Q: What can residents do to make their homes and apartments safer?

Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer.

A: The City of Berkeley Police Department appreciates this question and dialogue very much. Property crime which includes burglary continues to be our collective greatest crime challenge. The City of Berkeley's statistics in this category are dropping, although we still feel that together we could be doing much better.

We should point out that community members often confuse burglary and robbery. They call our Public Safety Communications Center and say "I have been robbed! I came home from work and my home was robbed!" Now, if no one was home and there was no confrontation, it is a Burglary. Burglary is simply defined as a suspect or suspects entering your home or apartment to steal property. These crimes most often happen when no one is home or present. 

A robbery is taking personal property in your possession or in your immediate presence, by means or use of force or fear. So, a community member or victim is in the suspect's presence and confronted by a suspect with a gun, knife, threats or physical force.

Community members can make their homes less appealing to opportunistic thieves and burglars by locking windows and doors. Over 40 percent of the residential burglaries in the city are accomplished through open or unlocked windows and doors. Each week, this trend continues and it is disheartening. It is upsetting for community members to return home and discover someone has gone through their residence and made off with all sorts of property. Perhaps locking the home tightly could have made the difference. We are not in the practice of blaming victims. Our focus is arresting these burglars as well as spreading the much needed crime prevention message. 

In addition to locking windows and doors, CPTED is great practice. This means "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design." We have some information on our website or a simple search on the Internet can provide recommendations for creating safer spaces around and in your home.

Tips for deterring burglars:

• Make it a practice to leave the porch light on.

• Install motion-sensor lighting to cover darker areas around your home.

• Install window locks.

• Place poles or stops in sliding glass doors and windows.

• Purchase a good quality, well maintained alarm system if you can.

• Get good, high quality dead bolts or strike plates for your doors.

• Do not leave keys hanging in the interiors of doors with double cylinders, especially French or glass doors.

• Do not display electronics, such as computers, in view right near windows. Alternatively, draw the shades or drapes.

• Get to know your neighbors and ask them to call you or the police if they note suspicious individuals or cars near or at your home.  

• Do not leave ladders stored on the side of your home.

• Move bins from under windows and away from second floor decks — suspects often use them to climb on.

• Do not open doors for solicitors after dark. There is no requirement to do so. Politely ask him or her to leave literature outside. Call BPD if they come late at night or it seems suspicious. Some may be "casing" for burglaries.

• Having a family animal companion, such as a dog, is a great deterrent. Although we do not recommend getting one just for this purpose. We have heard some interesting protective cat stories too.

Until next week... Remember small lifestyle changes can make a BIG difference.

Do you have a question for the Berkeley Police Department? Let us know in the comments.