By John Campanola
Did you know that August is National Inventors Month? The first week of August is National Clown Week and the second week of the month is National Smile Week. The third week of August, however, is the one which everyone in Florida should surely celebrate since it is Air Conditioning Appreciation Week.
While August has other noteworthy dates, such as August fifth which is National Mustard Day, it unfortunately also marks a time when home burglaries significantly increase.
According to criminal experts and the FBI’s 2002 Uniform Crime Reporting Program, home burglaries are most likely to occur during the late summer months. This is the time when many families travel, often away from Florida’s summer heat. This is not surprising and it’s not a secret to the criminal element.
The Home Safety Council offers the following simple steps that you could take to increase your home’s security.
“Invest a little time to check the security of the inside and outside or your home before vacations,” says Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “Look at your home the way a burglar or thief would, and make security improvements before you leave town”.
You can reduce the chance of break-ins by following the following guidelines before going on vacation:
- Check all doors and door frames. Outside doors should be hinged from the inside. If you have sliding doors, place a bar in the inside track.
- Check to make sure all door and window locks are working. Replace any broken locks.
- Buy light timers for your home. Set them to come on in different rooms at different times while you are away.
- Shine security lights on key parts of your home and replace burnt-out or dim light bulbs.
- Place a blind or curtain over all windows so that no one can look inside your home or garage.
- If you have a yard, do yard work before you leave town. Trim limbs and keep hedges neat so they cannot be used by thieves for cover.
- Remove extra keys that you may have hidden outside. Give a spare house key to a close friend or family member. Ask them to keep an eye on the inside and outside of your home while you are away and make certain you let them know how they can reach you in an emergency.
- Ask a friend or neighbor to park in your driveway while you are away.
- Stop newspaper and mail deliveries while you are gone.
- Think about buying a fire-proof safe for important papers and jewelry, or keep these items in your bank safe deposit box until you get home.
- Never leave an answering machine/voice mail message that states you are out of town.
Taking these few precautions will allow you to rest peacefully in the knowledge that your home is as secure as it can be during your absence. Appropriately, August 15 is National Relaxation Day and I’m not joking. Joke Day, afterall, is not until August 16.
This article originally appeared in Viewpointe of Boca Pointe published in August of 2004.