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Friday, March 29, 2024

Home invasions on the rise

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For many years people have been advised to be careful when they hit the streets during the holiday season. Now local families are being strongly encouraged to be watchful in their own homes.

In recent months, home invasions have struck Central Indiana at an alarming rate.

Most of these incidents, however, have not taken place in areas known for high levels of crime, but in suburban neighborhoods once deemed as safe, including those on the Northside and cities outside of Indianapolis.

In Westfield, 52-year-old Marylyn Erb and her 23-year-old daughter Kelley Erb were found dead last Friday following what police believe was an attempted home robbery. That followed another home invasion in Fishers, and a series of incidents that have taken place in Indianapolis.

ā€œThese types of crimes will not be tolerated in our city,ā€ said Chief Rick Hite of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD).

October saw a sharp rise in home invasions, including an Oct. 24 incident involving four suspects who kicked in the back-door of a house located in the 7000 block of North Spring Mill Road. Once inside they assaulted and tied-up the two homeowners and ransacked the house, taking the victimā€™s 2006 Jeep Commander.

Four days later, an 82-year-old woman was robbed in her home in the 300 block of North Jefferson Avenue.

Following those incidents, IMPD conducted investigations and aggressively went after alleged perpetrators of recent home robberies throughout November and this month. Police have arrested three men in the robbery of the elderly woman and another suspect from the robbery on Spring Mill Road. All suspects ranged in age from their late-teens to early 30s.

ā€œOur law enforcement partners will not stop until we find those responsible and hold them accountable,ā€ Hite said.

However, as police work to bring those who have invaded residentsā€™ homes to justice, authorities are encouraging homeowners to take steps to keep themselves from becoming targets.

For starters, police warn that empty homes are particularly attractive to burglars, and advise homeowners to take precautions if they leave for a holiday party so they wonā€™t return to a nasty surprise.

Mandy Bray, a spokesperson for Central Security Communications,Ā Indianaā€™s largest independent securityĀ company, said although unfortunate, it is not unusual for home invasions and robberies to increase during the winter season.

ā€œThe winter holidays have the fewest hours of daylight and a high number of empty homes due to vacation travel, making homes a prime target for burglaries over Christmas and New Yearā€™s,ā€ she said.

However, Bray added, that residents are not powerless and can adopt measures to protect themselves when they are at home and safeguard their property when they are away.

ā€œFortunately, there are many easy, low-cost precautions homeowners can take to minimize their risk of burglary,ā€ she said.

Here is a summary of IMPD and Central Security Communications tips on reducing the likelihood of your home becoming the next site of a burglary, which takes place when homeowners are away, or a robbery, which occurs when they are at home.

How to prevent home burglaries and robberies

Preventing home burglaries

When parking outside, always bring your garage door opener in with you.

Make sure to arm your alarm when you are away from home, or at home and not going to be leaving anytime soon.Ā 

Always lock your doors and get your locks re-keyed over time.

Have access to panic buttons associated with your alarm system in case of an emergency.

Make the alarm audible and loud. Test it occasionally to confirm that it is working properly and is attached to a monitoring center.

Use motion floodlights to detect any movement outside your home. Light is a deterrent.

Leave a light on inside your home while you are gone to make it look like someone is home.

Try to make electronics, gifts and other big-ticket items not visible through windows, or keep blinds closed.

Do not advertise the fact you are gone from home on social media sites. Stress the importance of this with your entire family.

If you will be gone on vacation or away from your house for a period of time, call your IMPD district headquarters and ask for extra patrol.

Stop mail and newspaper delivery while you are away for an extended period of time. Stacks of newspapers that have not been collected will alert criminals that no one is home.

Tips on preventing home robberies:

Start or join a Crime Watch group. Visit indy.gov/crimewatch for more information.

Know your neighborhood and your neighbors. Do not hesitate to call the police if you see someone or something suspicious at your neighborā€™s home.

You never have to answer your door; if you are not expecting anyone, donā€™t answer, especially late at night or early in the morning.

Be alert to suspicious people or behavior.

Ensure your address numbers are visible, so responding police/fire/EMS personnel can get you help quickly.

Trim your bushes and other exterior landscaping. Keep bushes no taller than two feet in height.

Make sure your doors and windows are locked.Ā 

Keep your garage door closed, even when you are home.

Keep your blinds closed while you are asleep or gone.

Lock gates.

Keep your house well lit at night. Invest in motion activated flood lights. Put your lights on timers.

Get an alarm system.

Upgrade the locks on your doors and make sure your door frames are sturdy.

If your home looks like it has been burglarized, do not enter and call the police.

Be cautious about the trash you leave on the curb. Cut up empty boxes from electronic purchases, such as big screen televisions, and put them in a garbage bag for trash pickup.

Have a family plan for emergencies. Make sure you talk about your plan and everyoneā€™s roles and responsibilities.

Have a phone nearby to call for help.

Record the serial numbers of expensive items.

Take photos of jewelry.

According to the FBIā€™s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, there were an estimatedĀ 1.4 millionĀ residential burglaries in the U.S. in 2012, with the average property loss totalingĀ $2,188.

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