Cat Burglary Anti Theft Tips
Updated 05-23-2016
A prior article explained the real dangers of the Cat Burglar. This article will touch on one of the many ongoing cases and more tips to help keep the Cat Burglar out of your home.
Although this Cat Burglar was around in 2011, these type of crimes continue all over our country today.
This case started on February 2nd, 2011, when reports started coming in about a Cat Burglar entering apartments in Davis, California. Since then, he had entered five different apartments while the victims were sleeping. His last reported victim woke up and watched him run out the front door of the apartment. He was described as thin and wearing dark clothing. He kept his arms free by using a Forehead type flashlight. There is little more information, because other than this one victim, the Cat Burglar has completed his crime without waking occupants and no other witnesses have come forward.
Davis has a large number of college students from U.C. Davis and it is not unusual to see students out at night. This case will probably continue until the Cat Burglar is either captured, arrested for an unrelated crime, or moves to a different community.
Help keep the criminal out of your home by following these Cat Burglar anti theft tips:
Remove plants and objects that someone can use for cover and be hidden from the street. These give a burglar extra time while working to enter your home.
It is as important to keep your doors locked when you are home, as it is when you are away. Even if you are outside and close to the door, it only takes a few seconds for a Cat Burglar to sneak in.
If you have windows open for fresh air, only have them open a few inches and install hardware to insure they can’t be opened further. You often see pictures of burglars with a crow bar, because older sliding windows and doors are designed to be lifted out of the track if unlocked.
If you have children on the ground floor, I don’t recommend having their windows open or unlocked at all. (I also do NOT recommend window bars because of how hard it is to get out in the case of fire). Consider Baby monitors as a way to alert you to sudden noise in their rooms.
Do not leave ladders out in the back yard. These can be used to access the second story of a house.
Add glass breakage, perimeter, and movement sensors to your home alarm system plan.
Close open blinds, or drapes at night, because Cat Burglars like to watch their victims. Be aware that at night, when lights are on inside, anyone can see into your home as if they were watching TV.
If you live alone, make it appear that you don’t:
Talk out loud as if you have a room mate. Make cell phone calls, instead of texting.
Leave a talk radio station on in a back room with a light on a random timer.
Before leaving your home, turn on your porch light and check your door peep hole to see if anyone is waiting outside. A Cat Burglar can turn into an assailant in a moments notice. It doesn’t have to be a stranger to be dangerous. A large percentage of sexual assault suspects are someone the victim knew.
Think about locations you can hide Pepper Spray, Sun Guns, and Tasers. Keep them a secret and practice how to use them in an emergency.
Live your life as you wish, but by being prepared will help ensure your security and safety.
Zeb Hammonds spent forty years in Law Enforcement that included Crime Scene Investigation, Photography and Videography. He served 30 years full time as a Patrol Officer, Detective, and Street Sergeant. In the last 6 years of full time service he was also in charge of Technology Development within the Manteca, Police Department in California. Many of his stories are from personal experience. www.ForSecuritySake.com is a way to share these stories and to provide products that can help people be more secure and safer in their daily lives.