Crimewatch 2005

If your HOA does not have a Crime Watch team set up already, contact the Plano Police Department.s Crime Prevention unit for their help in starting one. 972.941.2431. (Please see information below, after the Plano Star Courier article, as well as my notes from Officer Mark Dawson.s Burglary Prevention seminar earlier this year . 1 of 3 topics that he presents throughout the year for Plano citizens.)

The Area Crime Watch Coordinators meeting is this week. As our HOA president, if our HOA Crime Watch Coordinator isn.t available for that semi-annual meeting, I stand in for him. An HOA leader on your HOA Board may want to support your HOA Crime Watch Coordinator and team in the same way.

Also, Officer Mark Dawson (west half of Plano) or Officer Tammy Snider (east half of Plano) could be a guest from Crime Prevention at one of your HOA Member meetings. Officer Dawson was a hit at our annual meeting this year!

Our HOA Crime Watch team is one of the most important assets of our HOA.

Residents may make homes bitter for burglars

Neighborhood Crime Watch

Subject: Burglary Seminar (notes) by Mark Dawson, Plano Police Department Crime Prevention Unit, on 1 February 2005

HOA Crime Watch Team, Plano Police Officer Mark Dawson educated us, informed us, entertained us. He shared valuable information for every Plano resident!

Mark can do Security Surveys for citizens' homes

City of Plano website. Plano Police Department http://www.planopolice.org/

For further information or questions: please contact Officer Mark Dawson at markda@plano.gov or 972.208.8045.

Burglary . a property crime. a Crime Prevention seminar. 1 of 3 that Officer Dawson presents during the year in Plano

Plano is not known for person-person crimes: CAPERS = Crimes Against PERSons

Assaults are generally family situations

There are few sexual assaults and murders

Burglary is common in Plano -- 20 years in prison for burglary conviction

Cars are crimes of opportunity. remove from car any valuable item or anything that looks like it might be valuable, lock car

Lock, Take & Hide. Lock your car, Take your keys, hide your belongings

The Plano Police Department Crime Prevention Unit has a program called "Lock, Take, and Hide." This public awareness program was first introduced in downtown Dallas in the fall of 2001 to help prevent burglary of motor vehicles and unauthorized use of motor vehicle offenses.

Home security . Make it more difficult to break in

Secure every exterior door

If you leave a .key: or access, the bad guys can/will come in.

Burglars are in/out of home in 90 seconds. That 90 seconds inside home is average time for home burglary . burglars head straight for master (jewelry, guns, change).

Install Motion Detector inside master for use when not in master bedroom.

Electronic Garage Door Opener

Inside a car, the Electronic Garage Door Opener is a key to the home. It is like leaving keys on top of car after you park it. Once inside a car, opening the glove compartment will offer lots of information about the owner and his/her home.

Treat the electronic garage door opener as a key to your home.

Ladies, keep Garage Door Opener in purse (as if it is a key), not inside your car.

If the garage door opener technology is built into the car, lock the car inside a garage; do not park it outside the garage at your home.

Garage Door Release

With Garage Door Release inside garage, cut handle off the release cord (the cord will still work) so that handle can.t be accessed from outside to open garage door.

Garage Door is not secure.

Deterrents for home burglars

#1 Armed homeowner

#2 Barking dogs

#7 Alarms (be sure to have signs in yard)

#11 Police

Exterior Doors of Home

All exterior doors, plus door between garage and home, need to be secured.

All burglars knock on door, ring door bell first to see if anyone is home. If nobody answers, the burglars see opportunity.

If alone in your home, be sure to let them know someone is inside. Say something, but do not open door. .Who is it?. .Honey, I.ll get it!.

Door frame can expand, opening locks, so exterior doors are not safe. Secure all exterior doors to protect from entry by burglars. stop entry or slow entry.

Door Security

Strike Plate with 2 short screws provides no security. Strike plates are attached to weakest part of wood door frame (unless steel frame).

Install Security Strike Plate with 9 screws (get 4-inch long screws) to provide security. that will make burglar stop, take longer trying to enter. Buy at Home Depot.

Burglars can break window on door, then reach in to unlock door.

The Original Door Stopper door lock security attaches to door frame (buy at Home Depot). Manufactured by Hadlok, LLC., P.O. Box 1365, Gilmer, TX 75644

Door Lock attaches to floor on interior side of exterior door ( TaylorBrothersDoorLock.com )

CLOSE GARAGE DOORS! Always!

Install peep-hole on all exterior doors, even on door for entering garage.

Install window locks.

What can be seen inside home at night??

Check your home: At night, turn on every light in house. Go outside to see what you can see inside house?

Secure house from outside viewing.

As sun goes down, so should your window coverings.

Be sure to turn blinds so that anybody can not see into windows.

Cover windows on doors with solid material, not sheers.

Exterior Lighting should be lit all night long! Photo-Electric Eye on exterior lighting is optimal. Motion Detectors can be confusing if light bulbs are burned out.

Post at front door:

.No soliciting. No handbills. Do NOT ring door bell . Day Sleeper..

Security Alarm Keypad/Panel

From outside, can you see keypad for Security System to know if alarm is on/off? If so, correct that to block view from outside home.

911 Verification

On home phone, not cell phone, call 911 to test that they know name, address, phone number for home calling 911

Call 911 for any suspicious activity. let Police decide if it is suspicious and if they need to know

972 941 7900 non-emergency dispatch (will not be able to access your name, address, phone)

What House Burglars Say

(video of 3 burglars comments)

How to Pick a Neighborhood

• Hit areas that had $150.000-$200,000 homes, where both are gone from home working, not many people are home during the day in middle-class neighborhoods
• Most people gone during day
• New neighborhoods where don.t know each other
• Nice neighborhood has most money.

How to Pick a House

• Nothing across street or behind
• Corner house . quicker getaway
• Only 1 house on other side
• Where nobody will notice
• Newspapers in yard after morning delivery like The Dallas Morning News . more than a couple of newspapers in yard
• Grass not cut is indication not home
• Location of cars in garage or not
• Empty trash cans on weekend

Other factors that invite burglars

• Mailboxes provides plenty of personal info (can call phone number, posing as telemarketer to learn more info, when home?, etc.)
• Both working or out of town if lot of mail in mailbox
• Mail in mailbox late at night
• Football sign in yard, indicates whole house probably at football game
• Notice about packages (UPS, FedEx) or left packages stay at door
• Dark rainy or foggy or cold days, no lights inside
• .Beware of Dog. sign. no dog barking??

Burglars. Entry

• Rear entry usually
• Garage doors with windows that can see into. both cars gone is indication that breaking in could be easy
• Privacy fences (locks need to be on inside of gate, not outside). Privacy fences good for burglar.s privacy, too

Burglary Timing

• Monday out . many home .sick.
• Friday out . people come home early or take long weekend
• Burglarize from 8:30 or 9 a until 2 p
• Bad weather is good time since people don.t notice what is happening outside
• Good weather when everyone outside

Hiding Presence

• Will park car in Garage while burglarize
• Recessed doorways/entries are advantageous
• Location of front door? Can it be seen?
• Back door might have less visibility

Tools

• Long screwdriver (at least 26 inches)

Home .Shopping.

Install Motion Detector inside master for use when not in master bedroom.

• Straight to master bedroom: jewelry, cash, guns, electronics. gold, diamonds, guns, computers, stereos, crystal, sterling silver.
• All people do same thing: keep valuables in master areas
• Jewelry box on bathroom counter top or on dresser
• Cash in closet, under mattress, in jar, on/in dresser
• Guns in closet, behind clothes in closet

Prevention . successful burglars. advice to homeowners

People who have been burglarized are more conscious.

• Deadbolt locks (2 per door), use key-type so not able to reach in to unlock
• Steel garage door with no windows to see into
• Be sure someone picks up mail, newspapers when out of town
• Manicure lawn
• Outside lighting
• Holes across garage door to lock/secure door
• Answering machine (indicate on message that you are monitoring calls, not out of town). Be careful of saying .out of town.
• Get to know neighbors, home and work numbers, vehicles, license tags . be aware of what is happening in neighborhood

Burglars may be well-dressed to not attract attention. some make over $100,000 a year from burglary

These seminars are presented throughout the year.