Twenty tips to avoid becoming a burglary victim

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(Courtesy of the Stony Point Police Department)
As the weather warms, people often leave windows ajar for fresh air. Stony Point Police Chief Brian Moore warns residents that this is an invitation for a burglary to occur, especially weekdays during normal work hours. “Don’t be a victim,” Moore said.
Here’s 20 tips to avoid becoming a victim to a home burglary, courtesy of SPPD;
1. Trim shrubs around doors and windows so burglars don’t have a sheltered place to work.2. Don’t hide spare house keys outside the home. Find a trusted neighbor instead.

3. Lock all doors and windows, even when leaving for a short time.

4. Have locks changed or re-keyed when moving into a new home or apartment.

5. Install deadbolt door locks on exterior doors and any interior door between the garage and house and USE THEM.

6. Install locking devices on all windows.

7. Install track-type locks, drop bars, wooden dowels or pinning devices on sliding glass doors.

8. Consider keeping valuables in a safe deposit box.

9. Ask to see door-to-door vendors’ permits or licenses.

10. Don’t post photos on social media sites updating people about your vacation.

11. Install lights by all exterior doors and make bulbs hard to reach.

12. Illuminate house numbers for quick emergency-services response.

13. Install solid-core or metal-exterior doors.

14. Install peepholes on doors.

15. Upgrade locks to the latest security advances. Alarm systems and video systems are becoming very affordable.

16. Call police if you see anything out of the ordinary. A simple knock on the door could be a burglar checking to see if you or your neighbors are home.

17. Never let strangers enter your home no matter how “nice” they appear or seem. The best burglars can be the nicest people.

18. Never give keys to people making improvements to your home.

19. Use motion sensors and photocells on exterior floodlights.

20. Store ladders in the garage or padlock them to fixed objects so burglars can’t use them to reach upper floor windows.

If you are not sure if you should call the police, call anyway. You never know if the call you make could be the one that prevents the next burglary from occurring. Keep your local police number handy. Program it in your cell phone. SPPD is 786-2422. Haverstraw PD is 354-1500.

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