Today we will conclude our series. Thank you for reading along. The entire series will post tomorrow.

What do burglars look for in a home? In no particular order, these are the things that are trends and what you can do to mitigate your risk:

1. Crime Watch - You can join right now! You don’t need to worry since it will open a new window and then you can come back right here. You can pickup where we left off.

2. Obituaries - This is one of the saddest and most opportunistic, but efficient techniques burglars use to find targets.  As if grief and the loss of a loved one is not bad enough, burglars like to troll through social media and obituaries to find out when and where services will occur.  They know that immediate family who is listed in the obituary will most likely be in attendance.  The days that we could leave our homes unlocked are long gone, but this takes it to an entirely different level of depravity.  Fortunately, there is a simple solution. My husband is on a “funeral team”, so he regularly serves at funerals during the ceremonial process.  It leaves me with nothing to do except sit at home or attend the funeral of someone that I usually do not know since he can be deployed throughout all of North Texas as needed.  The better use of my time is to house sit.  He drops me off as needed and I am a visible presence in the home.  It felt a little weird the first time I was in a stranger’s home basically waiting for someone to break-in; however, the mere presence and nuisance of a person has been enough of a deterrent to thwart any would-be shenanigans.

3. Other Life Events & Holidays - Since Quinceaneras, Sweet Sixteens, débutante balls, athletic competitions, homecoming, parades, graduations, graduation celebrations, bachelor/bachelorette parties, bridal showers, weddings, honeymoons, baby showers, sporting events (for season ticket holders especially) and the birth of a new child all either include a “Save The Date”, invitation, or are frequently blasted all over social media, your excitement is placing your home(s) at risk.  Your homes can also be cased and hit on the following dates because you are more likely to be away: Easter, July 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years Eve.  Some additional holidays and notable events where you are at lower risk, but risk nonetheless are: MLK Day, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Juneteenth, July 3rd, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Superbowl Sunday (Go Cowboys!), and Inauguration Day every four years when your person wins because we tend to have parties or go out even if we don’t leave town.

4. Routines & Schedules - Do you vary your routines, schedules, and routes to make your movements less predictable and more difficult to anticipate? Criminals love predictability. You should even change the routes you use.

5. Wallet, Watch, Keys, Purse - They should all be out of site and not somewhere that can be easily accessed in a common area of your home.

6. Confidence - People that walk with confidence are less likely to be targeted.  If you don’t have confidence, or are frightened, fake it.

7. Don’t Touch - Many people’s first instinct is to enter and begin cleaning up after a home burglary or invasion.  If you believe a break-in has occurred in your home, call 911 and shout statements like, “I called 911!”  You want to let the burglar to know you’re aware of his presence and that help is on the way.  Stay outside and away from your home in a non-threatening manner so that the police can easily identify you.  Call the police immediately.  Don’t touch anything.  You should still wait outside for the police to arrive.  It’s possible a burglar may still be inside your home.  The police will go in and clear the scene.

8. Beware Of The Dog - Burglars generally don’t like dogs.  They don’t really know if you have one, two, or five.  You can place signs on your gate that alert them, neighbors, service people, and others to their “presence”.  Some burglars are particularly dissuaded by larger breeds.  Better yet, adopt an actual dog, but please remember that it is a living, breathing entity that needs love, care, and attention.  You are making a commitment when you adopt a pet.  You should also know that some breeds raise your homeowner’s insurance rate although there is no such thing as a “bad” breed of dog - there are people that mistreat breeds.

9. No Trespassing - By placing a no trespassing sign on your property in Texas, you are giving a legal first warning that it is private property and only authorized people are allowed.  Otherwise, that warning has to be witnessed by a Law Enforcement Officer.  It can be tricky to catch a stalker so you can tell them in front of a Police Officer that their attention is unwelcome.  It also gives the stalker the satisfaction of seeing you.  If you have an EPO, TPO, PRO, (three types of protective orders) or feel threatened in any way, I highly recommend installing no trespassing signs that are highly visible and difficult to remove.  A common issue is that stalkers and abusers will remove them in an effort to circumvent the law.  When you have a no trespassing sign visibly displayed, if unauthorized people are caught on your property, you have the law behind you because they have already been warned.  You have removed an obstacle and excuse which makes prosecution easier. 

10. Inventory - You need to be prepared for the worst case scenario.  We plan for the worst and hope for the best.  That is why we plan and have insurance.  One of the ways that you should know if you have the proper amount of coverage is because you should have an inventory of the items in your home.  This used to be an arduous task, but the days of paper lists are long gone.  You can walk from room to room making a verbal video diary with your cell phone of everything in your home.  Then, upload it to a cloud service in case your phone is lost, broken, or stolen.  You can place a rough value on everything as you go and adjust your insurance rates accordingly as needed.  Please make sure that you take still photos of any heirlooms, model numbers, serial numbers, big ticket items, weapons, and electronics. Please check under Resources for additional information.

11. Throw Thieves Off - Leave a few lights on or set a timer to turn them on at dusk.  Leave some window shades up and some shades down, so it looks like someone is home, filtering the natural light. If you’re on vacation or away for an extended time, think about hiring a house sitter or asking a neighbor to check in on the house one or two times a day. A little regular movement can be just enough of a deterrent to scare off a potential burglar. You can even buy gadgets to turn your tv off and on and change the channels.

12. Gut Instinct - When it comes to protecting your home against break ins, one of your best defenses is your gut instinct.  If you have a strong feeling that something suspicious is happening, follow it and report the suspicious activity.  Not every stranger walking through our neighborhood is a threat, however, if you see someone acting strangely, not making eye contact or engaging in other suspicious behavior around in front of your home, there may be cause for concern.  Stay vigilant when you see this kind of activity, take notes on what the person looks like or take down their license plate number if they are in a vehicle.  Report anything suspicious to the police.

Try walking around your home inside and outside tomorrow, but I want you to be the burglar. What do you see that needs to be addressed? Safety and security are skills and habits that we can freely share and build upon together. They do not happen overnight. With some small changes, we can make a large impact.