the "bump-and-rob," which is when a driver bumps you in traffic, and has a passenger steal your car when you get out to check the damage.
- Before getting in your car, make sure to look underneath and inside the car.
Source: National Crime Prevention Council
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