MPD recommendations to deter area daytime burglaries

See this message from ANC 5C03 Commissioner Hugh Youngblood:
 

 
Dear Neighbors,

        

Daytime burglaries continue in Bloomingdale and the surrounding neighborhoods, so please remain vigilant.

       

Today around noon, burglars kicked in the back door of a home in the Unit Block in the alley between Quincy Place NW and R Street NW and stole laptops etc while the residents were at work.

        

The incident occurred at the house almost directly across the alley from my back deck, so I ran into several MPD Officers on the scene as I was leaving my house walking back to my office after lunch and picked their brains for ideas.

         

The Officers immediately noticed that the lack of an iron gate on the back door of the victimized house, combined with relatively easy access to the back door from the alley and the exterior appearance of recent renovations, likely motivated the perpetrators to target this particular home. MPD recommends that residents consider including as many of the following possible features at homes to deter these types of burglaries:

           

1. Iron bars/gates on doors and accessible windows

2. A dog

3. An alarm system

4. A camera (even a fake one) over the rear door

5. Anything else that would deter unwelcome daytime visitors.

            

If your home looks recently renovated from the rear, please seriously consider implementing one or more of these measures to enhance the safety and security of your home against this threat. Also, please take the time to put away laptops and similar electronics out of view when you leave home just like you would avoid leaving any valuables visible in your car left parked on the street.
            
Also, thank you to the team at Don's & Diva's Barber Shop (75 Florida Avenue NW) for taking swift action to enhance security in our alley by implementing increased frequency foot patrols and acknowledging that we're all in this together.

 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

 

Thank you,

 

Hugh

 

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Hugh Youngblood

ANC, SMD 5C03

202 . 630 . 2262

@ANC5C03