Patrol Report

Thomas Catri, Chief of Patrol

Where has everyone gone? Maybe it’s because the first day of summer is very near. Approximately half of our community of SunBird leave their homes for the hot summer months. Now that’s a cool thing to do, but as a resident of SunBird leaving for the summer, we have to make sure that we’re aware that summer is the peak season for home burglaries.

Why are the summer months the peak time for burglaries? It probably has to do with many of us who travel, go on vacation, or the simple reason for the crime rise is because people just let their guard down. In the rush to leave home, security is often forgotten.

How to beat the burglars this summer – the best strategy is to keep them out of your house in the first place. Arm yourself with knowledge. The majority of home burglaries occur during the daytime, like between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The summer months of July and August have the most burglaries. Although home burglaries may seem random in occurrence, they actually involve a selection process. The burglar’s selection process is very simple. Choose an unoccupied home with the easiest access. What follows is a list of suggestions to minimize your risk by making your SunBird vacant home unattractive to potential burglars.

Ask your neighbors to watch out for your home. They can report suspicious activity to the police or to you while you are away.

Have your neighbors pick up your newspapers.

Good neighbors should park in your driveway to give the appearance of occupancy while you are away.

Allowing the trusted neighbor to have a spare key solves the problem of hiding a key outside the door. Experienced burglars know where to look for keys.

Install a security system with a yard sign easy to see from the street. In most cases, if a burglar sees an alarm, he will move on to an easier target.

Put timers on lights inside and outside.

Keep a radio on 24/7 close to the front door.

Keep a window blind open to make your house look as if someone is home.

These are just a few helpful tips or suggestions to minimize your risk of home break-in. There are many other things you can do to your home to harden the target and make your home more difficult to enter. The Chandler Police Department can come to your house at no cost to conduct a home security survey. Contact a crime prevention officer and arrange to have them inspect your property to help make it more secure against burglars.

Enjoy your summer without worrying about your home’s security. Take some simple security precautions to keep your home and valuables protected. Enjoy your summer, wherever you are!