Weekly Crime Tip From The Desk Of Wayne Ivey

By  //  October 8, 2013

home invasion

ABOVE VIDEO: Sheriff Wayne Ivey discusses a new app that has recently been presented to the Brevard County Area called ‘IWatch’.

Brevard County, Florida — As we continue to focus our Crime Prevention efforts on personal safety, lets go home to analyze just how secure we are in the place where we spend the majority of our time.

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“One of the first common concerns is made when arriving home. Most will pull into their garage and immediately exit their car without first closing the garage door. I prefer that when you arrive home and pull into the garage that you remain seated and locked inside the safety of your car until the garage door has been closed behind you,” said Sheriff Wayne Ivey. (Shutterstock image)

Our home is our castle where we should be able to enjoy safety and security without concern, but all to often it is the place where we become complacent and place ourselves at the greatest risk.

One of the first common concerns is made when arriving home. Most will pull into their garage and immediately exit their car without first closing the garage door.

I prefer that when you arrive home and pull into the garage that you remain seated and locked inside the safety of your car until the garage door has been closed behind you.

Our Crime Prevention Unit is encouraging all of our citizens to visit a local hardware retailer for the purpose of enhancing door locks with actual “secure lock” type hardware that screws through the door casing into the frame and provides a stronger barrier for would be criminals.

This measure prevents a violent criminal that was concealed behind hedges or other structures from being able to confront you when you exit your vehicle for the purpose of a robbery or home invasion.

Everyone in the car especially kids should be instructed to keep the doors locked until the garage area is secure with no one inside.

The next area of concern is the residence door and window security. When first constructed most homes are built with standard door locking features.

This type of lock is typically assembled with small screws that only adhere to the door casing and not the frame.

CRIME PREVENTION UNIT

Our Crime Prevention Unit is encouraging all of our citizens to visit a local hardware retailer for the purpose of enhancing door locks with actual “secure lock” type hardware that screws through the door casing into the frame and provides a stronger barrier for would be criminals.

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Regardless if you have an alarm or not, please display signs that notify would be criminals that your home is protected by an alarm system. While an alarm is one of the best features available to protect your home, an “alarm sign” in the absence of an alarm system can be a very effective tool as well. (Shutterstock image)

Ask the customer service representative at your local home improvement retailer for the type of system that offers the most security for your home.

If your home is equipped with an Alarm System please routinely test your system to make sure that it is operating properly. If your system is an older system, we recommend that you contact your alarm company and have them evaluate your home for updated technology and security features.

Regardless if you have an alarm or not, please display signs that notify would be criminals that your home is protected by an alarm system. While an alarm is one of the best features available to protect your home, an “alarm sign” in the absence of an alarm system can be a very effective tool as well.

LIGHTING YOUR HOME

Lighting in your home is essential for protecting your residence regardless if you are at home or not. Historically, homeowners would leave a light on in their residence when they were away to try and trick burglars into thinking they are home. Today’s criminals are wise to this tactic and actually recognize when the same light is continually on.

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If your home is equipped with an Alarm System please routinely test your system to make sure that it is operating properly. If your system is an older system, we recommend that you contact your alarm company and have them evaluate your home for updated technology and security features. (Shutterstock image)

There are systems available today that can automatically rotate the lights that are left on in your house in your absence. The devices are inexpensive and offer a layer of protection to both you and your home.

I also recommend that you utilize motion detector floodlights on the exterior of your home that can illuminate anyone who approaches your house and also provide a well lighted entry for you when arriving home.

As I travel around the county speaking on the subject of personal safety, I always ask the participants where they keep their cellular telephone at night while they sleep.

Most answers are the same… they are in the kitchen, in the purse, or in the home office. My preference is for your cellular telephone to be by your bedside so that if you had to leave your home in an emergency you have your cell phone with you to contact law enforcement.

A cordless telephone will lose signal within so many feet of your home causing you to be disconnected from 911 or other emergency contacts.

CAR KEYS ARE ESSENTIAL

Another excellent tool to have by your bedside is your car keys that offer the ability to use the “panic” button to set off the alarm on your car to scare away would be home invaders that your hear outside your home in the middle of the night.

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Another excellent tool to have by your bedside is your car keys that offer the ability to use the “panic” button to set off the alarm on your car to scare away would be home invaders that your hear outside your home in the middle of the night. Even if your car is in the garage the sound of the alarm will still alert the criminal that you are aware of their presence on your property. (Shutterstock image)

Even if your car is in the garage the sound of the alarm will still alert the criminal that you are aware of their presence on your property.

These Crime Prevention measures are just a few of the techniques we will discuss in our continued series about personal safety and safety in our homes.

Next week we will discuss the benefits of firearms, intermediate weapons such as pepper spray and tasers and even what type of dog is best to help us protect our families and home.

SECURITY INSPECTION

In an effort to make sure all of our citizens homes and businesses are safe our Brevard County Crime Prevention Task Force now offers free and confidential home and business security inspections.

There are systems available today that can automatically rotate the lights that are left on in your house in your absence. The devices are inexpensive and offer a layer of protection to both you and your home.

The security inspection is conducted by one of our Crime Prevention Specialists and gives a step by step suggestion on specific ways to improve security at your home or business.

For more information on our Security Inspections please contact our Crime Prevention Task Force at (321) 264-7755.

As always thank you for visiting our Facebook pages to gain valuable Crime Prevention information and for sharing our Crime Prevention messages with your family and friends to help protect our community.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey

Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft.

That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases.

Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.

Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.

Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.