Where Crime Doesn’t Pay
Tips to Thwart Burglars
By Neil Funsch
The Denver Police Department reports break-ins in Park Hill are slightly on the rise. It’s not exactly an epidemic, but last year there were 233 reported burglaries in Park Hill, up from 221 the year before. The most dramatic increase was in south Park Hill, which reported 80 burglaries – a spike from 38 the year before.
Other suspicious activities have been reported in the neighborhood as of late: A midnight knock on the front door, with no one there when it is answered. Unrecognized cars creeping along streets.
All this got me to thinking about my home security and what I could do to protect my Park Hill “castle.” A few minutes of research, and I was reminded of several protective steps to take. I also uncovered some new information worth sharing.
A recent book, Burglars on the Job, by Richard T. Wright and Scott H. Decker, revealed some interesting insights into the way burglars think.
Although home burglaries may seem random in occurrence, the selection process is fairly simple. Burglars tend to choose unoccupied homes with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and the best escape routes.
Here are some other useful tidbits:
• They take note of piled up newspapers on the driveway or front porch.
• They check Facebook postings about vacation or trip announcements.
• During this time of year they look for untracked snow drifts on driveway or front steps. In the summer they notice un-mowed yards.
• They hate loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
• They will drive or walk the streets looking in windows to see if your home and to look for objects. Their favorite time is in the evening when your lights are on before you close your blinds.
• They are aware that people often don’t lock their windows so they are on the lookout for cracked or open windows.
• They also know that many people have alarm systems but don’t turn them on.
Experienced burglars know to look for hidden keys in planter boxes, under doormats, and above the ledge. They even know what the fake rocks look like. So the best solution is to leave spare keys with neighbors when you are out of town.
A favorite trick is to knock on the front door to see if anyone is at home. If someone answers they will then ask for directions or offer to clean your gutters.
If necessary they will break a window. Most neighbors, if they hear a loud noise, will stop what they’re doing and wait to see if they hear it again. If they don’t, they just return to what they are doing.
Once inside, they tend to check dresser drawers, bedside table and medicine cabinets. So hiding valuables under your undies is ineffective.
They generally won’t mess with a safe, but if it’s not bolted down they can take it with them.
They know human nature and will seldom go into children’s rooms because people don’t hide precious objects there. Parents unconsciously won’t put their children at risk.
This should get you to thinking about your habits. Now, some general information for how to thwart the would-be burglar:
Make your home more difficult to enter. A burglar will bypass your home if it requires too much effort, or requires more skill and tools than they possess. Experienced burglars know that the garage door is usually the weakest point of entry followed by the back door. The garage and back doors also provide the most cover. So motion detectors can discourage accessing those areas at night.
Become a good neighbor. Good neighbors will watch over your home or apartment when you are away, if you ask them. They can report suspicious activity to the police, or to you with a phone call or email. Get to know your neighbors on each side and the three across the street. In Park Hill most people already have done that, but if not it’s a good excuse to go visiting. Of course you will need to be a good neighbor too.
Finally, here are a few burglary prevention basics:
• Make your home look occupied, and make it difficult to break in.
• Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed.
• Leave lights on when you go out. If you are going to be away for a length of time, connect some lamps to automatic timers to turn them on in the evening and off during the day.
• Keep your garage door closed and locked.
• Stop mail and newspaper deliveries while you are away.
• Arrange for your lawn to be mowed if you are going away for an extended time.
• Check your locks on doors and windows and replace them with secure devices as necessary.
• Install deadbolt locks on all your outside doors.
• Sliding glass doors are vulnerable. Special locks are available for better security.
• Protect yourself and help keep the neighborhood safe. Spread the word and let’s become a neighborhood where burglars know they would be wasting their time.
Neil Funsch has been a mortgage broker for 18 years, the last four in Park Hill. He can be reached at 303-229-2684 or neil.funsch@gmail.com.