Emily’s Crime Watch – Tip #10 - Family and Home Safety

Emily wanted me to talk about a safety issue that many people have expressed their recent concerns - home security and what to do to keep your family and home safe from burglaries or home invasions.

There are two important aspects to remember for home security against potential break-ins: secure you home with proper hardware and electronics, and make sure that your entire family ALWAYS uses them correctly. Follow these guidelines with no exceptions.

Remember, if you come home and your house has been broken into, DO NOT GO INSIDE. Call the police immediately and wait for them to arrive, away from the residence or at a neighbor’s house.

There are 4 basic types of burglars and home invaders:

1. Professionals – these are the most sophisticated type of burglars or “cat burglars” and they generally are interested in businesses or extremely wealthy homes.

2. Opportunists – these are generally juvenile delinquents and pose a medium amount of danger.

3. Thrill-Seekers – these are also generally juvenile delinquents and pose a medium amount of danger. A higher danger potential are gang members, voyeurs, rapists, and murderers.

4. Drug Addicts – these are unskilled, unpredictable, individuals usually high on drugs. Basically, these types of individuals commit up to 90 percent of all burglaries and home invasions. Since they are desperate, irrational and prone to violence, they are very dangerous.

What simple precautions can you do to protect you and your family from being a victim of burglary or home invasions?

1. Install door reinforcements.
2. Install window reinforcements.
3. Install garage and yard reinforcements.
4. Install simple home electronics.
5. Install an alarm system.
6. Good neighbors: know your neighbors and watch out for one another.
7. Join or start a Neighborhood Watch Group.

These are simple preventative measures to keep in mind when you’re home:

1. Keep your windows and doors locked. About half of all home invasions happen because of unlocked doors or windows. If you’re outdoors gardening or at a neighbor’s house, remember to lock your door and carry a key with you. Be careful where you hide a house key and don’t make it obvious.

2. Never blindly open the door when someone knocks or rings the doorbell. This can be a burglar practice called a “push in”.

3. Avoid a “scam in” and never open the door to a stranger no matter what they say. These types of scam artists are master manipulators.

Pay attention to what goes on in your neighborhood. If you see anything that looks suspicious or looks out of place, report it to the local police immediately.

Be sure to talk to your children about home safety strategies and implement them into your daily routine.

For more information on how to keep your home and family safe from break-ins or home invasions, contact your local law enforcement agency or security specialist.


Jennifer Chase
Author & Criminologist

Emily Stone's Crime Watch – Tip #1

Emily Stone is the heroine in my novel Compulsion. She expertly tracks down pedophiles and serial killers and then anonymously emails her entire investigation to the police detective in charge of the case. She’s definitely one high-tech super sleuth that gets the job done as more criminals are taken off the streets. Her compulsion is to make sure that children, neighbors, and communities are safe from crime.

I want everyone to be safe from crime. I will be posting a weekly crime and safety tip that I know Emily would not hesitate tell you first hand.

This week is about personal safety for women outside of the home. It’s important not to become a target for a potential crime and there are a few tips that will help to keep you safe when traveling from one destination to the next.

Try and remember these three basic tips when you’re out in public areas:

1. Alert – be prepared and alert to where you are going and what you’re going to be doing next. Don’t get distracted by searching through your purse for keys or dialing your cell phone as you leave work or a shopping area. This makes you unaware of what’s going on around you and who could be watching you. It could potentially make you a crime target. If you are walking out to a parking lot have your key or alarm release ready. Get inside your vehicle and lock your doors before you do anything that takes your mind off the immediate surroundings.

2. Confidence – move and walk with confidence. That means make eye contact and carry your body straight with your shoulders back and down looking straight ahead. Confidence can be a valuable defense tactic and it can go a long way to help deter being a potential crime victim.

3. Observe – take a few seconds to observe your surroundings. It can be just a quick glance in several directions or studying something in more detail. If something doesn’t look or seem right to you, then retreat back into a public area for assistance. Also, if you notice something that seems out of place remember simple things, such as the exact location, description of all people involved, cars or objects, and exactly what you observed. This can be extremely important information to police investigations.

I actually carry a small spiral notebook, something that I can slip into a pocket or purse, to record anything that I feel looks out of place in public locations. That way I can refer to my notes if something ever transpires from the observed situation.

If you ever feel that you are in any danger or witness any type of crime, don’t hesitate to call the police immediately.