BALANCEDADULTS
Summer security Common sense precautions and home security systems can help keep out burglars who strike during warm-weather months
By Ed Carroll
S
ummer in Northeast Ohio is prime time for cookouts, baseball, outdoor concerts, and unfortunately, burglaries.
While the warm weather during Cleveland summers ushers in many welcomed summer activities, statistics show burglaries are more probable in July and August, when families are more likely to be away on a summer vacation, leaving their homes alone and possibly unprotected, according to asecurelife.com. How can families keep their homes protected while out enjoying the warm weather? Capt. Guy Turner of the Westlake Police Department says one of the most important things for families to do is to create the illusion that someone is home. “You can accomplish that if you ask your neighbor, ‘Hey can you park your car in my driveway?’” he says. “Turn a light on, maybe put it on a timer or something. If you leave it burning the whole time, (FirstEnergy Corp.) loves ya – and that’s OK, too. Leave the radio on. Stop the mail. Stop the infrequently delivered
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newspaper, or if you really want them, ask a neighbor to pick them up for you.” Westlake police get a few dozen break-ins each year, with some involving businesses and others homes, but Turner says a lot of them were left unlocked. He says to make sure all of the doors and windows are locked, even if you’re just going out for the evening. “The most important thing is to make sure everything is secured,” he says. “Generally, residential burglaries take place during the day, because the burglars, being sociologists, know that for most two-income families, there isn’t going to be anybody home.” Chief Annette Mecklenburg of the Cleveland Heights Police Department says burglaries are actually down in her city, with 2016 having the lowest number of reported burglaries ever at 117. Though she didn’t have specific statistics, she says unlocked homes or vehicles are often
prime targets. She agrees with Turner that families should make sure every door and window is locked at night or whenever they leave the homes. “Burglars want to get away with a crime,” she says. “They want to make the least amount of noise possible. And if they can find and open an unsecure window or door, obviously they’re going to want to make entry that way instead of having to break a window or force open a door, which could make a lot of noise and could draw the attention of nearby neighbors.” Both Turner and Mecklenburg had mixed feelings regarding home security systems. Mecklenburg says she can’t tell anyone which alarm system is better, but did say most homes that were broken into didn’t have alarm systems, as the burglars usually don’t want to draw the attention an alarm can bring. Turner says alarm systems work on a limited basis, and said most of the alarm notifications their department gets aren’t actual break-ins but rather things like a relative coming by the house and not
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