Prevent Burglaries!

December, 2006: There have been several break-ins recently in Eldorado. Sometimes a door is kicked open or the door handle twisted with a large pair of pliers (channel locks to us amateurs) and the locking mechanism made useless. Sliding doors are particularly vulnerable. According to the Sheriff’s Department these burglars are in and out in no more than three or four minutes. Houses close to the entrances are favorites because of the proximity of #285 and I-25 and a fast escape in case the neighbors have called police. (No sense being at the west end of Eldorado with an 8 minute trip to #285 with stolen goods in the car or van.)

Break-ins are relatively rare in Eldorado. Probably less than 20 a year. With about 2,400 houses the percentages are in our favor to be left alone. Here are some tips for decreasing those chances even further:

1. If your name is on your mailbox take it off. It identifies you and your address and you’re only a phone book away from being called to determine your at-home schedule. Lots of calls and hang ups are a clue to someone perhaps trying to determine the best time to visit your home.
2. Change your answering message to indicate that you are too busy writing your memoirs or sculpting (or whatever) to answer and to please call back in the evening. Or, that you’re screening your calls and answering only those from acquaintances. If you don’t have an answering machine you probably should get one.
3. Some people have purchased a very large dog dish and placed it on their front portal along with a very large beef bone and a leash. This plus a “beware of dog” sign is a deterrent.
4. Change the look of your house on a regular basis to show that someone just might be in residence. Simply leaving a curtain or drape in a different position in a window every day is enough to make someone wonder. A garage door or a window left open a few inches or even a shovel or a broom on the portal every once in awhile changes your house from an easy mark to a question mark. An open window should be burglar proofed with a stick or dowel in the channel to prevent entry.
5. Slider doors should have a broom stick type of device in the channel to prevent it being pried open.
6. Cover the window in your garage with drapes or blinds to prevent anyone from seeing whether there is a car at home.
7. If you have an extra car leave it in the driveway.
8. If you have screen doors lock them and leave through the garage. It may discourage the burglar if they first have to struggle with the screen door.
9. Leave a radio on, it gives a burglar one more cause for doubt.
10. Place a sign on your front door that you’re a night worker and are sleeping, please do not disturb.
11. Organize your neighbors into a Neighborhood Watch group. Let them know your schedule or when you are away so that a vehicle in your driveway is a sign to call the Sheriff or the State Police and Security. State Police - 827-9126; Sheriff - 911 or 986-2460; Security - 690-5053.
12. If you’re away during a snowstorm have a friend or neighbor drive in and out of your driveway several times so it appears that someone is in residence.
13. If someone knocks on your door and when you answer asks for an unfamiliar name try to identify their vehicle. This is a relatively common way to find a house with no one home and an opportunity to break in particularly if you have a long driveway and are out of sight of your neighbors.

Contact information and more info here

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