Crime Prevention in Your Home

Crime Prevention in Your Home

Montgomery County is a pretty safe place to live.  However, it never hurts to take a few preventative steps to make your family, home and community safer.  Communication goes a very long way toward preventing crime in your home and family.

Family Rules

Home invasions are rare.  When they happen, it is critical that each member of the family knows what to do without hesitation.  Creating family rules about maintaining safety is a good way to teach children to act safely.  Here are a few things each child should know:

• How to call 9-1-1:  If they are old enough to answer a phone, they are also old enough to call for help when it is needed.
• Home address including zip code.
• Parents’ first and last names
• Telephone numbers with area codes
• It’s OK to not answer the phone at all.  But if they do, don’t tell the caller parents are not home right now.  With caller ID, children should be able to screen calls at an early age and avoid answering unknown callers.

Neighborhood Watch

No security device has the same value as a nosy neighbor.  Maybe the neighbor doesn’t need to be nosy – but it is sure helpful if everyone in the community is aware when suspicious activity happens.

For example, if you notice a couple of people are going from door-to-door and after a few houses are visited, one of them goes to the back or side yard while the other seems to be watching community activity.  This is suspicious behavior warranting the alert of authorities. 

Work with your neighbors to outline a list of suspicious behaviors and don’t be afraid to report activity that just doesn’t look right.  You may prevent harm to the family who lives in the home and to the entire community.

Secured Home

A burglar is always looking for a house where no one is home.  It gives them time to “case the joint” to determine what they want to steal.  Consider using automated timers throughout the house which turn on and off in a way that appears to be a normal pattern.

Pay attention to windows and doors.  Make sure they are locked all the time.  Remember drapes constantly closed appear like no one is home, so think about automated blinds.   Don’t hide a key in the common places like under the door mat or planter near the door.  It is the first place a burglar will look after they knock on the door to see if someone answers.

Trim tree limbs giving easy access to your roof, balconies and patios.  Not only will the tree branches damage your roof, it can also give access to a burglar.