Over the month of December, The New Falcon Herald heard rumors of an abnormally high number of break-ins in Falcon since Nov. 1.Lt. Larie Sevene, public information officer for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, said she also has gotten queries about the many incidents of break-ins.As of Dec. 9, Sevene said there had been a handful in Falcon, but nothing out of the ordinary – “nothing that would constitute a rise in comparison with last year.”Homeowners will hold a meeting about the break-ins Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Meridian Ranch Recreation Center in the Meridian Ranch development at 10301 Angeles Road.Meanwhile, here are some burglary prevention security tips based on information provided by Officer Dave Husted of the Colorado Springs Police Department from a video posted “youtube.com.”
- Keep garage doors down and doors and windows locked. More than half the burglaries in town could be prevented if people followed this simple tip.
- The vast majority of residential burglaries happen in broad daylight. One of the ways burglars try to get into your home is through a window. One of the things you can do is plant bushes directly in front of your window to keep that burglar from getting access to the window in the first place. Be sure to keep the bushes trimmed below the window so they don’t provide a hiding place for a burglar.
- Cover up your window wells.
- Some burglaries do occur at night and for that reason, effective use of lighting is important, but light in and of itself is not necessarily a deterrent. Changing the environment that a criminal expects to encounter is the best deterrent. That’s why lights with motion sensors are the most effective way to make use of light to prevent burglary.
- Consider installing a product called “burglar film” on the glass insert of a door. The film prevents someone from breaking the glass, reaching in and unlocking the door. Information about this product is available at www.ifoha.com.Lt. Al Harmon of the Colorado Springs Police Department said one of the best deterrents is to know your neighborhood and your neighbors.”People know if there’s somebody who comes into their neighborhood or a vehicle that doesn’t belong there,” Harmon said. “Keep on the lookout for things like that because people coming out (burglars, etc.) are the type of people that would draw your attention.”Editor’s note: The NFH will follow up after the January meeting.
