ADT Home Security Alert: Rising Crime Rates and Daytime Burglaries

If home security matters to you, here's an "alarm"-ing piece of news: The FBI says burglaries are on the rise yet again. In fact, home burglaries were up last year 5.4 percent, according to the November edition of Insider News & Business.

The biggest increase of all crimes came in the form of daylight home robberies. Don't be surprised: burglars have told police that it’s easier to get into homes during the day. They can tell when homeowners leave, and there’s a pretty good chance that home alarm systems aren't activated during the day. Burglars can pretend to be a repairman or a package delivery man, and neighbors aren't suspicious. With everyone out of the house, it's easy pickings. Nighttime burglaries have actually decreased over the last few years because burglars are getting smarter about how they plan their heists.

Even if you have an alarm system or other home security system, burglars may try these tricks:

• Call your home to see if anyone answers.


• Peer in open windows to see if anyone (or large dogs) are at home.


• Get to know your area closely, even if that means getting a job as an actual delivery person so that neighbors lose all suspicion.


• Check for cars in the driveway, and lights or noise inside the house.

During the daylight hours, these are all fairly easy things to accomplish. So if you have a home that is left empty during the day, take a few precautions:

• Keep your curtains and blinds closed.


• Know your mail person, your delivery people, and alert a neighbor if you are supposed to have someone coming to repair something in your home. If somebody comes and the neighbors aren’t expecting it, they'll know to alert the authorities.


• If you have a garage, keep your cars parked inside with the door closed. This makes it harder for an observer to know when you're not home.


• Get a dog, leave a radio and lights on, and make it look like somebody is home!

Most importantly, make sure your home is protected with an ADT wireless security system. ADT Security has monitoring centers staffed with expert professionals, and your ADT alarm system will alert them when a threat is in your house. If someone enters your home uninvited, ADT professionals will call your home. If you're not there, or if a thief tries to answer without your family’s unique code, ADT will send help to your home immediately.

Daytime, nighttime, anytime: The way to protect your home is to have ADT Security on call 24/7. Call Protect Your Home, your local ADT authorized dealer, and ask them about their monthly specials!

(And remember: set your alarm system during the day!)