Home Security

The facts about burglary...

• More than six million residential burglaries occur every year in this country.
  That's one every ten seconds!


• Nearly half of these burglaries are committed without force — that is through
  UNLOCKED doors and windows! http://www.goldenalarm.com/assets/images/Burglary3.jpe
  
• Most of these burglaries could be prevented.


• Always lock your doors and windows even when leaving for “just a minute.”


• Never leave a house key available: under a doormat, in a flower pot, on the ledge of
  the door. These are the first places a burglar will look.


• If you would like to make life even harder for crooks — remember the
  following tips:
  • Exterior doors should have “dead bolt” locks with a 1 inch strong metal bar extending
  into the frame.
  • Sliding doors and windows should all have “ventilation” locks as well as auxiliary locks
  to bolster security.
  • Be sure to include good locks for
  garage, cellar, patio or other doors that lead out through storage areas or a spare
  room.

For more information on locks, contact your local law enforcement agency or write for
the Attorney General's Home Security Handbook.

Going Out?

• Lock all doors and windows.


• Use timers so that lights, radio, TV, go on and off throughout the house to
  indicate someone is home.


• For longer trips be sure to stop mail and newspaper delivery or have a neighbor collect
  them daily.


• In short make your house look, “LIVED IN.


• Remember, if you come home and see a broken window or a jimmied door, don’t go in.
  Confronting a burglar can be dangerous. Phone the police immediately.
  

Other Tips

• Install a wide angle lens viewer in the front door. Never open the door without knowing
  who is there.


• Consider alarm systems or trained security dogs for additional protection.


• Whenever you move to a new home, have the locks changed.

Operation I.D.
Another deterrent to “would be” burglars is Operation Identification.

• Mark your valuables with your driver’s license number preceded by the letters “CA.”


• Post Operation I.D. stickers in doors and windows to warn housebreakers
  to stay away.


• Burglars don’t want marked merchandise because it is difficult to fence and
  evidence of guilt if they are caught.


• So mark your items as conspicuously as possible without defacing them.


• Photograph those items that cannot be engraved (jewelry, silverware, antiques).


• Operation I.D. also facilitates the return of stolen property when it is recovered.
  

Don’t let them knock your block off!

• Want to know the best crime prevention tool ever invented? A GOOD NEIGHBOR!


• Law enforcement officers can’t be everywhere at once, but you and your neighbors
  can. You’re the ones who really know what’s going on in the neighborhood.


• Put that neighborhood know–how to work. It’s simple: just use your eyes and ears —
  then your telephone. If you spot something suspicious, call the police or sheriff immediately.


• Don’t try to stop a criminal yourself —it can be dangerous.


• Neighbors working together in cooperation with law enforcement make one of the best
  crime fighting teams around.


• For more information on how to start your own NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH GROUP —
  contact your local law enforcement agency or write the Attorney General’s Crime and
  Violence Prevention Center for your own Neighborhood Watch Guide.

Article by:
Daniel E. Lungren
Attorney General
Crime and Violence Prevention Center
California Attorney General’s Office

[PDF] available @ http://www.lapdonline.org/prevent_crime/content_basic_view/1175#CrimePreventioTipsfortheHome

Attention! Northridge West Neighborhood Council Meeting Coming Soon

Next Meeting:
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.
Location:
Beckford Avenue Elementary School
19130 Tulsa Street
Northridge, California 91326

Come with suggestions, comments, ideas, and/or concerns.
Learn more about the Northridge Neighborhood Watch

Burglary Prevention

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/homeandgarden/features/2007/burglary-070507/gr/art-burglary.gif

• Burglary is a a crime of opportunity. If you make a burglar's work risky and difficult, you stand a good chance of stopping them before they get inside your home.


• To a burglar visibility means vulnerablity. Use picket fences or chain link fences and keep hedges clipped low to give them less places to hide.


• Burglars try doors and windows first. If they have a difficult time here, chances are they will move on to another house.

Doors:

• Locks: The strongest are deadbolt locks* with a minimum 1" throw bolt containing a hardened, saw-resistant steel insert. The double cylinder deadbolt lock requires a lock a key from both sides, preventing a burglar from breaking glass in the door and turning the knob. *Remember- a double cylinder dead-lock can also block your exit in an emergency. Check with your local law enforcement agency or building inspector to see if these locks are permitted in your area.


• Hinges: Modify the hinges of doors that swing out so that the door will remain bolted to the frame even if a burglar tries to lift the door out.


• Padlocks: Overhead doors, receiving doors, garage doors — all are typically secured
  with padlocks and hasps. Look for sturdy padlocks that don’t release the key until the
  padlock is closed.


• Door Construction: Burglars can kick in a weak door. Replace hollow core doors with
  solid core doors, or strengthen the existing ones with metal sheets.

Windows:

• Protect windows by putting grates, grill work, or bars over them; or cover the glass on the
  inside with a clear polycarbonate sheet. Unbreakable safety glass is also available, but it is more expensive.

Other Enterances:

• Skylights, ventilation ducts, and fire escapes tempt burglars because these openings
  usually are not visible from the street. Protect skylights and ducts with metal grates and
  iron bars. The first stair of a fire escape should be too high for the average adult to reach
  from the ground. The door or window leading to the escape should be equipped with
  emergency exit features: window guards should be removable or hinged to allow for an emergency exit. Keys to locked windows or door should be kept nearby.

Lighting:

• Light is a great crime deterrent. Light up all dark areas, especially doors and windows.

Alarms:

• After installing an alarm, let burglars know
  by putting warning signs in windows and entrances.


• Every alarm system should include:
  • a fail-safe battery backup
  • fire-sensing capability
  • a feedback device to check the system


• For an expert appraisal of your security needs, ask for a premise security survey by your
  local law enforcement agency, or check with a reputable security consultant.

Operation Identifcation:

• Mark your property with your California driver’s license number (preceded by the letters
  “CA”).


• Then put Operation I.D. decals (obtained from your local law enforcement agency)
  on all windows and doors to warn burglars that your property can be traced.

Article by: Daniel E. Lungren Attorney General
Crime and Violence Prevention Center
California Department of Justice

[PDF] available @ http://www.lapdonline.org/prevent_crime/content_basic_view/1175#CrimePreventioTipsfortheHome

Join the Northridge Neighborhood Watch!

Home burglaries can be prevented with your help! Join the Northridge Neighborhood Watch and become a part of a community policing program designed to help reduce crime in our neighborhood. The Northridge Neighborhood Watch is a program provided by the Northridge West Neighborhood Council which meets on the second Tuesday of every month at the auditorium of Beckford Avenue Elementary School. Attend the meetings to gain information and tips on how prevent and report neighborhood crimes, especially home burglaries.

For more information contact the Northridge West Neighborhood Council at:
9401 Reseda Blvd. Ste. 200

Northridge, California 91324
Phone: (818) 534-1797 x1
Email: info@northridgewest.org

Image from:

http://www.ci.greenfield.ca.us/Modules/ShowImage.aspx?imageid=265

PBC Northridge West Insider on Residential Burglaries

After having experienced residential burglaries in our homes, we- the editors of the PBC Northridge West Insider- decided to do some research on burglaries in our neighborhood. We visited the Devonshire Community Police Station's website and participated in an LAPD crime map activity. The activity allowed us to type in our home addresses and view the reported crimes that had occurred in our community. To our surprise, only two burglaries were reported in our area in the last few years. Yet, our homes were broken into toward the end of last year and the crime map showed no evidence of this. The residential burglaries that had taken place in our homes were never reported! We were determined to shed light on the various residential burglaries that occurred in our neighborhood that were never reported. We believe that the community must be aware of how important it is to report burglaries or any suspicious activity. We believe that the current state of unreported burglaries can be resolved with community action plans that inform residents on how to spot and repot crime. These community action plans should be introduced to the public during Neighborhood Council Meetings so that votes can be taken as to what action plans consist of. We are confident that the great residents of the Northridge community will resolve the problem of unreported residential burglaries in the near future.