Home Safety

Here are some tips to help protect your home from crime:

MAKE SURE ALL YOUR EXTERIOR DOORS HAVE DEAD-BOLT LOCK WITH A MINIMUM 1” THROW.

MAKE SURE OUTSIDE DOORS ARE OF SOLID CONSTRUCTION. WE RECOMMEND A THICKNESS OF 1 ¼ “ METAL OR HARDWOOD.

AT THE VERY LEAST, USE THE LOCKS YOU HAVE! ALWAYS LOCK UP WHEN YOU GO OUT, EVEN IF ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES.

IF YOU ARE WORKING IN THE FRONT YARD, BE SURE THE BACK DOORS, SIDE DOORS AND GARAGE DOORS ARE LOCKED. IF YOU ARE WORKING IN THE BACK YARD, MAKE SURE YOUR FRONT, SIDE AND GARAGES DOORS ARE ALL LOCKED

SECURE SLIDING GLASS DOORS WITH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BARS OR LOCKS. YOU CAN USE A WOODEN DOWEL OR EVEN A BROOM HANDLE IN THE DOOR TRACK. A SCREW PARTIALLY SEATED IN THE OVERHEAD TRACK CAN PREVENT DOORS FROM BEING LIFTED OUT.

MAKE SURE YOUR WINDOWS HAVE GOOD LOCKS, ESPECIALLY AT GROUND LEVEL. OLDER STYLE DOUBLE-HUNG WINDOWS CAN BE MADE SAFER BY DRILLING A HOLE STRAIGHT THROUGH BOTH WOODEN FRAMES WHERE THE UPPER AND LOWER WINDOW MEET (BY THE WINDOW LOCK) MAKE THE HOLES SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN A LONG NAIL, SO THAT THE NAIL WILL REST LIGHTLY IN THE HOLES. THE PURPOSE FOR THIS IS TO KEEP THE WINDOWS FROM BEING RAISED BY AN INTRUDER, BUT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO REMOVE THE NAIL EASILY IF YOU WANT SOME VENTILATION OR YOU NEED TO EXIT BY THE WINDOW IN AN EMERGENCY.

MAKE SURE ALL PORCHES, ENTRANCES AND OUTSIDE AREAS ARE WELL-LIGHTED. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE REAR OF YOUR HOUSE. DO NOT BLOCK YOUR FRONT PORCH/FOYER WINDOWS WITH BANNERS OR OTHER OBJECTS. THIS MAY ALLOW THIEVES TO WORK UNDETECTED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

TRIM ANY BUSHES OR TREES THAT HIDE DOORS, OR WINDOWS. REDUCE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEONE TO HIDE BEHIND THE BUSHES OR SHRUBS.

KEEP LADDERS AND TOOLS, MOWERS, GARDEN IMPLEMENTS, ETC. INSIDE LOCKED DOORS WHEN YOU’RE NOT USING THEM. THIS NOT ONLY REDUCES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEFT OF THOSE ITEMS, BUT THE THIEF CANNOT LATER USE THESE ITEMS TO BURGLARIZE YOUR HOME.

KEEP YOUR YARD NEAT. BE SURE TO SHOVEL, MOW, PICK UP YOUR MAIL, AND PICK UP YOUR NEWSPAPER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

IF YOU ARE GOING ON VACATION, HAVE YOUR MAIL PUT ON HOLD WITH THE POST OFFICE OR HAVE A NEIGHBOR PICK UP YOUR MAIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER DELIVERY. CLICK HERE FOR MORE VACATION TIPS.

DO NOT LET NEWSPAPERS ACCUMULATE ON YOUR PROPERTY. (THIS INCLUDES THE DAILY PAPER LEFT ON YOUR PROPERTY FOR THE FULL DAY). IT CALLS ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT NO ONE IS HOME TO PICK THEM UP.

DO NOT HIDE YOUR HOUSE KEYS UNDER THE MAT, ABOVE THE DOOR ON THE SILL, OR IN A FLOWER POT. THEY ARE THE FIRST PLACES A BURGLAR LOOKS. GIVE YOUR KEY TO A TRUSTED NEIGHBOR OR FRIEND.

MARK ALL YOUR VALUABLE PROPERTIES (TV VCR COMPUTER, CAMERA, AND STEREO) WITH YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER. YOU MAY ALSO VIDEOTAPE ALL YOUR VALUABLES. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. THIS IS GOOD FOR YOUR INSURANCE CLAIM FOR THEFT. DO NOT STORE YOUR VIDEOTAPE WITH THE REST OF YOUR TAPES…. A SAFE OR SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX IS RECOMMENDED. YOU MAY ALSO BORROW AN ENGRAVER FROM THE CRIME PREVENTION UNIT/COMMUNITY POLICING UNIT. (973-680-4278).

CONSIDER INSTALLING AN ALARM SYSTEM. PLEASE GET AT LEAST 3 ESTIMATES AND ASK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE ALARM COMPANIES. CRIME PREVENTION OFFICERS CAN HELP YOU WITH A SECURITY SURVEY TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON ALL YOUR HOUSE- HOLD SECURITY NEEDS.