Security Checklist

THIS PAGE IS IN PROGRESS.  IT'S INTENTION IS TO ACCUMULATE ALL OF THE BEST PRACTICES FOR HOME AND NEIGHBORHOOD SECURIY.  Send us your additions.
Checklist From Police Home Security Check

Request a Lakewood Police Home Security Check.  It's free and very eye-opening. 
Extended Absence Checklist

  • Use multiple timers for inside lights to simulate normal activity
  • Park a car in the driveway or find someone who would be happy to place there car off the street in your drive 
  • Stop newspaper deliver
  • Stop or Forward all mail
  • Forward your phone calls are make sure you know how to get your voice messages from another phone
From Lakewood's Prevent Burglaries page 

... http://www.lakewood.org/Police/Crime_Prevention/Protect_Your_Property/Prevent_Burglaries.aspx

According to the Burglary Prevention Council, a burglar enters a house, apartment or condominium every fifteen seconds across the country. A majority of burglaries are crimes of opportunity. There are steps you can take to prevent a burglary. 

Secure Entry Points: 

  • Make certain that external doors are solid rather than hollow core. Use a door peephole or wide-angle viewer to view callers before opening the door.
  • Make sure the frame is also solid and without gaps.
  • External doors should be secured with a deadbolt lock.
  • Locks are needed on windows, especially those at ground level. Sliding doors need to be secured with a quality lock. At a minimum, place a bar or stick in the track to help prevent the door from being forced open.
  • Lock your doors, even when you are leaving the house for a short period.
  • Check your house from the outside for hiding places. Trim back shrubbery so it doesn't conceal doors and windows.
  • Don't hide a house key outside the home. It's better to give one to a trusted person who could respond if you should experience a lockout.
  • Never leave a message on your answering machine that might suggest you are not home or that would hint at what time you might return.
  • Glass should not be used in exterior doors or in adjacent glass panels within 40 inches of any door lock.
  • French or double doors can be secured by making one of the doors stationary. The active door should be secured to the inactive door by using a deadbolt lock.
  • The movable section of a sliding glass door should be on the inside of the fixed portion of the door and secondary devices, such as pin locks or "Charlie bars," should be installed at ground level.
  • A garage door is most secure without windows. If your garage has windows, either paint them or use the frosted contact paper over the glass to obstruct the view of the garage interior.
 
Landscaping:
  • Keep trees and bushes pruned so they don't provide a hiding place for burglars. Keep bushes near the house pruned below three feet, and keep trees pruned so that the lowest branches are at least eight feet off the ground.
  • Keep tree limbs, sheds and anything else that could be used as a ladder away from the house so they do not provide roof access.

Additional Security Measures
  • Install motion lights around main entry points.
  • Inventory your valuable possessions, including pictures and serial numbers if possible.
  • Engrave your name or driver's license number on valuable items with the help of the Police Department's Operation Identification.
  • Don't leave boxes advertising a new purchase out by your curb. The box from that new television serves as an advertisement for a would-be burglar.

Neighborhood Watch: 
The Neighborhood Watch Program is an effective means of telling burglars that neighbors watch out for one another. Be an active participant if you are already in a watch program. To bring Neighborhood Watch to your area, use the contact information below.

Contact Information:
Neighborhood Watch Coordinator (Lakewood)
Direct: 303-987-7105 
Email: [email protected]

Crimes Against Property
Direct: 303-987-7301