Breaking Point: Protect your home from burglars

May 17, 2011|By Brian Heap | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — Summer is the season for baseball, barbecues, and burglars. While you may be distracted making vacation plans, thieves in Wichita are hard at work scoping out neighborhoods and homes that are easy targets.

"I see there's a nice vulnerable point over here with this open window," said private security expert Bruce Reesman during a recent assessment of a Wichita neighborhood.

Reesman is a former law enforcement officer who owns Smart Security and Investigations. His business is keeping people and their property safe from criminals.

"You want to make it (your home) look secure from the street so they'll move on down the street to somebody else's house that's an easier target," said Reesman.

Burglars typically strike between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when most people are at work. These days, the preferred method of entry is simply kicking in the front or rear door.

Reesman advises clients to reinforce their door frames by attaching a larger plate to cover the lock and dead bolt. "It takes more force and it's less opportunistic for them to get in," he said.

He also recommends using a door jamb between the floor and knob. That could give you more time to flee or prepare yourself in the event of a home invasion.

Reesman also encourages homeowners with alarm systems to update and reorganize their call lists. Often, when an alarm is activated, the company will make calls to the homeowners and neighbors before notifying authorities. Set it up so police are the first ones called.

Here are some other important and simple safety fixes around your house:

Keep hedges, bushes and trees trimmed back, especially around windows where they can create inviting cover for crooks to do their dirty work.
Drill small holes in your window frames and insert metal pins or screws to prevent windows from being raised from the outside.
Install motion activated lights around the perimieter of the home. Bad guys don't like light.
Lock the gate leading to your backyard.
Keep garage doors closed while doing yard work. Thieves will walk in and steal a trimmer in seconds while you're in the backyard.

According to data provided by the Wichita Police Department, there have been more than 1000 home burglaries scattered all across the city in 2011. And the busy season is just beginning.

"We're not practicing rocket science, we're practicing basic security principles," said Reesman "Protect what's yours so you can keep it."

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