Village Reports Increased Number of Burglaries, Cautions Homeowners

After police reported a recent spike in residential burglaries, issued a warning to residents.

In the month of December thus far, at least 10 burglaries or attempted burglaries to homes were reported to the Numerous car burglaries took place during that time period, too.

To prevent crime, the village advises residents to lock their doors and windows, keep garages closed and stop mail if they're going away on vacation so newspapers don't pile up. 

Here are some more tips for protecting your home against burglary, which Northbrook Police Community Relations Supervisor Michael Shep shared with Patch :

Start with good deadbolts. All exterior doors should have a deadbolt, according to Shep, and the bolt of the lock should slide at least 1 inch deep into the wall. The strike plate, which the bolt slides through, should be secured with screws 3-4 inches long, he adds.

“Those screws will go through the two-by-fours that are holding your wall up,” he says. “So when somebody tries to forcibly get in by kicking or using their shoulder, they’re trying to break screws 3-4 inches long in a two-by-four.”

Anyone with glass in a door within 40 inches of a lock should consider extra protection, Shep says. Security glazing products, like Lexan, can be put around the glass for extra strength if a burglar attempts to break the glass.

Use a “Charlie bar” on patio doors. To make it harder for a burglar to open a patio door, insert a bar purchased commercially or a piece of broomstick cut to fit the inside of the door. Don’t worry too much about a burglar breaking the glass in your door, however.

“I’ve been in business for 39 years, and I think I’ve only seen it once,” Shep said. “It makes a lot of noise breaking that large piece of glass, and they don’t like making noise because it draws attention to them.”

Keep bushes trimmed around basement windows, and buy window well covers you can lock. If you’ve got window wells, trim bushes so that the windows are visible from the street. That way a burglar will be noticed trying to access your house from basement windows.  When it comes to window well covers, buy products that can be locked from the inside, advises Shep.

Yes, a security system sign in your front yard does help. “If I’m a burglar and I see a sign in front of somebody’s house that says they’re alarmed, I’m going to have to decide—do I want to try to hit the house?” Shep says. “With some burglars, they’ll leave that house alone and go to a house that doesn’t have one.”

Don’t keep jewelry in your bedroom. Carrying out a big TV or other electronics takes time and draws attention, so most burglars go for the small items with the greatest value—like money and jewelry. 

“Jewelry is the big one,” he says. “They all take jewelry.”

Thwart a potential jewelry thief by finding a spot that he or she wouldn’t think of for your most valuable pieces. 

Watch out for suspicious behavior—and don’t hesitate to call the police. “If you see somebody who’s in your neighbor’s yard that’s not your neighbor, that’s when you call the police,” Shep says. “Somebody rings your doorbell and tells you they’ve got the wrong house, you call the police.” Burglars almost always ring the doorbell first, he says, to make sure no one is home. 

Case your own house. Take a look at your home from top to bottom with the eyes of a burglar. How easy would it be to break in? Putting yourself in the shoes of the thief will help you protect your home.