Home burglaries spike in neighborhood

Residents taking steps to protect their property by installing lights and better securing windows and doors

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
A spike in home burglaries is causing Third Precinct citizens to take extra precautions.
In November 2013, there were 163 reported residential burglaries (including garages), compared to 93 the year before.

Home burglaries typically increase near the holiday season, according to Minneapolis Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist Don Greeley. “People’s homes are filled with lots of good things to steal,” observed Greeley.

Another factor contributing to the burglary rate is “related to which burglars are in jail or just got out,” Greeley said.

The police department has stepped up patrols in the neighborhood.

TAKING STEPS TO PROTECT HER HOME

Longfellow resident Jaxi Schulz is concerned about the spike in burglaries. “I know several of my neighbors on the same and surrounding blocks have had their homes broken into,” said Schulz. “I have taken some steps to protect my home and I think the fact that we very obviously have dogs helps.”

Schulz added spot lights to the back and side of the house, a light to the front of the house and a light on the garage. The lights are on dusk-to-dawn timers.

Since she moved into her house six years ago, the window on the front of her house on the porch has made her nervous as she knows it provides an easy and hidden point for a break-in. So, she decided to put metal bars on the window, and then also placed a shelf on the porch in front of it so that the window can’t be seen.

“I never leave the windows open or unlocked when we are not home. I never leave the windows open or unlocked at night when we are sleeping. It means more time with heat or AC, but I feel safer,” said Schulz.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO
The steps Schulz has taken are inexpensive and easy, the very sort of thing Greeley focuses on when he gives presentations about how to protect their homes and garages from burglars.
Greeley tells residents to focus on these things:
• securing doors and windows
• adding lighting
• securing garages
• starting an active neighborhood watch (block club)

Typically about 50% or more of home burglaries are “unforced”; that is, thieves enter through unlocked windows and doors.

What are some ways to secure windows? Use a nail to pin a window to prevent it from being opened at all. Use a window bar to prevent a window from being opened more than 6 inches, the amount needed for someone to crawl through. Keyed slide bolts are useful both for windows and sliding glass doors.

Lighting an area is also important for deterring crime. Motion-detector lights are an inexpensive deterrent for areas where constant lighting is unnecessary but beneficial when there is activity there. Be sure to hang the lights high enough that they can’t easily be broken.

Make it appear as though your home is occupied even when you aren’t there. Install timers for lights, keep the shades pulled, keep a radio or television on, and have your mail picked up when you are on vacation. Barking dogs also discourage entry.

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