Lewis County Sheriff Warns: Theft is on The Rise This Holiday

We are seeing an increase in burglaries this month! Don't be an easy target! Here are a few tips to help avoid becoming a victim of burglary or theft.

LOCK YOUR DOORS! LOCK YOUR DOORS! We respond to a lot of vehicle prowls and burglaries where there was no forced entry. The suspects simply opened the door, took what they wanted, and left.

Boxes
Do not put electronic boxes outside your home for trash pick up. That is like placing a flashing neon sign outside your home advertising what you have inside.

Tools
One of the easiest ways to break in your dead-bolted door is with a crow bar. Do not leave tools outside your home that could aid thieves in breaking into your home.

Lights
Having flood lights hooked up outside your home is a strong deterrent to criminals, they don't want to be seen. Hook these lights up on a timer or motion sensor and regularly check them to ensure that they are working properly.

Leaving lights on in your home while you are gone can give the impression that someone is home. Hook up a couple of lamps and or radios on a timer so they will come on.

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Action
Having predictable schedules and going to and from work the same way every day is like handing burglars a copy of your schedule. Try a different route home every once and a while and if you live close enough, come home a couple of times during the day. If you have neighbors be sure and ask them to call you if they see any suspicious people walking by or looking at your property.

If you leave for the weekend or on vacation ask someone to drop by once and a while to check on things.

Mail
Do not let your mail accumulate in your mailbox when you are gone. Have a family member or friend drop by and pick it up for you.

Doors
In addition to deadbolts on your doors consider adding a chain lock. Be sure and use longer screws, if possible, than the ones that come with the lock. Door that are not regularly used can be barricaded to reduce the chance of someone coming in them.

Be sure and check to make sure that there is no extra space around your exterior doors. That extra space makes it easier for a burglar to get your door open.

Security System
Having a security system will not stop a break-in but it can greatly reduce the number of items that someone is able to steal from your home. It will also notify you and the police the moment that it goes off.

Installing a home security system with a monthly fee is not your only option. You can install security features on your home with little cost and no monthly fees. Consider door wedges. They are a secondary security feature that can prevent your door from opening more than a few inches. Some even come with an alarm feature that will go off.

Valuables
Do not place your valuables in obvious spots. The theft of a laptop could perhaps be prevented if not left it in sight on the dining room table.

Try putting valuables under the bottom of a shelf, in a cabinet-not the entertainment center, in a drawer, or in the bathroom. Don't go for the obvious.

Safes
Putting your valuables and firearms in a safe can greatly reduce the chance of them being stolen but only if the safe is not something a thief can pick up and walk away with. Consider bolting in into the shelf in your closet.