Whether you are traveling out of town for spring break or running to the grocery store, it is important to keep your property safe. This month, the Naperville Police Department aims to make Naperville “A Safer Naper” by educating residents on burglary prevention. While Naperville is a safe community, we are not a crime free community. It takes police and citizens working in partnership to prevent crime and build safer neighborhoods.
The six members of the Naperville Police Department Crimes Against Property Crimes Unit, composed of a sergeant and five detectives, review on average over 200 property crime cases each month. Property crimes include burglaries, theft, fraud (which includes identity theft) and vandalism.
In 2023, there were 51 residential burglaries in the City of Naperville. Did you know a burglar can be in and out of a home in as little as ninety seconds?
In addition to locking doors, windows, closing garage doors and keeping exterior lights on from dusk until dawn, we especially want to emphasize securing the rear of your property. Burglars like the concealment of backyards to force entry into sliding glass doors or shattering a rear window. Taking steps to reduce opportunities for concealment or easy entry (like trimming landscaping, installing a camera system, and utilizing a secondary locking system on rear doors) offer an extra layer of prevention.
One of the most important things you can do to protect your property is to know who belongs in your neighborhood and be alert in protecting not only your home, but your neighbors’ as well. Criminals like to take to assuming the appearance of solicitors, landscapers, utility and city workers often going door to door to see if someone is home by ringing the doorbell or looking into a window. If no one is home, they will make their way to a side door or backyard to force entry. Remember, report any suspicious behavior or activity immediately to 9-1-1.
Learn more about burglary prevention at www.naperville.il.us/ASaferNaper.
