TULSA, Okla. — Before you head out of town for the weekend or leave for your summer vacation, you may want to make sure your home doesn’t become the target of burglars.
2 News Oklahoma sat down with the lead burglary detective for the Tulsa Police Department to get some advice on how to keep your home safe while you're away.
“You can't always 100 percent protect yourself, but you can make it a lot harder for people to make entry into your house," says Tulsa Police Lt. Tim Means.
"Securing your doors better so someone can’t just walk up and kick it with one kick... If you use longer screws in a catch plate, that will go into the wood into the wall. And it’s a lot harder for people to get inside your house."
Always lock the top and bottom locks on the doors. Invest in some type of security system and have a security system sign in your yard.
Means says he’s seen several surveillance videos of people snooping around homes, until they see a tiny camera staring back at them and then they leave. He says to get to know your neighbors.
“Trust your neighbors and let them know ‘Hey I'm going to be out of town. Nobody should be here.'"
But if a burglar is still able to get inside your home, there are ways to make sure they don’t take off with your belongings,
“Any small items, jewelry, anything small and valuable, it's always a good idea to have yourself a safe. And if you have a safe, you want to make sure you secure it down. Don’t have a small safe that’s easily carried by somebody.”
Means says to have a list of the serial numbers for your electronics and other important items. That way if a thief tries to pawn them, they will be flagged in the pawn shop and police will be contacted.
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