Uninvited Visitors in Your Martha’s Vineyard Home, A Sign of Our Times

Home break-ins and burglaries are happening more often and it seems as if not a week goes by that there isn’t news of another burglary or home invasion. Because there are so many people out of work and facing increasing financial hardship I guess their desperation is leading them to extremes. Martha’s Vineyard is not immune to these violations in one form or another. There are many Martha’s Vineyard vacation homes empty for a good part of the year and located in remote isolated areas, which makes this Island a perfect hunting ground for thieves. Recently I learned of about three break-ins in the area near where I live in just the last month. Burglars can be very clever and calculating so it is a fact of life today that we all need to be more vigilant and “THINK’.

Here is a list of tricks of the trade that a burglar won’t tell you about:

1. He was the same person who cleaned your carpets, painted your shutters, cut your lawn, delivered your new refrigerator or repaired your TV service. Did you check references or his identification? Did you make a copy of his credentials or take his picture with your iPhone?

2. He was one of the landscape crew cleaning up your yard and he asked to use the bathroom. While he was there, he unlatched the back window to make his return a little easier.

3. Manicured opulent landscaping or fresh cut flowers around the house signal that you have good taste and money. You probably have a lot of nice expensive things in your home. All those big toys in the backyard and that huge outdoor play set says your children probably have expensive gaming equipment and electronic toys in their rooms.

4. Newspapers are piling up on the driveway or the mailbox is bulging with mail. That’s a clear indicator that no one is home. Make sure you tell your postmaster to stop delivery of your mail, even if you are only going to be away a short time. Your burglar might even 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 your caretaker or a good neighbor to create car tracks around the property and footprints up to the front door of the house.

6. If your entrance doorway has translucent or clear glass sidelights, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where your burglar can see if it's been set.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom which is where your burglar will first look for expensive jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too. More homeowners today are installing Security Camera Systems and they are not that expensive. Q-See http://www.q-see.com/ makes a popular inexpensive system that is currently available at stores like Costco. Even if you don’t have an alarm system, if you can get a large security display sign from a local alarm system dealer, it will deter many would-be burglars.

8. Your burglar is not deterred by bad weather and like the mailman; neither rain, sleet nor snow will keep him from his task – robbing your home. So make sure you always lock your doors and windows.

9. Your burglar will always knock first and if you answer the door, he may ask you for directions to somewhere else or say he is looking for odd jobs. Don’t let him into the house and don’t hire him.

10. Once in your house, your burglar will check places like all your dresser drawers, the top of your closet, your night table or the medicine cabinet, so don’t hide your valuables in a sock roll or in one of those Aquanet Hair Spray Can Hidden Safes.

11. Your burglar will rarely enter into or rifle through your kids' rooms except to steal their gaming equipment.

12. If you have a safe for your valuables your burglar will not have time to break into it, BUT if it's not bolted down, if he can move it, he will take it with him and break it open later on.

13. Staggered lighting on timers in several rooms or a TV or loud 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://faketv.com/ )

Here is a list I found of secrets confessed during interviews with convicted burglars in various parts of the country.
In the burglars' own words:

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 a neighbor hears one loud sound, they'll stop what they're doing and wait to hear it again. If they don't hear it again, they'll just go back to what they were doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would anyone pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave their house without turning it on?

5. I love looking in the windows. I'm looking for signs that no one is home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through the neighborhood at night to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing vacation plans on Facebook. It's easier than you think to look up a home address.

7. To a home owner, leaving a window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation to come in.

8. If there is no answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Finally, here is one more neat security tip I had never thought about, and it is so obvious. Many security systems have panic buttons that are located in a primary bedroom at the bedside or in rooms most frequented by the home’s inhabitants like the kitchen or even in the garage. These security systems also may have a warning light beacon mounted in a conspicuous location on the house and/or a high decibel klaxon. A setup like this is a good idea even without a whole house security system. But did you know you may already have a security system setup similar to this? It’s your automobile.

If your car has an alarm system with a remote key fob, keep that remote by your bedside or on your person and in an emergency you can press the alarm panic button and if your car is within range your alarm system will be triggered, the lights will flash and your alarm will sound an alert. If you have a neighborhood watch group, make sure your neighbors or anyone close by that you trust is aware that your car alarm sounding may be a signal and a call for help. Times have changed and sadly we all must become more vigilant and aware. We no longer live in Mayberry, but Martha’s Vineyard is still a gentle and safe place to live. It’s just a fact of life that we all have to be more mindful and ‘THINK’.