 |
|
|
Family
Community
Partnership
|
|
|
|
|
Crime Prevention Tips - Updated 18 April 2011
EXTERIOR HOME
- Curbside
- House numbers should be visible from the street to help emergency responders locate your home.
- The overall appearance of the home can give criminals valuable information about you:
- Accumulations of mail or newspapers are a clue you are away.
- Outdoor lighting left on continuously is also a clue you may be away.
- Open garage doors are a direct invitation for theft.
- Fence gates should be closed and padlocked to make entry into the backyard by strangers more difficult.
- Landscaping
- Trees and shrubs should be trimmed to give a clear view of the home from neighboring residences.
- Trees and shrubs should be trimmed so as not to give intruders a place to hide, especially near doors and windows.
- Ourdoor Lighting
- Outdoor lighting shoudl consist of more than just lights at front and back doors or decorative lighting.
- Install security lighting controlled by a motion sensor or an automatic timer.
- Seek to establish a “perimter of light” around your house.
POINTS OF ENTRY
- Garage Doors
- Overhead garage doors should be fitted with:
- An interior locking device which blocks the track (a padlock through the roller track works), and
- An exterior lock
- Windows on the garage door should prohibit viewing the interior of the garage from the outside:
- Installed too high to see through, or
- Tinting films, or
- Fixed curtains
- Keep your garage door closed at all times, and supervised whenever open.
- Windows
- Wooden windows should be pinned on both sides from the inside
- Aluminum windows should be fitted with secondary locking devices which can be easily removed in case of fire
- External Doors
- External doors should be:
- Metal,
- Solid Wood,
- Solid Wood Frame, or
- Solid Core
- Door frames should be strong and tight enough to withstand some degree of force
- Keep doors and frames maintained. Replace any rotting or damaged sections promptly.
- Doors with outside exposed hinges should be pinned to prevent easy removal from outside
- All external doors should be equipped with deadbolt locks with a minimum one-inch throw
- A deadbolt installed near the top of the door, above head-height, is very resistant to being kicked in.
- Strike plates should be installed with 3” - 4” screws anchored through the door frame and into the 2x4 stud.
- Do not leave extra keys under doormats, potted plants or any other obvious outdoor location. Thieves will generally find them. Find an inconspicuous place to hide the keys, or give a set to a neighbor you can trust.
- Do not leave notes for service members or family members on the outside of an exterior door while you are away.
- Sliding glass doors should be pinned to prevent being pried open.
- Secure the upper track with large pan-head screws to prevent lifting.
- A wooden or metal rod should be placed in the lower track to prevent a forced entry.
- French or double-doors should be fitted with flush bolts at the top and bottom edge of the inactive door.
- Any door leading from an attached garage into the house should be equally secure as a door leading directly outside.
return to top of page
INTERIOR SAFETY
- Protecting Yourself
- If you see anything suspicious, report it to the Fort Worth Police.
- Always know who is on the other side of the door before you open.
- If you do not want solicitors, display a No Soliciting sign.
- All solicitors must carry a permit from the City of Fort Worth, and present it to anyone who requests to see it.
- Do not leave a solicitor in your house unattended (wander through your house to find the bathroom, wait in your living room while you get them a drink, etc...).
- If someone is asking for help (call one of their friends, call a mechanic, call the police), ask them to remain outside while you make the phone call for them.
- If you lose your keys, change your locks immediately.
- When you move into a new home, change all the locks.
- Protecting Valuables
- Keep drapes and blinds shut, especially in rooms where expensive equipment is kept.
- Successful thieves know what they are doing, and where to look!
- Store valuables and important documents in a safe, or offsite in a safety-deposit box. If you have a portable fireproof safe / box, keep it well-hidden. To a thief, a portable firebox in plain view is simply prepackaged valuables they do not need to hunt for in your home.
- If you have valuable / heirloom jewelry, do not store it in a jewelry box on your night stand. Store them in hidden, inconspicuous locations, or offsite in a safety-deposit box. Again, to a thief, a jewelry box or valet in plain view on a bedside table is simply prepackaged valuables, ready to go.
- Make note of serial numbers of all valuables that have one (televisions, electronics, bicycles, cameras). Keep this list in a secure location. If possible, permanently mark all these items with your driver’s license number. Also, consider taking advantage of the Fort Worth Police Department’s RAPIDS program.
- Make tools and other equipment obviously easy to uniquely identify, such as painting the handles.
top
Source:
“Preventing Crim Beings With You.” Fort Worth Neighborhood Crime Watch. March 2009.
“20 Home Safety & Security Tips.” http://www.securitychoice.com/20-tips-for-home-safety.html.
|
|
