Burglar proof your house - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

With more houses sitting empty due to foreclosures, once safe neighborhoods are becoming more tempting to burglars. Which means anyone can become a victim.

"In this day and time, especially with the economic situation that we're in, people are trying to get money anyway they can, and the days of leaving your property unsecured and your doors unlocked, we just don't live in that society anymore," says Captain Ton Jackson with Dougherty County Police.

But Jackson says locking your doors isn't enough. In today's society, having things like camera systems and alarms can greatly increase your chances of not getting attacked.

"If you have the cameras, you can not only look back look at the recorded video, you could see if someone has been basically casing the home, looking around, looking in the windows, you would be able to see that," says Judy Randle with Central Monitoring.

Trimming high vegetation in your yard can eliminate hiding places for thieves. And making sure your garage doors stay closed, can keep unwanted people out.

"A lot of people that have garage doors, will typically leave the door from their home to their garage unlocked and that's not safe. They really need to leave that door locked at all times in addition to closing their garage doors," says Randle.

But police say your neighbors can be your number one defense against crime.

"The biggest help they can be to us like I said, if you see something that doesn't look right then you need to call us. That's what we get paid to do. We get paid to be nosey so if you see a vehicle or person that doesn't belong in your neighborhood or just doesn't look right, or feel strange to your then you need to call us and let us come check it out," says Jackson.

Regardless of where you live, anyone can become a victim but the less appealing your home is, the less likely you'll be targeted.

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