• Always keep doors and windows to your home and garage locked. Use window treatments in the garage.
• Keep your home well-lit during the evening hours, especially if you come home from work in the evening. Use dusk to dawn lamps and timed lighting to make it look as if someone is at home.
• If you are going on vacation, stop your mail and newspapers and ask a friend to mow your lawn or shovel your snow. Let the police department know that you will be leaving.
• Encourage trusted neighbors to watch your home and to report activity.
• Investigate the cost of an alarm and video surveillance, and ask the company good questions about the effectiveness as well as how the alarm can be defeated. Post signage to let burglars know that it is active.