Thirteen things your burglar won't tell you

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers.. That tells me you have taste... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at http://www.faketv.com/)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again... If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runshttp://www.crimedoctor.com/and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job

Protection for you and your home:
If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone�s evil plans for you. (I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.):

WASP SPRAY
A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.
The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection... Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE
On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.
Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.
"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."
Maybe even save a life.
Put your car keys beside your bed at night
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

21st & Pole Ave Vacant Lot

At our last meeting we talked about the vacant lot at 21st and & Pole Ave being a great opportunity to add green space to the neighborhood. The owner of the lot owes back taxes and we discussed the possibility of asking the owner to donate the lots to the city if his taxes were forgiven. The lot is huge about 4 lots. We thought it would be a great place to have a park with basketball courts and a picnic area for our neighbors to enjoy. As many of you know the lot is overgrown and needs a lot of TLC. It's been a garbage dump for years and the grass is at least chest high. There are trees that need to be thinned out and there is plenty of poison ivy. The Carter family and I cleaned it and cut the grass last year for our pride week project. It has not been touched since.

I spoke to our Councilman today and presented the idea. He said he would talk to Sandy Prudoff and thought it was very possible to do this.

If this happens we have a commitment as a community to clean up the lots and do some fundraising to get the picnic and playground equipment. This is an election year so hopefully we can see this become a reality. I will be sending the owners name to our councilman to see what he can do.

If this becomes a reality, what a wonderful thing we can all be proud of. Our own little slice of heaven. I will keep you updated as to what I hear. Thanks to all the neighbors for having such vision.

UPDATE!
I spoke with community development and they are going to help us with this project. They have spoken to the owner of the lots. Now the owner is trying to see how much money they can make off the deal even though they have not maintained the property for over five years and we have had to look at the chest high grass and garbage. My recollection is he paid $600.00 for all 4 lots back in 1996.

What I learned is the city cannot forgive the taxes. They would have to pay the taxes and closing costs to transfer the land. Community Development said down the road we would have to create a non profit association and then the city could exempt us from taxes but this is all way down the road. We would have to maintain the land and get donations and do fundraisers to raise the money to clean it up and get the playground equipment. I was told it will not get a park designation. As more information comes in I will update.

A Really Great Lock

At our last block watch meeting, one of the neighbors told us about his break in and then proceeded to tell us about a really great lock he purchased at Lowes. The first picture shows the first great lock they thought would stop the thieves but you can see they cut through the hing itself and gained access. The lock was not cut so it did its job but the hing lost the battle.

The second picture shows the newest most effective lock. This lock is guaranteed to stop break ins and sells for about $39.99. Lets take a look at how it works.

This is the foundation of the lock. The sides of the main lock (black circle) are surrounded by these protective steel walls, the main lock slips in and cannot be harmed. A key goes in the black part and releases it. The hing is hidden below the main lock.

Each side has three large screws so its easy to install. They have no heads so there is no way to unscrew them.

a side view shows the three screws and the hing. The hole is where the black part or main lock stays on. A pin slides through which is accessed by the key.

If you have any great solutions for keeping our neighbors safe don't hesitate to share your best practices.