NSL to get stimulus funds to combat gangs

NORTH SALT LAKE — Thanks to a recently awarded Justice Assistance Grant, Davis County's southernmost city will hire a police officer to deal strictly with gang enforcement and education.

The $175,750 grant, one of just a few full grants funded with federal stimulus money, will cover the salary and benefits for the officer for two years, a vehicle and his associated equipment, said North Salt Lake Mayor Shanna Schaefermeyer.

The officer, expected to be hired by early 2010, will work with Davis County's metro gang unit, serve as a resource officer at Foxboro and Orchard elementary schools and will train other officers in gang prevention.

Over the past few years, North Salt Lake police have begun identifying gang-related graffiti, or tagging, associated with eight different gangs, which have apparently begun fleeing Salt Lake County and infiltrating North Salt Lake on the border.

"It's disconcerting," Schaefermeyer said. "We can't let it perpetuate. We can't turn a blind eye to it."

The city's current police force of 16 officers doesn't have the resources or the training to follow up on tagging and do adequate patrols in one of the city's areas of highest growth — the Foxboro neighborhood.

Foxboro neighbors have begun taking steps on their own to form a Neighborhood Watch group and patrol the neighborhood's streets.

"We don't want it to be anything other than a nice, safe neighborhood," Schaefermeyer said.

Shooting in Foxboro

At 4:30 a.m. on October 26, 2009 (Monday morning) we had a shooting in the Foxboro Apartments. While no one was injured, there was some damage to the exterior of one of the buildings. The NSL Police are currently investigating this matter. They have received a few tips they are following. They are looking for two vehicles of interest, one a dark colored small sedan, similar to a Honda Civic and the other a light (white) colored sedan, again, similar to a Honda Civic.

If you have any information, please do not hesitate to contact NSL police at 801-298-6000 or 911 for emergencies.

Situational Awareness Meeting Notes

Situational Awareness
For those who were not able to attend last weeks training with John West from Ops Gear, I have posted some of my notes below. Lets all live in Yellow!!

Color Code levels of Awareness

• White. Living in your own world – completely relaxed and naïve. Oblivious to surroundings.
• Yellow. A little cautious. Being aware and knowing what is going on. You look around and notice your environment and situation. Aware of surroundings.
• Orange. You are aware that something is not quite right. Something is out of place and it is time to take action.
• Red. You have identified a threat. It is time to make others aware.
• Black. Confrontation. You may not know what you are doing. Often times people black out unless they are use to that kind of stress. People often experience tunnel visions and can lose their hearing. You must depend on your muscle and mental memory to get you through.
  Fight, Flight or Freeze – When faced with a confrontation, most people have one of three reactions.

Three types of people in the world

• Sheep, wolves and sheep dog
  Sheep – live in white
  Wolves – predators, feed off of others.
  Sheep Dogs – protectors. Have a combat mind set. Living life in yellow.

Know your environment

• As a sheep dog, you can think like the bad guy. Know what is normal in your neighborhood. Do your homework, learn about the gangs in your neighborhood (colors, signs, etc).

Urban Areas and Threat Analysis

• Pay attention to physical demeanor and approach of others
• One who has aggressive movement
• Avoids notice
• Avoids eye contact

Transition Areas

• Pay extra attention in transition areas and these are where you are most vulnerable
• Getting in the car, walking from house or building to car, stairwells, hallways, etc.
• Create distance when you are faced with a threat. Confrontation is not always the first or best step.

Challenge – Live in yellow for a month!!

Are You a Voter?

Those intricately involved with our city, North Salt Lake, are vital to our Foxboro community as we work on keeping it safe, unified, and needs met.

GET INVOLVED,

If you aren't registered, get registered! Then VOTE on November 3rd at the General Elections, or vote provisionally on any of the early voting days. Visit http://www.nslcity.org/ for more voting information.

Meeting for ALL on Oct. 15th!

Calling ALL Foxboro neighbors!....

Join us for a Foxboro Community Neighborhood Watch meeting on
October 15th, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
at the NEW Foxboro Elementary School
*
We have a special guest speaker, John West from Ops Gear, who will be training us on how to be more aware of our surroundings and circumstances.
*
This training will help us to better protect ourselves, our families, and our neighborhood.
*
Don't miss this awesome training! Forward this to all of your friends and neighbors of Foxboro.


**BLOCK CAPTAINS: contact your area coordinator to receive fliers to help pass out.

Keep Garage Doors Closed

Yet another reminder that our garage doors should not be left open, unless we are outside. Last Thursday, the 17th of September, one of the Area 2/3 residents on Foxhollow (in the villages just north of the park) left their garage door open around 5 pm. While they were inside the home, someone walked into their garage, got in their car and stole a purse. The purse contained a credit card which had been charged on within minutes.

We need to remain vigilant in keeping our own homes secure, as well as warning our neighbors when they have left their garage doors open - day or night.

We're on FACEBOOK!

The lovely Roxey (Area 4 Coordinator) has set us up with our very own facebook account. If you're a facebooker visit us there and join our group!

Foxboro Neighborhood Watch on facebook.

Windows shot at with BB gun

Read the following email from a fellow neighborhood watch citizen:

"A quick FYI about your neighborhood area that one of my neighbors ask me to pass along to you. Her brother lives on Somersby, while he and his family were out of own this past week someone shot at some of the windows in their home with a BB gun. They then went in the backyard and shot at their backyard (to the south of them) neighbors home or fence (I don't remember all the specific details). This was done during the daytime, yesterday. Just a reminder that we need to keep our eye open during daylight hours too."

Patrols (for Area 1 & 4)

Area 1 & 4:

New patrol sign-up sheets have been made in GoogleDocs. If you're interested in helping patrol our neighborhood, please sign-up. If you need an invite to GoogleDocs, please email Gina Catenzaro. {gina (dot) catenzaro (at) hotmail (dot) com}

Thanks guys!

Welcome New Area Coordinator!

We are excited to announce our new Area Coordinator for the apartments in Area Two.

-------------------------------------------

Jordan Baldwin

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Welcome aboard! We look forward to working with you.

Keep Your Garages Closed

I got home from the WalMart around 4:45pm today and had my garage and trunk open while I went back and forth carrying bags into the house. As I came back out into the garage, I noticed a car pulling over at the opposite side of the street from my house (on Manchester.) I didn't recognize the car or the dark-skinned man inside, so I kept a eye out. He started walking toward my garage as I walked toward him. He held out a flyer and said, "Here's a flyer for shutters." It says Universal Shutters and includes an already expired "15%" off offer. As the guy drove away, I stood in the driveway watching to see if he stopped to deliver this special flyer to any of the other homes on the street. He looked back a couple times and noticed me watching him, and continued driving out of sight.

I did report this to the NSL Police Department and they were going to search the area.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch many details. Only these:

-Small white car with "For Sale" scribbled on the side window and an orange and white "For Sale" sign in the back window

-Dark-skinned man with a Hispanic accent wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

Keep your eyes open and your garage shut!

Car Burglaries

There have been a handful of car thefts within the past couple of days! Please be aware and keep your cars in your garages and/or locked with valuables removed/out of sight in your driveways; streets are never a good place to park overnight, but if you can't avoid it try to park under a street lamp. Click here for more ideas how to avoid car theft.

____________________________________________

Gina,

A police officer knocked on our door this morning. Someone broke into Zach's truck last night and stole his stereo and other little things. The officer said that there had been four others so far this morning that he'd responded to.

I thought I'd let you know :)

Crappy thieves.

Jen

Peeping Tom Alert!

Please read the following comment that was left by an Area 6 neighbor:
_______________________________

I live in Foxboro North so I guess that would be area 6 and I wanted to let all of you foxboro people know some disturbing things that happened last night in our area. We live on Hillingdon Court which is the first circle after the foxboro south neighborhood. I was going to bed and looked out my window and saw a man looking into our across the street neighbors window. I watched him for a little while because I thought it was the owner of the house checking his sprinklers or something. I quickly realized he was not the owner. He was peeking into our neighbors bathroom window. My husband went down and opened our garage to scare him off and it did. He ran before I could see where he went. We called our neighbors to let them know and they came out and checked around their house but no sign of him. A few minutes later we saw a red 4 door car drive out of our circle. We did not recognize the car, but did not get a good look at who was driving or the license plate or the make of the car. If anyone sees a man in his 20's, driving a red 4 door car with some sort of rack on the top, this could be our peeping Tom. It happened at 10pm and he was wearing a white T-shirt and dark shorts. We called the police and they have opened a case on it. If you have any info or saw anything around this time in the foxboro north area call the police. Thanks!

Area 3 Break-in!

E-mail sent from Area 3 Coordinator:

Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that one of our neighbors' home was burglarized on Saturday night / Sunday morning. It happened some time after midnight at the Freestones' home in Haworth Circle, while they were camping. They had a number of items stolen, including her wedding ring. If anyone patrolling that night saw anything suspicious, please contact the NSL police - please also send me an email. One thing that you should also be aware of, they broke in by taking a crow-bar and prying the sliding glass door (in the back) off the track. During this busy vacation season, we all need to be extra vigilant to look out for each others' homes and not only looking for suspicious activity while patrolling, but all the time.

--
Stewart B. Harman

Area One Meeting

Thursday, July 2nd @ 7pm

The Big Foxboro Park

(bring the family!)

Everyone in Area One is invited!

Suspicious Door-to-Door Salesman

Please read and pass on this suspicious activity, given to us by an Area Two neighbor. Thanks!

--------------------------------------------

A suspicious older man came around to my house and others starting off with "Oh... oopp I was hoping a woman would answer the door." "No offense.. didn't I talk to your wife earlier today?". "No? you look familiar, did I talk with you earlier today?" "No? sorry all of these homes look the same to me."

He was also trying to prod for information on when I was at home, etc... I finally told him that I am always home. (lie).

What was also suspicious was that he claimed to be selling oil changes for $12.00 but was not carrying any oil change information with him as far as I could tell. His dress was also poor, generally salesmen dress to impress.

Perhaps you could warn people not to give out information to this guy or others as they maybe casing the neighborhood.

Where?

Wasatch Peak Elementary is located on the corner of Cutler and Cambridge (right behind KangarooZoo and East Coast Subs).

Calling All Foxboro Residents!

Foxboro Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Calling all neighbors – please join us for a Foxboro Community neighborhood watch meeting.

April 16, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Wasatch Peak Elementary School

North Salt Lake Police and ordinance officers will be in attendance to discuss how to address and clean-up graffiti on public and/or private property.

We will also have an open forum to discuss some of the recent criminal and gang activity in Foxboro.

We are still looking for additional residents to participate in the watch program, including block captains and participants.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact your block captain or area coordinator. Please join us in helping to keep our community safe.

NEW Area Coordinator!

We're sooooo excited to announce our new Area 5 Coordinator!

Jamie Duncan

She was just barely thrown in to the sharks with us, so she's a little overwhelmed I'm sure. But we're so happy to have her. And congrats to Area 5 for scoring such a great Coordinator. She'll be awesome.

On that same note, we're getting the Foxboro Apartments up and running with Neighborhood Watch as well. An Area Coordinator hasn't been decided upon yet.

Plan on attending the Big Foxboro Neighborhood Watch Meeting in April (details TBA, check back with us later) to meet Jamie, as well as other Area Coordinators and Block Captains, participate in our Open Forum, get up-to-date prevention tips from local police, and much more!

See you soon!

Break-in Prevention Tip

Read the following e-mail received from a local Foxboro neighbor on a prevention tip:
______________________________

"In addition to the padlocks in our old neighborhood we were told to buy individual door alarms. You can buy them in a pack of 4 for around $10. We found them at Ross, but Khols, Target, etc should carry them too. They just attach to the top of your door frame and when opened an alarm starts blaring. We bought them to actually alert us to when our children were escaping. :)Sometimes we couldn't hear from our bedroom door to the backdoor and these came in super handy. They have 3 settings on them 1 being the constant loud alarm, the 2nd one beeps for 30 seconds and the 3rd is the silent position. They are these tiny plastic suckers but they sure can be loud and scary and I'm sure would they have an intruder running from the area pretty fast thinking that it was a real house alarm.

They worked really well for the purpose we used them for and I'm sure it would work great as an extra precaution along with the stick in the door. etc. They can also be bought and used specifically for windows. Just a thought."

Attempted Break-in {Area 5}

An e-mail from an Area 5 neighbor:

"Our next door neighbor, 324 Birmingham, heard some noise coming from his kitchen early (6 AM-ish) this past Saturday morning. He went down, with a baseball bat, to investigate and saw a person with a ski-mask who had just opened his LOCKED sliding glass door from the outside. The person saw Russ and his baseball bat and took off. Russ called the police who came and searched pretty much every backyard in the North town-homes but didn't find anything. Russ and his family are fine, and the guy didn't break anything or get in the house to take anything. The police did say that 90% of the gates (ours included) were not padlocked, and they recommended that we all get padlocks. My first thought was if someone wants to get into a house, I don't think a fence or padlock is going to stop them. But, my husband pointed out that if they are trying to take something, say a computer or TV or anything really, they are going to have a harder time getting it over a fence than if they just took it through an unlocked gate.
You may want to remind people in our community via the blog to padlock their fence if they haven't already done so. We also put a big wooden stick in our sliding glass door to add one more obstacle."

Gang Fight at Park

Below is an email I received from a fellow Neighborhood Watcher, who received their information from a relative in nearby Foxboro area (FB2). Please read and be aware. Pass on to others. Sharing things that we witness and see is exactly what Neighborhood Watch is about. It's so important to be informed and aware. Keep it up guys!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is from my brother in law that lives on York. I thought it would be some good information for our next meeting. I copied below what he said.

"...did you hear that there was a "gang fight" in the park behind our house last Friday? I guess it was during the day and the guy that lives behind us that is a SLC police officer heard some commotion (as did the FBI agent on the other side of the street) and they went over to see what was going on. There were about 20 kids beating up 2 kids. They all took off but the one kid that got beat up tried to hide in his neighbor's yard.

From what they found out, there is a house on the next street over with 3 families living there. Since it is right by the park, the park has become a hang out for some gang activity

I just thought you might want to know since you are involved in the Neighborhood watch."
------------------------------------------
Please feel free to email me or your Block Captain with things you feel should be shared with your neighbors as well.

Area One Meeting

R E M I N D E R

What: Area One Neighborhood Watch Meeting
When: Thursday, Feb 26th, 2009
Time: 7:30-8:30pm
Where: 1044 Boston Court

Active Patrol Reminder

For those unaware, we are currently doing active patrols within Foxboro. Please volunteer to help. Contact your Area Coordinator for more information and to sign-up.

If this will be your first time doing an active patrol, please download our Active Patrol Guideline sheet for patrolling information. Remember that Area One and Area Four are COMBINED, so if you're from one of these areas please make sure to cover BOTH when patrolling.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding Active Patrol, please contact your Block Captain or Area Coordinator.

Thanks for all your support and volunteer efforts. We appreciate all of our helpers!

We Need You: Volunteer.

Join Neighborhood Watch and help our "Crime-Free-Foxboro" efforts! Your neighbors need you!

Why should I join Neighborhood Watch?
By joining you are,

• helping to keep your very own neighborhood safe and crime-free
• kept updated on any criminal activity that may be happening in your neighborhood
• given up-to-date crime prevention tips from local police
• part of a support group of people who are working toward a common goal: a cleaner, friendlier, and safer place to live.

So the question is: why shouldn't you join? ;)

How much of my time will Neighborhood Watch demand?
As much time as you allow. Area meetings are held occasionally (depends on your area, approximately every 4-7 weeks) which all Neighborhood Watch citizens are encouraged to attend. Also, there are Active Patrol needs within your area which require Neighborhood Watch citizens to sign-up for patrols.

If you wish to be a Block Captain, a couple more obligations are required, but not much.

What steps do I need to take in order to join?
Contact your Block Captain or Area Coordinator. Contact information is located on the right-side of this blog.

Attempted Break-In!

I was just told about an attempted break-in in Area One, on Alford Court.
--------------------------------------------------
This Alford Court couple was home with their porch lights on, and the like, when they heard a loud, abrasive, pounding on their front door. Their dog started to bark and must have scared the perpetrator. The couple went to their front window to look out but no one was there. Later, a nearby neighbor told them they also heard the loud pounding and then saw a man running down the couple's front steps and away from their home. The neighbors didn't think too much about it as it was only 9:30pm in the evening! So they didn't take action, thinking it was probably someone the couple knew or possibly the couple themselves. However, the couple did call the NSL Police to find out that four other calls had just been placed, within 15 minutes, of that same thing happening in Foxboro.

About 2 months ago this same thing happened, but the perpetrators were successful in kicking down the door! {click here to read more}

Please be alert and aware of these crimes, and let your neighbors and friends of Foxboro know as well. Let's get the Neighborhood Watch program "up and tough" and let these villains know we won't stand for it.

I think it's safe to assume these perpetrators were desperate and probably armed.

Foxboro Town Meeting to be determined...I'll keep everyone posted.

More Graffiti

Email from Area 4 Coordinator:
---------------------------------------------
Hello Neighbors!

I just wanted to inform you that there was more tagging found yesterday on Fox Hollow Dr near Alford Ct. It was big and yellow, still showing the sign of the gang Surejo (sp?) 13. Please be on the lookout for items like this, and if you're interested in doing active patrol, let me know! Also,we will be having an Area 4 meeting on Thursday, February 19th at 7:30 pm at Yogi Berry.

More Potential Issues --- PLEASE READ

Please read this email that I received from one of our fellow Neighborhood Watch citizens. It's a great reminder of how one person can make a difference in keeping our neighborhood safe. He did a great job in reporting someone suspicious. Remember: if it doesn't look right and it doesn't feel right....it's probably NOT right.
-----------------------------------------------------

Earlier today, around 12:30 PM, I was working in the garage when a white Chevy Astro Van rolled slowly by our house, as I came around the corner, the driver saw me and sped up as he drove in to the new Hallmark subdivision behind us. This seemed suspicious, so I came inside and watched from our back window, as he slowly drove around the neighborhood. He then came back out onto Boston and drove out of sight.

Initially, I wrote this off as a lost contractor looking for a job sight, or a concerned dad just looking for the family dog (ok not really), but about forty-five minutes later, the same van drove slowly by our house a second time. This time, I jumped in my trucked and followed him as he wound through the neighborhoods. We finally ended up in a cul-de-sac in Foxboro North. By this time it was obvious that I had been following him so he pulled over and waited for me to pass. I pulled up next to him, rolled down my window and asked him if he was lost, to which he replied, "no, I am just driving around waiting for a client to come home so I can install a water-softener."

I apologized for the intrusion and waited for him to drive off. As he did, I followed him to our neighbors house and watched him get out of his tuck and knock on the front door. He didn't stay long, and I couldn't here the conversation, but as soon as he left I called my neighbor who, by the way, was home alone and freaked out of her mind. He told her that he was there to install a water-softener and asked if he could come in and look at their system. She told him that she didn't order a water softener and told him to leave.

I continued to watch as the supposed "water-softener installer" went to the next house to see they had ordered the water-softener. Of course, they didn't order the equipment either and he was again turned away. As he got back in his van, he looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and drive out of the neighborhood.

By this time I was on the phone with the police, an act which was probably noticed by the individual. The police circled the neighborhood, but he was long gone by the time they arrived.

I truly hope he was indeed a water-softener installation specialist who was just looking for a lost client. Hopefully, I am just paranoid. However, I do believe, as the NSL Officer stated, he didn't belong here.

I am sending this out because we have to much to loose, not just valuables in our garages, documents in glove boxes, or lost property value, but more importantly the safety of our families and our children. He was driving a late 90's white unmarked Chevy Astro Van with temporary plates. He was Hispanic, had a heavy build, wavy hair, and is in his mid to upper 30's.

Criminal Activity in Area 4!

This was e-mailed out to a handful of people and made it's way to me. This person lives in Area 4. Here's the e-mail as I received it:

Just as a reminder, keep all of your garages and doors locked and keep your outside lights on. Last night I came home from work late. Jess is out of town this week and so I am always a little nervous. I had a little brother and sister who were sleeping over at my house. When I pulled up to my driveway I had an eerie feeling that something wasn't right. Something told me to check my outside entry for the garage and my front door. The front door was closed and the face plate on the outside garage entry was down so I thought I was just being paranoid. Everything was fine. 45 minutes later my little brother shouts "Hey Matt is here" (a brother of mine). I knew he wasn't here because he wasn't coming to sleep over. He said he could hear him talking outside. We have my in-laws fourwheeler trailer in our driveway. And we heard the trailer move. I told my brother to look out the window to see if Matt's car was here. Nope BUT there were 4 men in my driveway and another in a dark colored 4 door sedan. They were trying to crack the code to my garage opener. There were also two tan/gold colored camerys that were hanging out by the house next door that is being built. All cars had dark tinted windows. And their license plate lights are out so we couldn't see the numbers. The scary thing is I was home, all the lights were on in the front and in the back yard and in the house. One man was in my backyard. The police told me that everyone knows when my husband is gone because his truck isn't sitting in the driveway. The police knew which house we were just by his work truck. The police said that I need to keep my garage door to the house locked when I am home (which I never do because the garage is down) but had they gotten in the garage they would have walked right into my house. They also said that the economy is getting worse and thieves are hitting "nice", quiet neighborhoods. The police officer said never hesitate to call even on something that looks suspicious, don't wait for it to become a crime or for someone to get hurt. He also asked me if I had let my neighbors know that Jess was going to be out of town and I said no cause he's gone a lot and he said always let your trusted neighbors know when your husband's gone or when you'll be out of town. I hope these tips will help, even if they are just a reminder.

Area 1 Family Info Spread

This post is for Area 1. Here is the spreadsheet as promised. Please fill out accordingly and return to me as soon as you can. Contact me with any questions you may have. But it's pretty self-explanatory.

Thanks guys!

Click here for the Microsoft Excel (xls) version

(to fill in on computer and email)

or
Click here for a the Adobe Reader (pdf) version

(to print out and fill in with pen)

Crime Reports.com

North Salt Lake has joined Crime Reports.com! Visit this link to see recent criminal activity in our area:

http://crimereports.com/

Also, I've added this link to the 'links' section at the bottom of this window on the right side.

8 Easy {and cheap} Ways to Prevent Home Theft

I found this article on MSN.com and thought it appropriate to post on the blog right now. I urge all to read and pass on to others (click on the "envelope" at the bottom of the post to email article to others). Click here to go directly to the original article on msn.com.

1. Sign up: While home security systems are great tools for preventing burglaries, they can be quite expensive. For a more affordable alternative, Houseworth recommends a little trickery: putting a home security sign in your yard without actually obtaining the service. It's an approach Houseworth uses himself — "I'm too cheap," he says. The sign convinces would-be burglars that your home is in fact protected by a security system, which makes them less inclined to target your property. "Just think from a burglar's point of view: 'Am I going to break into the building or the home that has a security system?'" Houseworth says. "'Or am I going to go next door to the one that doesn't?'"


2. Beware of the garage: Garages are a common entry point for burglars, Houseworth says. Open garage doors serve to advertise your belongings to passers-by, which increases the likelihood of theft. So homeowners should make sure their garage door remains closed any time they aren't present. "Take away the attractive appeal to what someone might want to steal," Houseworth says.

3. Be a neighbor: Neighbors can play a key role in preventing home thefts. Homeowners on friendly terms with their neighbors are less likely to be victimized by other members of their community. At the same time, closely knit neighbors are more likely to call the police if they see someone suspicious poking around your property. "If they like you and they care about you and they are concerned about their community, then if they see something unusual going on, then they will check it out or call the police," Houseworth says. So don't be a hermit: Get out and interact with your neighbors.

4. Keep valuables outside the bedroom: A burglar on the hunt for valuables in a home will make the master bedroom his first stop, because that's where the cash and jewelry are most commonly stored. So if you do keep such valuables on your property, find another room to store them in. "I don't keep anything in my bedroom," Houseworth says. "And I don't have much — deliberately — of great value of the small items [that] are the ones burglars like to steal [stored in my home]."

5. No land escaping: Burglars prefer to target homes that have hiding spots and escape routes in the yards, and abundant bushes and trees make for great cover, Houseworth says. As a result, yards with less shrubbery and more open spaces aren't particularly appealing targets. "If the home is open and relatively exposed, a burglar will think, 'I'm going to go in, and if something goes wrong, how am I going to get out of here?'" Houseworth says.


6. Install motion sensors: Light is a great deterrent for nighttime break-ins. Houseworth recommends homeowners install motion sensors on outdoor lights that turn on automatically if someone triggers them. "I have mine hard-wired in, but they have some that are actually screwed in," he says.

7. Radio running: Noise helps prevent burglaries as well. Houseworth leaves his radio on all day so that would-be burglars think that someone is at home. "Your home is more likely to be burglarized during the day because they think that nobody is home," he says.


8. Free police inventory: Homeowners should be sure to remember the basics of home-theft prevention: keeping windows and doors locked at all times. For homeowners looking to go a step further, Houseworth suggests contacting the local police department and having an officer stop by the house for a safety checkup. "I don't know of any police department that if you call them and ask them to do an inventory of your home to help harden it, they won't come out free and give you advice on how to improve your home," Houseworth says.