Has Someone been in your Home?
You arrive home from an afternoon of shopping when you notice the screen door is open. You’re pretty sure you closed it this morning when you left … but maybe you forgot in your hurry to leave. A dark cloud of dread falls over you. Has someone been in your home? Or even worse, are they still inside? For your safety, do not enter your home.
Alert the police and examine the outside perimeter for signs of attempted entry.
Doors
While it seems brazen, most burglars enter the home through the front door. That is why it is essential that you always lock your door, even when you are home or only going out for a quick errand. For locked doors, burglars have tricks for gaining access, including:
- Force – burglars use force by kicking in a door or removing it from its hinges. This method leaves the most evidence, such as visible scrapes, dents or warped frames.
- Bumping – a technique used by burglars to open doors quickly. It involves inserting a specially cut key and then striking it with a blunt object. After repeating this process several times, the door unlocks. Signs of bumping include nicks and exposed metal around the edge of the keyhole.
- Lock Picking – burglars can pick a lock with a small tool such as a tension wrench. The burglar inserts a tool into the lock and move it around until it shifts the pins. Like bumping, signs include tiny scratch marks and exposed metal around the keyhole.
Windows
The second most common way a burglar enters your home is through a window. If you notice an indentation at the bottom of a frame, this could mean someone used a crowbar to pry the window open. And some burglars don’t try to make a secret of it, and just break the glass on a window that is hidden from the street.
If it doesn’t seem like anyone got in, there still may be signs they tried. Look for trampled flowers or footprints below the windows or loose or removed screens where they may have tried to lift the window.
Outdoor Items
It’s easy to overlook a moved item such as lawn chair, but trust your gut if something seems out of place.
Burglars move trash cans, flower pots or bags of soil to gain access to a window or door. They also lift up pots, rocks, or garden items in search of a spare key. Take inventory to be sure nothing is missing from outside. A grill, smoker or outdoor television would be desirable to an opportunistic burglar.
Litter
Cigarette butts, cans and wrappers. If these things were not there before, it’s a sign someone has been snooping around your home.
Burglars will often locate homes with the help of scouts, accomplices who scope out targets. Scouts may leave signs such as litter to alert a burglar to a good target.
Catch them in the Act
If you suspect someone has been lurking at your house or watching you, catch them in the act with a video surveillance system. A security system can also alert the police if someone does gain entry to your home while you are away. Contact us at 281-506-8466 or visit us online to learn more!
