Home Security Tips

The best numbers to call to report suspicious activity or a burglary are 911 or State Trooper Dispatcher at 845-677-7300. 

In order to help prevent residential burglaries, the following recommendations have been complied from various police and sheriff departments.  Basically, the best defense against residential burglary is making your home look occupied and making it difficult to break into.

Specifically, residents should take the following actions:

§ Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed. Even if it is for a short time, lock your doors.

§ Install deadbolt locks on all your outside doors, as they are harder to get through than push-button locks.

§ Keep your garage door closed and locked.

§ If you have an alarm system, use it, even if you are only leaving for a short time. Although alarms may not prevent burglaries it makes the burglar more likely to leave quickly, with less items.  Also, in some cases, when alarm goes off, burglar will leave without taking anything. Even if you do not have an alarm system, buy signs that say you have an alarm and place them around your home—it will serve as a deterrent. .

§ Leave lights on when you go out. If you are going to be away for an extended period of time, connect some lamps to automatic timers to turn them on in the evening and off during the day. Use motion detector lights outside.

§ Don't allow daily deliveries of mail, newspapers or fliers to accumulate while you are away. Make arrangements with the local post office to hold your mail, or arrange for a friend or neighbor to regularly take your mail from your mailbox or front step.

§ Watch the neighborhood for suspicious activity and vehicles. If anyone sees something that doesn't look right, please report it.  Recently burglars responsible for over 50 burglary incidents in Milan and surrounding towns were caught due to someone reporting a license plate of a suspicious vehicle.

§ If you do determine your house has been burglarized, preserve any evidence. 

These tips are provided for your information only and are by no means an exhaustive list.