Don’t be a target.
Have you ever been locked out of your home? Were you able to get in anyway? Now think about it…if YOU could break into your own home, it’s just as easy for someone else to break in, too.
Many intruders will spend nomore than 60 seconds trying to break into a home. The best prediction of afuture burglary is a past burglary. Therefore, it is important to take preventive measures now.
Strong locks — and good neighbors who look out forone another — can be effective deterrents to burglars.
Here are a few tips that can help you keep you and your property safe and secure.
Check Your LocksMake sure every external door has astrong, well-installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are notenough. Sliding glass doors offer easy access to burglars if they are not properlysecured. You can secure them by putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door, or by installing commercially available locks. To prevent the door being lifted off the track,drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole.
Lock double-hung windows with keylocks or “pin” your windows by drillinga small hole at a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. You should secure basement windows with grilles or grates (but make sure that they can be opened from the inside in case of fire).
NEVER hide keys around the outside ofyour home!! Instead, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.
When you move into a new house or apartment, RE-KEY THE LOCKS.
Check Your Doors While we all like to feel that once we close and lock our doors, we’re safe and secure, the truth of the matter is that a lock on a flimsy door is about as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down with your wallet on the front seat!
All outside doors should be metal orsolid wood. Install a peephole or wide angle viewer in all entry doors so that you can see who is outside without opening thedoor.
Door chains break easily and don’tkeep out intruders.If your doors don’t fit tightly in theirframes, install weather stripping around them.
Check the OutsideTake a look at your home from the outside, and keep in mind the following tips to help make your home as safe as it can be: Burglars HATE bright lights. Install outside lights and KEEP THEM ON at night. Motion-detector lights can be particularly effective.
Keep your yard clean. Prune shrubbery so it doesn’t hide windows or doors. Cut back tree limbs that a burglar could use to climb to an upper-level window.
If you travel, create the illusion that you are at home by getting timers that will turn lights (and perhaps a television or radio) on and off in different parts of your home throughout the day and•••••evening hours. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house! Leave shades, blinds and curtains in normal positions. And make sure you don’t let your mail and/or newspapers pile up!
Call the post office and newspaper to stop delivery or have a neighbor pick them up.
Make a list of your valuables, such as VCRs, stereos, computers, and jewelry. Take pictures of the items, list their serial numbers and description. This will help police if your home is burglarized.
Contact your District police station for a free home security survey.
When getting work done on your vehicle, leave only the vehicle key for the service personnel. The same goes for carpark attendants and valets. If you are having work done on your vehicle, give the service station your business address — not your home address.
Burglars Can Do More Than Just Steal While most burglars prefer to strike when no one is home, intruders can commit other crimes such as rape, robbery, and assault if they are surprised by someone entering the home, or if they pick a home that is occupied. If something looks questionable — a slit screen, a broken window, or an open door — DON’T GO IN! Call the police from a neighbor’s house, a cell phone, or a public phone.
At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely IF YOU CAN, then call the police. If you can’t leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call the police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep. One other important note — never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates that you may not be at home, or that you live alone. Instead, say, “We’re not available right now."
What if I Live in an Apartment?
While apartment living is a little different from living in a single family home, there are still some additional things that you can do to make sure that you, your loved ones, and your property remain safe and secure. Similar to Neighborhood Watch, members of an Apartment Watch learn how to make their homes more secure,watch out for one another and members of the community, and report crime and suspicious activity to the police.
Some things you can do:
Never let anyone you don’t know into your building or past security doors!
Organize citizen patrols to walk around the apartment complex and alert police to crime and suspicious activities. DON’T FORGET to patrol parkinglots, stairways, laundry rooms, and playgrounds.
Publish a newsletter that gives local crime news, recognizes Apartment Watch captains, and highlights community activities. Have a reception in the lobby of your building or a cookout on common property so neighbors can get to know one another. Start a Safe Haven Program for children – places where they can go in emergency or scary situations.
Check the complex on a regular basis for problems such as burned-out light bulbs, dark corridors, uncollected trash, or broken locks on mailboxes and doors. Report any such problems to the buildingmanager. Keep pressure on management to make sure it provides adequate security.
Organize meetings to brainstorm how you can help each other, such as starting an escort service for the elderly.
Get Involved! No one individual or agency working alone can prevent crime. It takes police and citizens working in partnership. The District of Columbia’s community policing strategy provides many ways for police and communities to work together to prevent crime and build safer neighborhoods. These include regular PSA (Police Service Area) meetings in your community, problem-solving groups, citizen patrols and more.
To learn more about community policing activities in your neighborhood, call your local police district:
1st District Station Desk: 698-0555 TTY: 863-4032
2nd District Station Desk: 715-7300 TTY: 364-3961
3rd District Station Desk: 673-6815 TTY: 518-0008
4th District Station Desk: 715-7400 TTY: 722-1791
5th District Station Desk: 698-0150 TTY: 727-5437
6th District Station Desk: 698-0880 TTY: 398-5397
7th District Station Desk: 698-1500 TTY: 889-3574
For more crime prevention information, or to schedule acrime prevention presentation, call the Metropolitan Police Department’s Community Outreach Section at 727-0783. Or visit our Web site at: mpdc.dc.gov.
On Saturday December 8, 2007 the Lamond Community Center, MPDC PSA 402, and the Kids First Basketball Inc hosted a Breakfast with Santa. 
