Bridgefield Neighborhood

12 Quick Safety Tips from Lt. John Love, our CrimeWatch Liaison

A. K. A. 'Reducd Your Opportunity to Become a Victim of Crime!'

During our Crime Watch Meeting on November 19, Lt. John Love discussed these safety suggestions. They can help you reduce your odds of becoming a crime victim:

Ask a neighbor to take your trash bags to the curb when you are out of town—this is an easy task and you can return the favor the next time they are away. Burglars seek out homes with no trash bags at the curb on trash day, as a sign that no one is there.
If you’re going on a winter vacation, ask a neighbor to pull into your driveway to create tire tracks if it snows, to make potential burglars think you’re home.
Answering machine use: Don’t have any names or telephone numbers on your recording, but rather just say ‘We are not available, please leave a message”. A male voice on the recorder is more of a deterrent than a female voice.
Don’t have your number listed in the telephone book. If you do have it listed, use your initial instead of your first name, and try not to use your answering machine to screen calls.
When someone knocks on your front door, ask who it is through the door before opening it. Don’t feel you have to open your door for salespeople. Consider posting a “Beware of Dog” sign even if you don’t have a dog.
Use timers or light-sensing devices on lights when you are away, as burglars seek out homes with porch lights left on during the day.
Keep your garage door closed, and use a deadbolt lock on the door leading from your garage into your home.
When having your car serviced, leave only the one car key necessary and remove your garage door opener from the car—even for a quick oil change.
Make donations directly to charities, not through a middle-man.
If you have a gun, keep it carefully unloaded and locked up when you are out of the house. Most deaths that occur during a burglary are a result of the burglar using the homeowner’s own gun against the homeowner.
Use debit cards only as a credit card and don’t write your access number onto the card or use the card numbers as the access number.
Be aware that most burglaries occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays, so consider leaving lights or the television on. Also keep curtains/blinds/sheers covering the windows at the front of your home, so people outside cannot easily see your belongings.

We appreciate the suggestions and thank Lt. Love for taking the time to educate us and support our CrimeWatch program!