Deputies encourage residents to get smarter about break-ins





There have been three residential burglaries this past month in Westlake Village and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is concerned about home security.


In January a year ago, the city of Westlake Village experienced five residential burglaries vs. three this January. Two of three burglaries were successful. Residents of the third burglary returned home during the break-in. Deputies think the three incidents are linked to the same suspect(s) and an investigation continues.


According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, one in 10 homes will be burglarized this year. Studies show that burglars spend no more than 60 seconds to forcibly enter a home. It’s very important to have secure locks on doors and windows.


Almost half of all residential burglaries are the result of unlocked or unlatched doors and windows. Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed deadbolt lock. Sliding glass doors are easy to break into. Secure them by installing a commercially available lock or putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door. To prevent a door from being lifted off its track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame and insert a pin in the hole.


Windows can be secured by applying a "pin" into the 45-degree angle between the inner and outer frames. If you use key locks in your home, do not hide the keys outdoors. Give an extra set to a trusted neighbor or relative who lives nearby. When you move into a new home or apartment, re-key the locks.


Another important home security feature is the doors themselves. All outside doors should be metal or solid wood. If your doors don’t fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them. Install a peephole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who’s outside before opening the door. Door chains break easily and don’t keep out intruders.


Other tips:


Install outside lights and make sure they stay on all night. Thieves hate bright lights. Keep your yard clean. Prune shrubbery so it doesn’t provide hiding places near doors and windows. Cut back tree limbs that a burglar might use to climb into an upper-level window.


Clearly display street address numbers on your home so that if deputies respond to a burglary in progress, they’ll easily find your house. If you travel, create the illusion that you’re home. Get some timers to turn lights on and off. If you leave the lights on all day and all night, it’s a sure sign that you’re gone.


Leave shades and blinds in a position that’s most normal. Don’t let your mail pile up. Ask a neighbor collect it for you or have the post office stop delivery.


There are other precautions. Invest in alarms, engrave valuables, ask your local law enforcement agency to perform a free home security survey, etc.


For more information or if you have any questions, please call Dep. Shawn Brownell at (818) 878-1808, ext. 3103.


––Michael Picarella



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