Warning: House
breaks are on the rise again, in Wrentham and everywhere else. The rise is
associated largely with epidemic drug abuse, specifically pill and heroin
addicts. Obviously, the addicts need money to buy drugs so they break into
homes, steal property, fence it and get their fix.
Wrentham police officers will continue to be vigilant
with their efforts through traffic enforcement; neighborhood patrols and
investigation.
The rest of you should consider the following as you go
about your daily routines:
Be Aware: If you
see someone in or out of a vehicle and it strikes you as suspicious, follow your
instinct and call 911. Don’t hesitate because you think it may turn out to be
nothing. Try to keep the suspicious person or vehicle in sight until police
respond; try to get a plate number off the car; a good description of the
suspect; the vehicle, etc.
Hide Valuables: DO
NOT keep valuables in your master bedroom. When the bad guys commit house
breaks, they knock on the door and ring the bell first to make sure no one is
home. If you are home, make yourself known. You don’t have to open the door, but
go to a window and yell out that you’re busy and can’t come to the door. This
will make bad guys go away. If you pretend you’re not home, they’re coming in
with you inside. They’ll kick in a door and go directly to the master bedroom.
They’ll grab your pillowcase and stuff it with your jewelry and anything else of
value. Next, they’ll head for the bathrooms because they want your pain killer
medications so don’t hide anything in the bathroom and keep your pills somewhere
else.
They want to get in and out quickly, so they often don’t
go through other rooms after they hit the master bedroom and bathrooms,
therefore; if you hide your valuables in other parts of the house, you’ll likely
cut your loss. Be creative with hiding places.
Alarms: Whether or
not you install a monitored alarm is up to you. More importantly, install an
alarm that accomplishes two things. The alarm inside your home should shriek so
loud that it unnerves the intruder. So loud, that the bad guy should need to
cover his ears. The outside alarm should be mounted as high on your house as
possible and be as loud as possible. The alarm horns should be directed toward
neighboring homes and the street to attract attention. This will interrupt the
intruders and alert others to the problem at your house. Give trusted neighbors
your alarm code. Provide your contact information to WPD.
Cars: If you’re
going out in one car, DO NOT leave the other car in the garage. Doing so, gives
the appearance you’re not home. Leave the spare car in the driveway and if you
have a long driveway, park it closer to the street. This will prevent the bad
guys from pulling up into your driveway and out of view. If you don’t have two
cars and are leaving for an extended period of time, ask a neighbor who has more
than one car to park it at the end of your driveway.
Neighborhood Watch:
Form neighborhood watch groups. Share your cell phone numbers;
descriptions of your cars; vacation plans; alarm codes; with trusted neighbors.
This way, if one of you observe something out of place, you can call your
neighbor. This may extend to one neighbor taking in another’s trash barrels, Fed
Ex or UPS deliveries, newspapers, etc. All of these items left out are clues to
the bad guys that no one is home. Protect yourselves!
Lieutenant William R.
McGrath
Patrol &
Investigations Supervisor
Press Information
Officer
O.I.C.
Communications
Office
508-384-6915