Taking certain steps can help prevent crime

The evidence was spread around the exterior of my house and those of my neighbors: A stash of mail scattered on the ground. An abandoned bolt cutter. Opened electrical boxes. Unlocked cars with doors left ajar and interiors that had obviously been rifled through.

My Newport Beach neighborhood, like many others throughout coastal Orange County, had been targeted overnight by a person or persons who were apparently seeking items of value that they could quickly grab. The perpetrators could have been young or old, career criminals or someone with a drug habit looking for items that could be easily converted into cash.

This recent incident wasn’t the first time that my community had been hit, and it surely won’t be the last. Crime is down overall, but of course it’s always an issue that deeply concerns us. Sometimes events such as this can serve as a reminder of that reality, and that there are steps we can take to better protect ourselves and our belongings.

About 75% of property crime is preventable, according to Andi Querry, a crime prevention specialist with the Newport Beach Police Department.

When I recently met with Querry, she had just returned from a long day addressing neighborhood meetings. These types of speaking engagements tend to go in spurts, she explained. Some weeks she might have just a few, while others could require her to hustle from one meeting to the next.

“My job follows the crime pattern,” she said.

Her position, as the title suggests, is centered around teaching residents about proactive methods of reducing the chances of being targeted by thieves, and she is bursting with helpful information and tips.

For example, she talks about locks. A lot. Locks on cars. Locks on doors. Locks on windows. How to make those locks more effective, such as using a wooden dowel as an additional method to secure a sliding door, or replacing the short, weak bolts typically used to secure the plates that locks fit into with stronger ones.

Naturally, none of those locks do any good if they’re not used, and that’s where many residents fall short. They forget to lock their cars or figure that a quick trip to the store doesn’t necessitate locking every door and window.

Querry is happy to disabuse them of such notions.

The same goes for alarm systems. Many people have them but fail to use them, or are confused about how they operate, she said. For the first time, she has been seeing an equal share of forced entries, as those in which burglars enter homes through unlocked doors. In those cases, access is usually gained through a smashed window, an occurrence that might be prevented by an alarm system with a motion detector.

Lighting provides another layer of security, Querry said.

Exterior lighting around the perimeter of a home should be left on dusk to dawn, or activated with motion detectors. Camera systems can also be helpful. Another useful product is a simulated television box that makes it appear as if someone is home watching TV.

Dogs that bark as strangers approach can also help, although Querry related the story of a recent break-in during which the burglar pepper-sprayed the family dog and made off with jewelry and a watch.

She also emphasized the importance of securing bags and packages and not leaving them in plain sight. If packages are to be delivered when no one is home, ask a neighbor or friend to pick them up. And don’t leave items in a car that can be clearly viewed through the windows.

“A gym bag in Newport Beach could hold emergency preparation supplies, smelly socks, or a Rolex watch,” she said. “It’s not worth a smashed window.”

Other tips: Don’t leave mail, incoming or outgoing, in an exterior mailbox overnight. Don’t allow workers to remain unattended, and don’t advertise when you won’t be home. While out shopping, particularly during the hectic holiday season, be alert for those who might use distraction as a means to steal purses, wallets and gifts.

One of the most useful crime-fighting tools, Querry stressed, is neighbors and friends who look out for each other. Community associations, neighborhood watch organizations, and social media sites, such as nextdoor.com, are good ways to keep each other informed.

Keep the non-emergency phone number for the police department in the city where you live at the top of your list of contacts; if you spot suspicious, but non-urgent, activity, that’s the first call to make.

Querry makes ample use of Nixle, a service used by law enforcement agencies and other government entities — the city of Laguna Beach also uses it, for instance — to send alerts via text message or e-mail.

So far, about 1,200 Newport Beach residents have signed up for Nixle alerts, and Querry is hoping that number will continue to rise.

One more thing to keep in mind: Local police departments typically offer free home security inspections to residents. Those neighborhood meetings that often keep Querry so busy are also a good idea.

Trust me, she doesn’t mind the hectic schedule as long as she can keep educating the public about ways to stay safe.

PATRICE APODACA is a former Newport-Mesa public school parent and former Los Angeles Times staff writer. She lives in Newport Beach.