By Mary C. Marvin

Jun. 3, 2015:  Burglary and break-ins have a major impact on everyone's sense of safety and well-being, as we are so demonstratively aware in our village these past few weeks.

The most common threat to residential home safety is burglary, but it is also the easiest crime to prevent. The normal burglary MO is daytime invasion when no one is home and most often in the summer months. Small yet valuable goods that can be fenced or pawned--laptops, electronic gadgets, watches or jewelry, and cash--are the cache of choice. As a precaution, they should never be left in areas easily seen from a door or window. 

Contrary to popular thinking, burglaries are most often quite planned. The main prerequisite is easy access. It is a crime of opportunity. Skilled burglars know just by looking at your locks if they can pick them or not. If they do not have the special tools to open a high security lock, they will not waste time trying and will bypass your house for a neighbor's. Burglars often target homes and then observe the neighborhood for daily activity. This is the reason why it is imperative that you call the police desk if you notice anything out of the ordinary in your neighborhood. Let trained professionals then assess the situation.

Working with Chief Satriale, we composed a list of things you can do so that your home doesn't say, "Easy Access."

• Since garage doors and back doors are the most common points of illegal entry, they should always be locked using deadbolts and most preferably with an ANSI Grade I rating. These locks are extremely hard to pick, pry, or saw.

• All doors, for that matter, should have deadbolt locks with at least a one-inch throw bolt.

In addition to a normal latch, sliding glass doors need a stick in the track to limit movement. For good measure, add a highly recognizable security emblem, guard dog image, or decal on the glass.

• On ground-floor windows, the above are also helpful, as well as secondary blocking devices that stop the window from opening more than six inches.

• Interior lights as well as radios and televisions should be on staggered timers so on/off times vary.

• Leaving a porch or garage light on 24/7 gives the impression that no one is ever home.

• Exterior lights should ideally be on a timer with a dim mode until a bright light is activated when motion is detected. These dim-to-bright systems are now relatively inexpensive and readily available at Home Depot-type stores.

• Home alarms should be activated day or night when no one is home, regardless of how brief your absence is. They not only protect from intruders but also monitor your home in case of fire.

• A small home safe located away from the common locations in bedrooms and closets protects important belongings not only from burglars but also from fire and flood.

Bringing it down to our village level, our Bronxville Police Department offers many services to increase residents' security just by calling our police department desk.

• An officer will do interior and exterior security surveys of homes and apartments and suggest safety measures.

• If you are traveling and/or having construction done, our officers will do vacant-house checks and walk around properties and/or visually inspect for unusual activity.

• Our police department has ordered highly visible cling-on decals with the department logo to be distributed to every village alarm permit holder. Now is the time to register and renew alarm permits and make sure all contact information is up to date.

• Please contact our police department if you have surveillance cameras that are in the vicinity of any reported incident. They are often an invaluable investigative tools.

• Having neighbors you can trust is like being home all the time. Build a trusting and comfortable relationship with folks on your street, as they can be your eyes and ears while you are away. A point of comfort--if our police department is called by you or your neighbor, the response time averages an incredible one to two minutes.

Finally, the children know more than you might think about the recent events in the village. Having a frank discussion can alleviate some of the uneasiness by dispelling rumors that are most often worse than the reality. Share with them all that the family is doing to protect your home and encourage them to tell you anything at all that just seems not right in your neighborhood.

Our officers have been working extra shifts and coordinating with neighboring police departments as well as the county police in an effort to solve the recent crimes and restore the security we sometimes take for granted. They are to be commended.