Local burglaries send a warning to homeowners

Preventative measures can keep burglars from looking at your house BY CHUCK TUCK | JOURNAL REPORTER In this day and age when so many individuals are concerned with virtual, online, or identity theft in general, we may tend to forget about the days when burglaries were at the forefront of discussions. Well, don’t be fooled, it still happens, and at an alarming rate.

According to the FBI, a home, apartment, or condominium is burglarized every 15 seconds.

Good weather seems to bring out the good and bad in every community, and that includes home invasions. In fact, reports came in last week of two homes in the Lake Stevens area that were burglarized then ransacked.

A home burglary is an invasion of privacy which can lead to the feeling of no longer being secure, even in your own home.

Take the time to call the police immediately and file a report, also contact your insurance company to get the necessary papers to file with them as well.

Be sure to stay on top of things and periodically contact the local officials as to any leads or advancements in their investigation of the burglary. Keep in mind however, you may not be the only case they are working on.

There are measures, that can be taken to help lower the chances of a burglary.

Burglars in general are looking for something they can either use or sell and can be easily carried in most cases.

Easy access to an unattended home makes for a perfect target for the would-be burglar, and since most burglars only want to spend four or five minutes trying to get into a house, making it difficult to enter will help deter the break-in. When many families have both adults working during the day, it becomes nearly impossible to have one person home all the time.

There are ways to give the illusion of someone being home anytime of the day.

If you have a garage that you use to park your car in, make it a habit to always park the car in the garage and keep the garage door closed; even when you’re home during the day. Avoid patterns such as not using the garage door and leaving your car in the driveway during the day when you’re home.

The burglar can notice a pattern if the car is gone, no one is home. By keeping it in the garage it can be difficult for a burglar to determine a pattern of when someone is home.

Fool a would-be burglar by making the house seem lived in at all times.
Do this by purchasing inexpensive timers that can be connected to lights and radios in the home and have them set to go off at random periods of the day while you’re away.

Also remember to turn the ringers down on the home phone so no one outside can hear the phone without it being answered. If an answering machine is connected, remember to lower the answering machine recorder too. You can even have the calls routed to a cell phone. This is a good idea if you plan to be away for two or more days.

Some smart burglars will attempt to call a homeowner’s phone number to see if anyone answers the phone.

Bottom line is use common sense, and don’t leave packages advertising what you recently bought at an electronics store, and remove large bushes and trees from near the house. Eliminate potential hiding places.

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