Yosec safe tips

If You're Traveling to See Family and Friends:

· Get an automatic timer for your lights.

· Ask a neighbor to watch your home and park in the driveway from time to time.

· Don't forget to have mail and newspaper delivery stopped. If it piles up, it's a sure sign you're gone.

· Turn on lights and a radio or TV so it looks like someone's home.

· Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows when you leave, even if it's just for a few minutes.

· Don't display gifts where they can be seen from outside.

If You're Shopping:

· Stay alert and be aware of what's going on around you.

· Park in a well-lighted space, and be sure to lock the car, close the windows, and hide shopping bags and gifts in the trunk.

· Avoid carrying large amounts of cash; pay with a check or credit card whenever possible.

· Deter pickpockets and purse-snatchers. Don't overburden yourself with packages. Be extra careful with purses and wallets. Carry a purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps. Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket.

· Shopping with kids? Teach them to go to a store clerk or security guard if you get separated.

Take A Holiday Inventory
The holidays are a good time to update - or create -your home inventory. Take photos or make videos of items, and list descriptions and serial numbers. If your home is burglarized, having a detailed inventory can help identify stolen items and make insurance claims easier to file. Make sure items like TVs, VCRs, stereo equipment, cameras, camcorders, sports equipment, jewelry, silver, computers, home office equipment, and power tools are on the list. Remember to check it twice!

* Made available by The National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign, sponsored by the Crime Prevention Coalition.

BURGLARY IS AN OPPORTUNISTIC CRIME. Burglars aim for the easiest targets. Almost half of all completed residential burglaries in the U.S. resulted from thieves simply gaining entry through unlocked doors or unlocked windows. Most burglars will give up and move on if they can't get in within a few minutes. To keep burglars away from your house or apartment, make their work difficult, risky and low-profit.

If you are going home for the weekend or the holidays:

· Take expensive, portable items with you.

· Advise a trusted neighbor of your travel plans and ask him or her to watch out for suspicious people and/or activity around your home or apartment.

· Refrain from publicizing your absence until after your return.

· Don't allow deliveries of any kind, including mail and newspapers, to accumulate on your doorstep. If you don't wish to cancel deliveries, arrange for a neighbor to pick them up. You can arrange for your local post office to hold your mail until you return.

· Lock all doors and windows. Leave all shades and blinds in their normal positions.

· Connect one or two lamps and, perhaps, a radio to an automatic timer. They are inexpensive and help to make your home appear "occupied."

Keep track of your property, so if stolen, it can be returned:

· Make a list of the serial numbers of all your property. Store the list in a safe place.

· Mark your items with your driver's license number for faster identification. The Rocky Mount Police Department has engravers, which are easy to use, that you can borrow to engrave your number on your property. Call Crime Prevention at 86-574-56105869
· Photographing or videotaping your possessions is a convenient way to keep a record of what you own.

· Music CDs are easily stolen and often re-sold for quick cash. Use a permanent felt tip pen to write your name and driver's license number on the front of each CD.

Check the locks:

· Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed dead bolt lock.

· Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by installing commercially available locks or putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door. To prevent the door being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin or screw in the hole. The pin or screw should stick out just far enough to allow the door to slide, but not allow the door to be lifted out of its track.

· Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" windows by drilling a small hole into a 45-degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed.

· Burglars know the best places to find keys hidden outside your home. Instead, give an extra key to a trusted neighbor.

Check the doors:

· All outside doors should be metal or solid wood.

· If your doors don't fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them.

· Install a peephole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door.

General precautions:

· If you don't own your home, consider buying renters' insurance. Your landlord generally will not be responsible for your possessions.

· Thieves hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night.

Prevent auto theft and auto break-ins:

· Don't leave valuables in plain view in your car.

· Remove valuable property from your car whenever possible.

· Install a mechanical locking device -- commonly called clubs, collars or j-bars -- that locks to the steering wheel, column or brake to prevent the wheel from being turned more than a few degrees. The thief will look for an easier target.

· Park in busy, well-lighted areas.