Community: Pasadena Police Offer Home
& Vehicle Burglary Crime Prevention Tips

Keep From Becoming A Residential Burglary Victim! Burglary victims often feel vulnerable and violated as their personal space has been invaded. Records show that home burglaries often occur during the day while families are at work or school. While residential burglaries seem random, burglars usually choose their targets. Unoccupied homes with easy or concealed access and quick escape routes are targeted.

Once inside your home, burglars look for small expensive items that are easily traded for cash. Favorite items include cash, jewelry, laptops, mobile phones, DVD players, game consoles, watches, guns and other small electronic devices.

Protect yourself and make your home a less likely target with the below ideas. Also, share this with people you care about and help them to protect their home too.

While On Vacation

  • Ask a family member or friend or hire a house sitter to live in your home
  • Ask neighbors to help with your trash bins and newspaper
  • Install an approved and monitored residential alarm system
  • Park a neighbor’s car in your driveway
  • Use timers on indoor lights to give the impression you are home
  • Have merchandise delivered to a neighbor’s house
  • Request Vacation Home Checks from your local Police Station

Bright Ideas

  • Install lights by all exterior doors
  • Use lights at night or motion sensitive lighting
  • Install outside light fixtures where bulbs are hard to reach
  • Illuminate house numbers for quick emergency services response

Doors & Windows

  • Install good quality dead-bolts on your doors and USE THEM
  • Change the locks when moving into a new residence
  • Always lock your doors and windows
  • Give your trusted neighbor / family member the spare key – Don’t hide it outside
  • Use solid core or metal exterior doors
  • Use dead bolt door locks on exterior doors and double cylinder dead bolt locks if glass is within 3 feet of the lock
  • Add auxiliary track-type locks, removable drop bars, wooden dowels, or pinning devices to windows and sliding glass doors
  • Install peepholes on doors with 160 degree views so you don't have to open to door to see outside
  • Use a locking mailbox
  • Never leave notes for anyone on the door
  • Keep your valuable personal information in a safe deposit box

Landscaping

  • Trim tree branches 7 feet off the ground
  • Prune shrubs to under 3 feet from the ground
  • Use motion sensors and photocells on exterior floodlights
  • Trim shrubs back from doors and windows
  • Don’t give burglars places to hide while they are breaking in

Dealing with Strangers

  • Never let strangers enter your home
  • Verify workers by identification cards and calling their employer
  • Never give keys to workers

Vehicle Smarts

  • Close the garage door and cover windows so no one can see inside
  • Hide the garage door opener from open view in your car
  • Don't leave valuables like your purse or GPS in plain sight
  • A shopping bag may be empty but looks valuable, so burglars will break in to get that too
  • Make safety a habit
  • Lock your home at all times

Tips: Vehicle Burglary Prevention

  • LOCK your vehicle and take the keys
  • PARK carefully in well-lit areas
  • USE anti-theft devices
  • CLEAN it out; do not leave anything in it
  • REMOVE the garage door opener
  • UTILIZE your garage to park in, if possible
  • MARK it; use an engraver to mark property

Lock up

  • An unlocked car is an open invitation to a car thief
  • Lock up when you leave your car, and take the keys with you
  • Lock the trunk or tailgate
  • Close all windows – professional thieves have tools that unlock cars through the smallest openings
  • Be sure vent or wind-wing windows are shut tight and locked
  • Lock your car even if you are making a quick stop at the gas station, convenience store or mini-mall
  • At night, park in well-lit areas with lots of people around when out running errands
  • Turn wheels sharply toward the curb when parking; this makes it extra difficult for thieves to tow your car

Keep Items Out of Sight

  • Cellular phones and chargers
  • Purses/briefcases
  • Wallets
  • Back packs
  • Clothing
  • Laptops/cameras
  • Sports equipment/tools
  • Removable stereos including the removable face plates

REPORT suspicious activity or persons to the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241 or dial 9-1-1