Police offer 18 Burglary Prevention Tips

To help keep your home and property safe from crime, the New Castle County Police Department provides the following guidelines:

1. Sounds like a no-brainer, but so many people do otherwise: Keep your doors locked at all times. People will actually go to sleep with the front door unlocked.
2. Doors should be locked with a deadbolt that has at least a one-inch throw.
3. Keep windows locked. People have been known to leave a window open ove ight in their child's bedroom. Yes, hot weather is here, but there are ways to ventilate rooms without inviting burglars and rapists in. A bad guy could easily, and quietly, remove a screen.
4. Check all your windows; all should have locks.
5. All sliding doors and windows should have a block in the track.
6. The garage door should never be open unless it's in use. This includes when you're outdoors doing yardwork—it's not in use while you're tending the garden or lawn.
7. Check the window A/C units: They should be very difficult to remove.
8. Close curtains and blinds at night. This means when it begins getting dusky.
9. Your house number should be easy to read, ideally large, reflective numbers.
10. Lighting should be installed at all entrances: front, side and back.
11. Install a timed lighting system to make it look like someone is always home.
12. Make sure there are no trees or brush obscuring entrances, as burglars can hide more easily.
13. Don't leave ladders out in the yard because you don't have the energy after doing a project to return them to the garage. Unless you just became overcome with severe food poisoning, you can hustle that ladder back into the garage.
14. Don't hide keys under the welcome mat or anyplace else outside.
15. Garage door openers should not be visible inside your car. Neither should valuables, even a pricey pair of sunglasses.
16. Leave a TV on when you go out at night.
17. Never post travel plans on social media.
18. Never create a voicemail message that indicates you're not home.

On that last point…it's amazing that people will actually leave a message like, "We're not home right now, so please leave your name, number and a message…"