By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Nephi City Police Chief Chad Bowles said the residents of
the community need to be aware that home burglaries continue
to happen in Nephi and in all communities of the county.
He said that residents of Nephi are not alone in this
growing crime. According to the FBI, a burglary occurs once
every 11 seconds in the United States.
July was, in the area, as well as nationally, the month
when the greatest number of home burglaries occurred.
However, Christmas time is when a great number of
burglars begin to look at the "gift-hider" or potential
Santa for items to be quickly taken from homes and vehicles
and sold for cash or traded.
"In addition to calling us whenever they see something
suspicious," said Bowles, "there are a number of other
things people can do."
He said he thought the way people were calling was
excellent, however, the residents of the community also
needed to know that police needed help in keeping burglaries
at a minimum, or stopping them altogether.
"If people who are going to be out-of-town would call us,
it would help," said Bowles. "That way we can put extra
patrol on their homes and help prevent burglaries."
He said the police department, upon receiving such a
call, would patrol more in the daytime and would put extra
patrol on at night and in the early evening, when most of
the local burglaries have been occurring.
Most homes, locally, are not broken into unless the
burglar can determine no one is at home.
"Two out of three burglaries are residential, and 60
percent of them occur in broad daylight," said Bowles. "Are
you a prime target for a break in?"
If your house has not been "burglar-proofed," you just
might be. To a thief, breaking into your house is as easy as
1-2-3. Here's how the average burglary occurs.
"Burglars look for an easy access point into your home,
like a window hidden behind tall bushes or trees," he said.
"If the area is concealed or dark, their job is that much
easier."
After gaining entry, the first stop is usually the master
bedroom. Here the thief will waste no time turning the room
upside down looking for cash, jewelry, cameras or other
valuables. Next, the burglar will quickly run through the
house to look for "gifts"--that is burglar-speak for small
appliances like TVs, laptop computers, VCRs or stereo
systems.
If the burglar has time, the last stop will be the
garage. Here the burglar will proceed to load all your
possessions into the car, which he'll then use for a quick
get-away.
"One of the best ways to prevent burglary is to create
the illusion of activity in the house." said Bowles.
"Purchase at least two plug-in timers for lamps and set them
to run on different cycles."
For example, he said, have one light on in the living
room from dark to about 11 p.m. and another in the bedrooms
from about 9 p.m. until 1 am. Programmable timers are also
available for televisions, audio systems and household
appliances.
"Don't forget your outdoor lighting." he said.
Set timers to come on at dusk and go off at dawn. And to
scare away intruders before they get too close, use motion
detector spotlights. They protect the perimeter of the house
at night by coming on when triggered by motion in front of
the sensor beam.
"While this might seem obvious, many people forget to
lock up the house completely," he said.
Make sure the windows are latched shut, the doors bolted
and all the curtains drawn. Remember, a thief is just as
comfortable using a window for access as a home owner is
using the front door.
"If you have a sliding glass door, cut a two-by-four to
fit the inside track and prevent the door from opening,"
said Bowles.
Alarms are another smart option for preventing
intrusions. They come either hard wired or wireless, and
monitored or non-monitored.
Wireless alarm systems work well and can include window
and door sensors, motion detectors and even smoke alarms.
Instead of signaling a break-in through wiring to a standard
alarm control center, the signal is sent via a wireless
transmitter to a centrally located receiver, which notifies
a monitoring service or the authorities directly.
Some wireless alarms can be programmed to call or page a
homeowner if the alarm has been activated.
"Piles of newspapers and mail at the front door are a
sure sign no one is home," said Bowles.
Have these services stopped, or better yet ask a neighbor
to collect them. The fewer people that know the home owner
is gone, the better and having a trusted neighbor stop by is
another set of eyes to assure that all is well.
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