In last month's Camden News we reported that although violent crimes were down in the Camden neighborhoods in 2008, reports of burglary were up significantly. As reported then, burglaries were up by 46 percent over 2007 levels. That trend is continuing into 2009. As of the end of January, there were 58 reported burglaries in the Camden neighborhoods, as compared to 37 in 2008, an increase of 58 percent. In January, burglaries accounted for 20 percent of all part one crime in Camden. Of these burglaries, the great majority were residential, with a handful of businesses being broken in to. Of the residential burglaries, most are burglaries of dwellings, although there are a fair number of garage burglaries too.
Clearly, this situation calls for action. While the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is responding to the challenge with increased patrols, plain clothes details and investigations, the scope of the problem requires all us to do our part. Law enforcement has a vital role to play, but it's not enough by itself. There are many things that we as residents and stakeholders in Camden can do. Burglars do not choose their targets entirely at random. They look for properties that they can break into quickly, quietly, and without being seen. Through the effective use of landscaping, lighting and security hardware, homeowners and business owners can greatly reduce the likelihood that their properties will be targeted in the first place. The MPD offers the following suggestions:
Maintain good sightlines and visibility around your house. Keep shrubs trimmed down to a height of no more than 3 feet. Trim the lower branches of trees up to height of at least 6 feet. Avoid privacy fences and tall hedges. These provide prowlers with ample opportunity to hide from neighbors and passersby while breaking in. Look for other opportunities for concealment on your property and eliminate them. Be especially conscious of plantings and obstacles near windows and doors. Be sure you have adequate lighting around your home at night. Motion detector lights are a great way of illuminating your yard and alerting you to activity.
Install adequate home security hardware. Install and maintain deadbolt locks on all exterior doors, including garage service doors. At minimum, locks should have: A bolt which extends 1 inch beyond door edge when in locked position; a case-hardened cylinder guard; and tie screws (secures lock onto door) on the inside.
Install high security strike plates on the frames of all exterior doors, including garage service doors. High security strike plates are at least 6 inches long and are held in place by 6 - 3 inch screws.
For door locks within 3 1/2 feet of a window, install a double-cylinder deadbolt or reinforce the window the grillwork, polycarbonate, security storm door, etc. (Note: City ordinance for multi-unit rental may not allow double-cylinder deadbolt locks.)
Permanently secure basement and garage windows with bars, grillwork, glass block, etc. (Note: City ordinance prohibits permanently closing windows in any room used for sleeping.)
Pin your double hung windows or use filler strips to prevent prowlers from opening them from the outside. Secure overhead garage doors with electric openers, hasps with padlocks or padlocks in door tracks. Change opener code from standard setting. Remove the release cord from the opener. Cover garage windows and use blinds and/or curtains for home windows so people cannot see in, especially at night. Install and maintain highly visible house number on front and rear of home.
Practice good security habits. You've invested in good locks and other security hardware. Use them. Keep your doors and windows locked even when you're home. Lock your front door while you are in the backyard, and vice versa. Lock your doors and windows when you leave the house for even a few minutes. Make your house look occupied even when you aren't home. Leave a few lights on and leave a radio or TV on too. Use light timers to turn lights on and off if you're going to be gone for several days. Ask a trusted neighbor to pick up the mail and newspaper when you're out of town. Also ask them to move the drapes and curtains around. Make arrangements to have the snow shoveled or the lawn mowed if you're going to be gone for an extended period of time.
Be a good neighbor. Get to know you neighbors so that you will recognize suspicious activity when you see it. If you do see suspicious activity, call 911. That's how most burglars get caught. Let your neighbors know that you'd appreciate it if they would return the favor. Participate in your local block club. If there isn't one, start one up.
These are just some of the many things you can do to reduce your chances of being targeted by a burglar. For more information on these tips and more ideas, contact your Minneapolis Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist. There are many low cost or no cost things that you can do, and your Crime Prevention Specialist would be happy to show you how. Call them today to schedule a free home security survey.