Safety Tips: Preventing Home Burglaries

Some residents were on edge leaving for work Monday morning after learning this weekend that 10 home were burglarized Friday in McLean during working hours. 

The ten burglaries might to be related to one another, as they all occurred between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in a relatively small area.

Fairfax County Police Department officials said all ten burglaries involved "forced entry" into the homes. Police said they are asking people to be vigilant—particularly people who may be at home during the day while their neighbors are at work. 

• See: 10 Burglaries in Less Than 6 Hours in McLean

While safety starts with locking your doors and windows every time you leave the house, here are additional tips from the Fairfax County Police Department:

See Fairfax County's official guide to home safety in the media box at right (click on the PDF).

• A residence which presents a “lived-in” appearance is a deterrent to burglars. Never leave notes that can inform a burglar that your house is unoccupied.
• Make certain all windows and doors are secured before departing. An empty garage advertises your absence. Close the doors.
• When going out at night, leave one or more interior lights on and perhaps have a radio playing (TV sets should not be left unattended). Timers may be purchased that will turn lights on and off during your absence.
• Do not leave door keys under flower pots or doormats, inside an unlocked mailbox, over the doorway, or in other obvious places.

Additional tips from other police departments and insurance companies:

Make sure any bushes near your doors and windows are trimmed back and don’t create nice hiding places for burglars.

Some insurance companies recommend putting a heavy wood or steel stopper in the track of your sliding glass doors. These can help prevent the doors from being opened easily from the outside.

Don’t leave a note on your front door for your kids, the babysitter, nanny or anyone else.

If you have an alarm system, make sure it is connected to the skylights in your house, not just the first-floor windows and doors.

If you have a mail slot in your front door, make sure it’s not possible for a burglar to reach through it and unlock your door.

Although the May 3 burglaries occurred during the day, it certainly can’t hurt to install motion-detecting lights around your property for nighttime safety.

Know your neighbors and recognize their cars.

Have other tips for your neighbors? Leave them in the comments below.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen a pick-up truck or El Dorado-style vehicle in McLean Friday with a man and a woman inside (or with other information on Friday’s burglaries) to call Fairfax County Police officials.

You can contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.