Burglary Prevention Information from Baltimore County Police
August 2, 2022
Baltimore County is currently experiencing a rise in residential burglaries involving Asian Business owners and employees. This may be part of a regional and/or national trend and offenders may be travelling to the area from other jurisdictions to commit these offenses. These business owners are specifically targeted. The suspects in these cases are organized and work in teams to surveil their targets prior to the burglaries. Suspects learn the life patterns of these owners by following a business owner home. While the victim is at work running the business, the burglars return to the victim’s home, break in, and steal cash and valuables.
The Baltimore County Police Department offers these preventive measures:
Keep your car locked while at work and secure your registration.
Be cognizant of any cars in the neighborhood that aren’t normally there.
Be aware of anyone who might be following you home.
Give thought to how you secure your valuables in your house.
Install surveillance cameras on or around the home and business.
Consider having a home or business alarm system installed.
Sliding glass doors tend to be an easy point of entry. Special locks and bars are available to prevent lifting and prying of the active door.
All exterior doors should be equipped with deadbolt locks. If the door is equipped with a window which is less than 40” away from the lock, a double-cylinder deadbolt lock is recommended.
Arrange landscaping/plants to allow for “natural surveillance” of your property. Avoid blocking windows and entrance doors from the view of pedestrians, motorists, and police. Landscaping should be trimmed so criminals cannot use it for concealment.
Illuminate the exterior of the home at night. Position lights to avoid glare, shadows, and blind spots. Consider motion sensor (demand lighting, timers).
The door frame is often referred to as the door jamb, and it is inherently weak. In most cases the frame is the weakest component of the door assembly. Adequately anchor the strike plate to the framing of the house by using 3” long screws.
Call 911 immediately if you feel you are being followed to your home, suspicious vehicles and persons. Take an extra minute and scan your neighborhood before departing.
Security surveys are a “free” service to all Baltimore County residents and business owners. Community Outreach Team officers will emphasize “target hardening” as a crime prevention tool.
For questions, concerns or additional information contact your precincts Outreach Team, or the Baltimore County Police Department’s Community Services Section, Bryan Dietsch @ 410-887-5901
