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  Do’s and Do Not’s if you are a victim of a burglary web posted March 26, 2010 COUNTY – Thefts and burglaries are an unpleasant fact in any community, town, or county. How you deal with it is a different story. If citizens and law enforcement work together, the prevention or apprehension of those responsible of such acts can be achieved. Often times a homeowner arrives to discover their home has been violated, and without thinking, they do more to help the criminal than law enforcement. We have compiled a list of the Do’s and Do Not’s from nearly six years of interviews with Edgefield County Sheriff Adell Dobey, Chief Investigator Randy Doran of the Edgefield Sheriff’s Office, Chief Ronnie Carter of the Edgefield Police Department, and Chief Chris Aston of the Johnston Police Department and various investigators. If you arrive home and find your home has been broken into. Do – If you arrive at your home and discover a door kicked in, a window broken, or other obvious signs of a burglary, back away from the home and call 911. Do Not – Enter the home to try to take an account of what is missing. Wait for an officer to arrive to clear the home. You do not know if you may be interrupting a burglary in progress and you could place yourself in unnecessary danger. Furthermore, anything you touch in the process will compromise or destroy physical evidence such as fingerprints, shoeprints or other forensic evidence that can be collected at an “uncontaminated scene”. Do – Remain calm. While waiting on law enforcement try to walk your way back through your day. What time the last person left the home. Did anyone return before you? Contact other family members and even neighbors by cell phone while waiting, if possible, to give investigators the information they need. Do Not – Walk in areas of dirt that contain footprints or tire tracks. Often times such evidence can be just as important as a fingerprint. Do Not – Pick up any strange tool, pry bar, or any other item that may have been used by the intruder to enter the home and examine it. Leave that to the professionals. You do not notice you have been a victim of a burglary until after you enter the home. Some times a homeowner will not see a damaged door or window and it is not until later they discover they have been robbed. Do – Remain calm. Do not touch any other items in the home. Exit the home the way you came in and call 911. Do Not – Move items that are overturned, misplaced, or found on the floor. Do Not – Go through open dresser drawers, jewelry boxes, or other personal items that have been disturbed to see what is missing. Do – Tell investigators what you have touched and what you have not touched. Things you can do to aid in catching a burglar before you are targeted. Write down serial numbers of all electronics, computers, firearms, tools, water craft, lawn equipment, jewelry (pictures and receipts are also valuable information), and any other identifying characteristics of your property and keep them in a separate non-descript location. If you keep them in a fire safe lock box at home, which may be targeted for theft in the hopes of it containing jewelry or cash, have a copy in a file at your workplace as a back up. If a burglar thinks he or she has your property and your copy of serial numbers they will be more likely to use pawnshops to sell the stolen items. Having a backup will make locating not only the property easier, but also the person who sold it leading to an arrest. Many burglaries are thwarted by burglar alarms. The Sheriff’s Office has responded to several homes that alarm calls show signs of tampering to the home but the person or persons trying to enter the home leave when the alarm sounds. Due to the lack of deputies on patrol, by the time they arrive the suspect or suspects are gone. However, the home remains safe. What you can do to prevent being a target or aid if you are a target while away from home. Do – Stop mail delivery and paper deliveries if you are going to be out of town or have a trusted neighbor pick up both each day. Two or three days of mail or papers in the mailbox or your driveway are a calling card for burglars that you are away. Do – Give neighbors and friends your contact numbers while you are away in case there is a problem. Do – Use timers to turn TV’s and lights on and off while you are away at different times each day and night. Setting these activities at the same time each day is easily seen as indication the owners are away. Do Not – Broadcast that you and your family are going to be out of town in public settings such as your Facebook, Myspace, or other social networking sites. Why is Edgefield County such a target for burglaries? Edgefield County’s best attraction for new residents is also its worst enemy when it comes to burglaries. The rural settings that abound appeal to those seeking more privacy and isolation from others and are a burglar’s dream list of targets. Burglar alarms, surveillance cameras (which are relatively cheap to obtain), and other cost effective ways to protect your home are available. Homes in neighborhoods are not immune to burglaries just because they have other homes nearby where everyone is at school or work during the day. This writer would suggest one further step in protecting a home “off the beaten path”, a really big dog. A burglar may think he has time to strike a home and steal property before the alarm can go off, the company being notified, the message being relayed to police, the call being dispatched, and the officer taking five to fifteen minutes to respond, all buying the burglar time to steal what is easy to grab, and leave before they arrive. Entering the home and finding a 70 to 160 pound dog charging them is an option most burglars are not willing to try to overcome. This is a most effective and cost effective deterrent. Last, and most certainly the most important tip, is when there is a death in the family. Always have someone stay at the home of the deceased during funeral services and visitations. The same holds true for immediate family members. All names and locations of the grieved are printed in obituaries making all of them a likely target. For more information on how to protect yourself from being a victim of a crime visit the Edgefield County Sheriff’s website. © Copyright 2010
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