MPD: burglary on the 100 block of Adams St NW on Monday, 10-03-2016

From: MPD-5D@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2016 1:41 PM
To: MPD-5D@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MPD-5D] RE: Burglary 100 Block of Adams Street, Northwest

On Monday October 3, 2016, a house was broken into in the 100 Block of Adams Street, Northwest.  Entry was made by removing a window air conditioning unit. 

Please review the below information on ways to help protect your home.

Burglary Prevention Tips:

Don't make your home a target. 

Have you ever been locked out of your home? Were you able to get in anyway? If you could break into your own home, it's just as easy for someone else to break in, too. Many intruders will spend no more than 60 seconds trying to break into a home. The best prediction of a future burglary is a past burglary. Therefore, it is important to take preventive measures now. Strong locks and good neighbors who look out for one another can be effective deterrents to burglars. Here are a few tips that can help you keep you and your property safe and secure. 

Check Your Locks

Make sure every external door has a strong, well-installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough. Sliding glass doors offer easy access to burglars if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door, or by installing commercially available locks. To prevent the door being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole. Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" your windows by drilling a small hole at a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. You should secure basement windows with grilles or grates (but make sure that they can be opened from the inside in case of fire). 

NEVER hide keys around the outside of your home!! Instead, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust. When you move into a new house or apartment, RE-KEY THE LOCK. 

Check Your Doors

While we all like to feel that once we close and lock our doors, we're safe and secure, the truth of the matter is that a lock on a flimsy door is about as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down with your wallet on the front seat! Take these steps to make your home as secure as possible: 

All outside doors should be metal or solid wood. Install a peephole or wide angle viewer in all entry doors so that you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don't keep out intruders. If your doors don't fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them. 

Check the Outside

Take a look at your home from the outside, and keep in mind the following tips to help make your home as safe as it can be: 

Burglars HATE bright lights. Install outside lights and KEEP THEM ON at night. Motion-detector lights can be particularly effective. Keep your yard clean. Prune shrubbery so it doesn't hide windows or doors. Cut back tree limbs that a burglar could use to climb to an upper-level window. If you travel, create the illusion that you are at home by getting timers that will turn lights (and perhaps a television or radio) on and off in different parts of your home throughout the day and evening hours. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house! 

Leave shades, blinds and curtains in normal positions. Make sure you don't let your mail and/or newspapers pile up! Call the post office and newspaper to stop delivery or have a neighbor pick them up. If you place your trash or recycling bins at the curb, be sure that they are returned to your yard before you leave town, or ask a neighbor to gather them. 

Protect the Inside

Make a list of your valuables, such as VCRs, DVD players, stereos, computers, and jewelry. Take pictures of the items, list their serial numbers and description. This will help police if your home is burglarized. Contact your District police station for a free home security survey. 

Burglars Can Do More Than Just Steal.

While most burglars prefer to strike when no one is home, intruders can commit other crimes such as rape, robbery, and assault if they are surprised by someone entering the home, or if they pick a home that is occupied. If something looks questionable like a slit screen, a broken window, or an open door DON'T GO IN! Call the police from a neighbor's house, or a cell phone. At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely IF YOU CAN, then call the police. If you can't leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call the police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep. One other important note — never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates that you may not be at home, or that you live alone. Instead, say, "We're not available right now."

Lieutenant William Verna
Metropolitan Police Department
Fifth District

PSA 501