Steps to Take to Thwart Potential Break-Ins

Shattered glass was near the doorstep when the tenant returned home. A small window had been broken out. The burglar apparently had reached inside, flipped the latch and climbed in.

Like most of us, the resident never expected to come home to find that a stranger had gone through his home and stolen his valuable belongings.

According to the California attorney general’s office, more than 6 million break-ins will occur this year--that’s one every 10 seconds. Almost half of those burglaries are through unlocked doors or windows, meaning burglars simply walked or crawled into the place.

How can you avoid becoming the next statistic? Here are some tips from detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department’s West L.A. division (www.lapdonline.org) and other sources:

* Lock your doors at all times, even when you’re home, and every time you go out--even if it’s “just for a minute.” Close windows when you go out too.

* Deadbolts should be installed on every exterior door. For renters, California Civil Code 1941.3 requires the owner or manager to provide “an operable deadbolt lock on each main swinging entry door of a dwelling unit.” Details are available at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

* Sliding windows and doors can be secured with a wooden dowel, broomstick or metal rod that fits snugly in the track. Frame pins are also available. For wood windows, a metal pin or lock (available at most hardware stores) can be installed.

* Be sure to get the landlord’s permission in writing before doing anything that permanently alters the property.

* Warning: Installing window security bars may violate state law. In 1996, two laws regulating the type of security bars allowed in California were passed after five children trapped behind security bars died in a 1995 Oakland house fire. A 1997 East Palo Alto fire that killed more than nine people prompted another revision of the law, which became effective in 1999. For details, check with your local fire department’s business division (the number can be found in the front of the phone book’s white pages).

* There are thousands of types of alarms, but remember: They are a deterrent, not a guarantee.

* If you’re going out of town, have a trusted person come by and collect your mail and any fliers, etc. Be sure to put several lights on timers. Vary lights in the dwelling and include a radio that comes on to a loud station.

* Communicate with your neighbors and watch out for each other. Recently, a burglar was captured and arrested while still in an apartment. A concerned neighbor saw someone unfamiliar pulling out a louvered glass panel at an apartment next door. The neighbor called 911. Police arrived and arrested the suspect.

* Start or join a neighborhood or apartment watch group. Your local police department can help you organize a group in which neighbors learn crime-prevention techniques and are trained to recognize and report suspicious activity. Such groups also inspire community spirit.

* Even with the best security, break-ins happen. Be sure you have renter’s insurance for your belongings, especially valuables. Your landlord’s policy will not cover your property.

* Burglars threaten more than your home. They can commit rapes, robberies and assaults if you surprise them or are home when they break in. If you get home and notice a torn screen, open door, broken glass or anything unusual, don’t go inside or touch anything. Leave immediately and call the police from another location.

* If you think you hear someone breaking in when you’re home, leave safely if you can. If you can’t, lock yourself in a room with a telephone and quietly call 911. If the intruder is in your room, pretend to be asleep.

With a little diligence and cooperative neighbors, everyone can rest easier and perhaps avoid becoming another burglary statistic.

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H. May Spitz is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer. Comments may be sent to hmayspitz@aol.com.