Burglary prevention tips
Dec. 21, 2022
You may have heard news reports of a fatal shooting in Valentine on Dec. 14. The VNA board has been in contact with the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) and were told that it was a personal altercation as opposed to a random or gang-related shooting. It is not believed to be an ongoing threat to the neighborhood.
There has also been a spate of burglaries in the neighborhood. The perpetrator was caught with several credit cards belonging to Valentine neighbors. He was caught with the help of neighbors who took videos of his suspicious activity. We should all be aware of any credit cards and other valuables that are kept at home in desk or dresser drawers and consider a safer place to keep them. It has been suggested that the burglar chose homes where packages were left on the porch for a time. A trusted neighbor can help by getting packages. They might also put out trash bags and recycling in front of your home while you are away.
The KCPD has a document about burglary prevention that can be found at https://www.kcpd.org/media/1562/form-5808-en-burglary-prevention-for-homes.pdf.
The document is helpful but it was last updated in 2018. There have been newer technologies developed to make protecting your home easier. Smart bulbs are inexpensive and work with apps that can be downloaded and usually work with smart speakers like Amazon Echo (Alexa). These can be programmed with a schedule to turn them on and off. You can also turn them on/off from your phone from anywhere. There are also smart switches and other technologies to protect your home. If you will be on vacation or away from home you may want to see the tips at
https://www.popsci.com/diy/set-up-smart-home-for-vacation/?amp.
The article mentions that the Amazon Echo has a feature called Alexa Guard that can monitor your home. Get more details at
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G8W367YLULTRSB2S.
Security cameras have become more affordable and are more helpful in prosecution than in prevention. With the technologies available there is no reason to leave your home dark, making it an obvious target.