As many of us know, Wisconsin has been frozen over for about the last five months, but warmer weather will soon be upon us. For the Madison Police Department, that means that a rise in the burglary rate is sure to follow. We will be closely following break-ins and burglaries to cars and homes. You as a community can help assist with prevention and reduction of these crimes. Below, I will offer a few suggestions on how to prevent burglaries and break-ins.
The two most important things you can do to secure your property are lock it up and make sure nothing is in plain sight. If something in your car is of little value to you, it could still be of high value to a thief. Even change in your center console should be removed and hidden from sight – and that goes for any other items in your car. As for your home, any bikes, toys, or yard equipment should be locked up or secured at all times. Burglars see these items as invitations to take them. If they are hidden, there will be nothing to take. Be mindful of the garage door being left open for extended periods of time with no one in sight, it is an invitation to the opportunist thief.
The next thing you can do to aid in preventing theft of your property is install deadbolts on all of your doors. Deadbolts are thick locks and make it much harder to break into homes. Also think about installing motion-sensing lights. This type of light tends to stop criminals from approaching a home and will alert you to any strange movement at night. The final security feature to consider is window vent locks. These allow a window to be opened for ventilation, but not open large enough for a human sized intruder to crawl through.
Properly securing and taking care of your property will help in the effort to reduce break-ins and burglaries in the coming months. With your help and the efforts of the police, we can help prevent these crimes together as a community. I have also provided a link with ideas on how to secure your property. Feel free to research other ways to prevent burglaries.