Common sense is the best security measure a person can use this holiday season, according to local police and security experts.
“We’re not trying to suggest you turn your house into Fort Knox, we’re just trying to eliminate the opportunity for a crime to happen,” said Officer Tom Black, the Neighborhood Watch coordinator at the Reston District Station of the Fairfax County Police Department.
One important tip for people going away for the holidays is to make sure the home looks lived in.
“Tell a trusted neighbor that you’ll be going away, ask them to collect your mail and newspapers,” he said. That simple measure makes it look like someone is home and also prevents someone from taking mail and committing identity theft, because most bills that come in the mail will have a credit card or checking account routing number on them, he said.
“It’s also a good idea if the neighbor can put a few lights on in the house from time to time,” he said. Setting lights on timers can also be effective, turning on at the same time every night or staggered through the house, to make it appear that someone’s come home in the evening.
“There are inexpensive, wireless motion detectors that can be bolted to a tree or put on the lawn that, when someone walks past it, will turn on a light in the house itself,” Black said. This is a deterrent for a potential criminal in making that person think someone is in the house, or that they’re being watched. “Plus, if a light goes on outside in the driveway, if you’re in the house you might not always see it. You’ll see a light come on in the other room if you’re not expecting it,” he said.
The wireless detectors are also good ideas for children who stay home by themselves or people who live alone, he said.
LOCKING DOORS is a safety measure that often gets taken for granted, Black said, which can prove an easy in for burglars.
“So many times, people will park one car in their garage and leave the other in the driveway for storage space, and leave the garage door opener in the car,” he said. “It’s so easy for someone to break into the car and then they’ve basically got the keys to your home.”
Speaking of cars, when leaving car keys with a valet or other parking service, be sure to take house keys off the key ring, Black suggests. “If you leave the house keys with the car keys, it would be so easy for someone to make copies of the keys while they have your car, and they have your address because it’s on the car’s registration,” he said.
“Simply locking the doors on a house is important,” said Fairfax County Public Information Officer Jeff Hairston. “It’s also a good idea to make sure the windows are locked as well.
The Fairfax County Police Department offers a home security survey, which entails an officer coming to a home and checking doors, windows, locks and the exterior of a home for weaknesses, possible signs of attempted break-ins and structural integrity in the doors and locks.
Landscaping can provide an easy hiding spot for a potential criminal, Black said. “It’s a good idea to keep any bushes near the house trimmed to the level where you can see over them, and also to keep tree branches at least seven or eight feet above the ground,” he said. “This way, you can see outside and your neighbors can see if there’s any movement in your yard, and it eliminates or at least decreases the amount of hiding space.”
FOR THOSE THROWING elaborate holiday parties, hiring some security or home protection officers for the event may be something to consider.
“We offer plainclothes officers or some that arrive in uniform, we have armed and unarmed guards,” said Steven Collins of Black Ice Security in Fairfax.
“In most cases, we’ll get calls to provide security for high-end parties where people want the extra protection,” he said.
The officers can check the perimeter of a home before the event to find any places that may need extra supervision to better understand the grounds, he said, and will also evaluate the lighting around the home.
“It also depends on what assets are exposed, if the person has a driveway full of cars, are there patrons coming to the party that will have their own security with them. We try to coordinate with other security personnel in those situations and go from there,” he said.
Collins also recommends some basic security tips, like making sure doors and windows are armed by any alarm system a house has, and making sure that windows are concealed by blinds during the evening. “Basically, you want to conceal yourself in your home; it’s easy for someone to be attracted to a house because the lights are on and the windows are open,” he said.
“I do most of my work at night and I’m constantly exposed to people who don’t have regard for their own personal safety,” he said.
AS FOR HOME ALARM systems, Chris Adamcik of Vector Security in Springfield said the holiday season is a big time of year for not only break ins, but also fire calls.
“People are burning a lot more candles, they’re putting up Christmas lights that are really old in some cases, plus people are using their heating systems of some kind, which are all fire hazards,” he said.
For many homes, the holiday season means that expensive gifts will be coming into the home, which creates an easy target and interest for potential burglars.
“The holiday season tends to be stressful as it is, and in many circumstances someone will break in and all the gifts will be stolen and that will stay with the homeowner for a long time until they do something about it to make themselves feel safer,” he said.
Even if a security system is only activated once, that one time will most likely make the owner say the cost was worth it, Adamcik said. “People need to feel secure in their own homes and they often forget that security systems are designed to protect the people, not the things in the house,” he said.
If visitors come in from out of town, remotes can be used to allow them into the house without giving them a security code, he said, “and most of the time, if people have guests, they’ll be around the house.”
WHEN SHOPPING or working late, it’s important to pay attention and be aware when walking to a vehicle, especially at night, Black said.
“We tend to have tunnel vision, but we need to be aware of our surroundings,” he said. “If your gut tells you something’s suspicious, it probably is. If you have to work late, leave when people in your office are leaving and park your car closer to the door. If you’re shopping late, and the parking lot is clear except for your car and a vehicle parked close to it, be cautious,” he said.
“Take a few seconds to look around when you leave the house and work,” he said. “Look confident and you’re less likely to become a victim.”
These tips are not intended to make anyone feel afraid, Black said. “We’re just trying to make it difficult to access a person or home and protect them.”