Home Business Information

ONE of the services provided by the Alameda Police Department to help prevent crime is a security survey. COPPS Unit officers will come to your home or business and assess your vulnerability to burglary or other crimes. The following information is more focused on a house but may be easily adapted for a business. No home or business is burglarproof, but most burglars are opportunists looking for an easy target. One of the main pieces of advice we share at Neighborhood Watch meetings is that a secured home or business is much less "attractive" than the one that isn't protected. You may be able to significantly reduce the chances your house will be burglarized if you do a few simple things, such as trimming the bushes so burglars have no place to hide or leaving your porch light onat night. The following questions come from a brochure available at our police department. Every time you answer "no" to a question, it points out a possible weak area in your home security. As you eliminate "no" answers, you improve your safety.

Safe practices

Do you keep a list of all valuable property?

Do you have a list of the serial numbers of your watches, cameras, stereo and similar items, and are they marked with your driver's license number?

Do you have a description of other valuable property that does not have a number?

Do you keep excess cash and other valuables in a bank?

Do you plan so you do not need to "hide" a key under the door mat or in the vicinity?

Have you told your family what to do if they discover a burglar breaking in or already in the house?

Have you told your family to leave the house undisturbed and call the police if they discover a burglary has been committed?

Are your trees and shrubs trimmed to eliminate hiding places?

Do you have emergency telephone numbers listed on your phone?

Are lights installed around the perimeter of your house?

Is your house numbering lighted and easily visible from the street during all hours of the day and night?

Do you leave trip plans or emergency phone numbers with trusted neighbors or friends?

Doors and entry areas

Are your exterior doors of solid core construction?

Do entry doors have a wide-angle peephole viewer?

Are your door locks secure from being opened if a burglar breaks out

glass or a panel of light wood?

Do exterior doors have cylinder-type deadbolt locks with at least a 1-inch throw and beveled cylinder guard?

Do the doors without cylinder locks have a heavy bolt or some similar secure device that can be operated only from the inside?

Can all of your doors (basement, porch, French, balcony) be securely locked?

Do your basement doors have locks that allow you to isolate that part of the house?

Are all your locks in good repair?

Are the door-strike plates installed with 3-inch screws?

Do you know everyone who has a key to your house?

Do all outswinging doors have the hinges pinned or have non- removable pins?

Do sliding doors have an auxiliary lock that locks both the door panels together or the active side to the frame?

Is the garage door secured with a padlock, hasp or other good auxiliary lock?

Do you lock your car and take the keys out even when it is parked in the garage?

Windows

Are all windows equipped with auxiliary key locks or pinned?

Have you replaced or secured louvered windows?

Are your window locks properly and securely mounted?

Do you keep your windows locked when they are shut?

Do you use locks that allow you to lock a window that is partly shut?

Are you as careful of basement and second-floor windows as you are of those on the first floor?

Do you have secure locks on garage windows?

Now that you know what to look for in securing your home, find out how. Contact the Alameda Police Department, Crime Prevention Unit, for assistance on techniques to use to pass a security survey.

If you would like a thorough home security inspection, call the Crime Prevention Unit, and an officer will come to your home and walk through all of the steps to make your home less attractive to a burglar.

Remember: No home is burglar proof, but experience has shown you can substantially reduce your chances of being burglarized by reducing easy opportunity.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:13 AM