Burglary Basics

• Make your home look occupied, and make it difficult to break in.
• Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed.  Even if you are just planning to be gone a short time, LOCK YOUR DOORS.
• Leave some lights on when you go out.  If you are planning to be gone for an extended period of time, connect some lamps to an automatic timer.
• Keep your garage doors closed and locked.
• Don't allow your mail or newspapers to build up for several days if you are out of town.  Contact the post office and have them hold your mail, or arrange for a friend to pick it up.
• Install deadbolt locks on ALL your outside doors.
• Store lawn mowers, bicycles, etc... out of sight.
• Always lock your garden sheds and garages.
• Have adequate exterior lighting.
• Trim trees and shrubs so that they cannot be used as hiding places for intruders.
• An alarm system is excellent for home security. 
• Don't store and extra key under the floor mat, nearby flower pot, or other similar locations.  Burglars are familiar with these.
• Keep a detailed inventory of your valuable possessions, including serial numbers.  Take a video or photographs of your home possessions (your insurance company may be able to assist you).
• IF YOU SEE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT!

Remember the 3 L's of Crime Prevention: LIGHTS, LOCKS & THE LAW!

Vehicle Theft

• If available, park your vehicle inside a locked garage.  (Even if the garage is locked, you should still remove the keys from your vehicle and lock the doors).
• NEVER leave your keys in your vehicle while it is unattended, even for a short period of time.
• Park in a well-lit area, away from shrubs or bushes.

Identity Theft

• Treat your Social Security Number as confidential. 
• Make sure no one is looking over your shoulder when using an ATM.  Guard your PIN number.
• Commit all passwords to memory.  Do not write them down.
• Shred your bank statements and other important documents before you place them in the garbage. 
• Do not endorse checks that you weren't expecting or that claim to be part of a "Sweepstakes" you didn't even know you were entered in.  If you receive one of these checks take it to your local law enforcement so they can attempt to verify the validity of it.
• Trust your instincts.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Teen Internet Safety

Here is a link to a site that provides a lot of valuable information on keeping your kids safe online.

Keeping Kids Safe in Cyberspace

You can find a lot more information by clicking on the links below. 

One is for the National Crime Prevention Council, the other is the link to the Cherokee County Offender site.  On our offender site you will find more "Frequently Asked Questions," tips for talking with your children about offenders and community awareness fliers!

Additional Information
Cherokee County Offender Watch
National Crime Prevention Tips