Recently, there was a high profile home invasion in Connecticut where a mother and two daughters were killed. The husband survived the vicious attack. It happened in a well- to-do, relatively crime free neighborhood, to a respected medical doctor and his family. This horrendous attack became an extremely high profile case and ended up being broadcast all over national television.
One national talk show had three experts discussing the case and home invasions in general. After about 20 minutes of conversation that really was quite superficial, I came away with a few steps people can do to help themselves. However, the general consensus seemed that there wasn’t too much we can do to stop home invasions. I was taken aback as this simply is not true. There are many positive actions we can take to protect ourselves.
I’ve listed some effective tips that work to curtail, limit or stop home invasions. You don’t have to use all of them to be effective; you can use one or you can utilize them all.
· Get strong wooden or metal security doors for your main entrances
· Install deeply set deadbolt locks into any outside entrance doors
· Place a piece of wood in the window track of sliding glass doors–this keeps them from being forced open
· Get motion detector lights for the outside of your home. These are inexpensive and unbelievably easy to install. Put them at all corners of your home. They light up when motion crosses its path. Predators don’t like light
· Install an alarm system, which has an internal siren (which most of them come with) and an outside siren to notify your neighbors also in case someone breaks in. Alarms are great, even though many talk against their effectiveness
· Consider having a firearm to protect you and your family in case of home attack. If you chose this option get trained in its storage, safety and use. In trained, responsible hands firearms are great protection tools
· Create a safe-room in your home. You can choose any room such as an unused bedroom or your master bedroom. It is a simple idea. Pick a room and install a strong security door with a long, deep deadbolt lock along with reinforced door hinges (if you need help talk to a locksmith or a hardware store employee). Keep a cell phone in the room (in case your land-line phone is disabled) flashlight and any weapons you may choose to use. Have a family plan for everyone to run to the room in case of trouble. From there you can make a stand or have more time to call authorities.
There are actually more things you could do to help yourself, but the tips mentioned cover all the major areas, except the most important one—lock your doors! So many families, mostly in “good neighborhoods” do not lock their doors. Countless instances of home burglary, rape and death have occurred because doors were left unlocked and predators had an easy way in. This is a simple fact most people do not know. We live in a mobile society where a bad neighborhood is just a short ride away from a good neighborhood.
Like any thing in life, solutions to problems come about from taking action. If you’re concerned for your family’s safety regarding home invasions, follow some of the easy tips mentioned and you’ll certainly be better off. http://www.locksmith.bz/locksmith-tips/home-invasions-be-prepared
Monday, December 28, 2009
Police offer $5,000 reward to find arsonist(s)
The Michigan Arson Committee is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of an individual, or group of individuals responsible for setting garbage fires in downtown Petoskey.
On Tuesday, around 10:13 p.m., the Petoskey Department of Public Safety was dispatched to a fire in the alley behind Leo’s Lounge, after a citizen called 9-1-1 to report large plastic garbage cans on fire against a building.
Upon arrival, officers discovered two separate fires behind the business of Monarch Garden & Floral Design.
“There were two garbage cans against the wall — one was on fire, and the other was recyclables on fire,” said Lt. Randy Weston. “Both were separated, which leads us to believe that it was arson.”
As officers were extinguishing the first two fires, the department was dispatched to the Danser Professional Building on the corner of State and Petoskey streets, where a well-established fire in a large steel Dumpster was reported.
Weston said his department was able to extinguish the fires rather quickly, and luckily no extensive damage resulted.
“They were small containment fires, but the threat of spread was there,” he said. “We were fortunate that we were able to get to them quickly.”
Weston said these fires are extremely similar to a recent string of Dumpster fires his department has been investigating since September.
As reported by the News-Review in November, the first of three garbage fires was set shortly after midnight on Sept. 8 in a trash can near 446 E. Mitchell Street. The second was set that same evening in a garbage bin behind the St. Francis Credit Union on State Street.
The third, however, was set 10 days later around 1:47 a.m. on Sept. 18, in a bin in the alley behind Scrapper’s Attic and J.C. Penney.
“We’re determining these fires are of suspicious origin,” Weston said. “The locations are in close proximity to each other, and the circumstances are similar.”
Weston said his department is looking to the community for help on solving these crimes.
“Certainly, we’re looking for any information or leads on these fires,” Weston said. “We’re real concerned with the suspicious nature of these fires, and we don’t want to see a large fire as a result.”
To offer information about these crimes and claim the reward being offered by the Michigan Arson Committee, contact them at (800) 44-ARSON, or call the Petoskey Department of Public Safety at 347-2500.
http://www.petoskeynews.com/front/article_8144dbfa-f0b0-11de-a7b2-001cc4c03286.html
On Tuesday, around 10:13 p.m., the Petoskey Department of Public Safety was dispatched to a fire in the alley behind Leo’s Lounge, after a citizen called 9-1-1 to report large plastic garbage cans on fire against a building.
Upon arrival, officers discovered two separate fires behind the business of Monarch Garden & Floral Design.
“There were two garbage cans against the wall — one was on fire, and the other was recyclables on fire,” said Lt. Randy Weston. “Both were separated, which leads us to believe that it was arson.”
As officers were extinguishing the first two fires, the department was dispatched to the Danser Professional Building on the corner of State and Petoskey streets, where a well-established fire in a large steel Dumpster was reported.
Weston said his department was able to extinguish the fires rather quickly, and luckily no extensive damage resulted.
“They were small containment fires, but the threat of spread was there,” he said. “We were fortunate that we were able to get to them quickly.”
Weston said these fires are extremely similar to a recent string of Dumpster fires his department has been investigating since September.
As reported by the News-Review in November, the first of three garbage fires was set shortly after midnight on Sept. 8 in a trash can near 446 E. Mitchell Street. The second was set that same evening in a garbage bin behind the St. Francis Credit Union on State Street.
The third, however, was set 10 days later around 1:47 a.m. on Sept. 18, in a bin in the alley behind Scrapper’s Attic and J.C. Penney.
“We’re determining these fires are of suspicious origin,” Weston said. “The locations are in close proximity to each other, and the circumstances are similar.”
Weston said his department is looking to the community for help on solving these crimes.
“Certainly, we’re looking for any information or leads on these fires,” Weston said. “We’re real concerned with the suspicious nature of these fires, and we don’t want to see a large fire as a result.”
To offer information about these crimes and claim the reward being offered by the Michigan Arson Committee, contact them at (800) 44-ARSON, or call the Petoskey Department of Public Safety at 347-2500.
http://www.petoskeynews.com/front/article_8144dbfa-f0b0-11de-a7b2-001cc4c03286.html
Police urge common sense in protecting against burglaries
By Cpl. PATRICK HECHLINSKI
South Bend Police Department
With the holidays here, it is important to keep in mind some basic safety tips to make your home a less likely target for a burglary.
Here are some ways burglars enter your home:
-Leaving windows and doors unlocked when not at home.
-Not arming security systems.
-Leaving garage and basement doors unlocked.
-Leaving windows open at night.
-Failing to make your home look occupied when you're not at home.
Here are some things you can do:
-Keep your doors locked and be sure your locks are in good working order.
-If you have a security system, use it!
-If your garage is attached to the house, keep the door entering your house locked. Don't rely on the garage door to keep a burglar out.
-Keep your windows locked, and make sure these locks are in working order.
-When away from your house, give it the same appearance as if you were home.
-Use variable timers on lights when away.
-Have a trusted neighbor, friend or relative pick up your paper or mail if you are going to be gone for an extended period of time.
-Never leave a message on your answering machine saying you're out of town.
-Consider placing your Christmas tree away from windows. This makes it difficult for a burglar to break out a window and grab your gifts.
-Should you see anyone acting suspiciously in your neighborhood or by a neighbor's house, be sure to phone your local police and have them check the person out.
-Consider joining a program as a means of preventing crime and getting to know your neighbors.
-Lastly, after the holidays, don't put boxes from your DVD player, stereo, etc., out by the trash. Thieves can do their shopping from the street to know what you have in your home. It would be advisable to cut the boxes up and put them in a trash bag.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091227/News01/912270317/-1/googleNews
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Off-duty Ferndale cop stops home break-in suspect
Police said a home-invasion suspect picked the wrong house to enter in Madison Heights because the off-duty officer who lives there leaped from his bed to chase the man down the street and hold him for arrest.
Kip William Kiefer, 31, who lives in Madison Heights just blocks from the site of the break-in, was in Oakland County Jail on a $1-million bond today after being charged with first-degree home invasion, Lt. Robert Anderson said today.
Anderson gave this account of the incident: Around 4:40 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18, Madison Heights police responded to a 911 call from the 28000 block of Alden for a “home invasion in progress.” The 19-year-old woman who called told police she’d been watching television in her lower-level bedroom of the quad-level house when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see a strange man staring at her. She said hello and the man backed away from her.
“The quick-thinking female then used her cell phone to call her father, who was sleeping in an upper-level bedroom and is an off-duty Ferndale police officer,” Anderson said.
The teen’s father jumped out of bed and came downstairs in time to see the suspect leave through the home’s back door, he said. The father, who is the homeowner, rushed out the front door “to cut the suspect off and then he gave chase down the street.”
The homeowner repeatedly identified himself as a police officer, yet the suspect continued running until the homeowner caught up to him, whereupon the suspect threw money he’d stolen from the home at the officer and then continued trying to flee. The homeowner was able to throw him to the ground after a struggle, during which Kiefer received a black eye and other bruises. He then held the suspect until Madison Heights police arrived to take the man into custody. The homeowner and his daughter told police they believe the man entered their home through its back door, which had not been locked, Anderson said.
Kiefer is scheduled for a preliminary exam at 8 a.m. Jan 6 in Madison Heights District Court, following his arraignment Saturday, Dec. 19, in front of Magistrate James Patterson. Anderson said the Madison Heights Police Department expects to issue a public award to the homeowner for his actions, although so far he has not been named.
“He did a tremendous job in apprehending this dangerous criminal” who has a prior police record. … To be able to react like he did after being awakened from deep sleep is just amazing, and it’s a credit to our occupation and his own department,” Anderson said. The off-duty officer, who is in his 40s, “is in phenomenal shape” to have chased down the younger man, he said.
Surprisingly, the officer won’t be getting praise from his own daughter, Anderson said.
“His daughter is livid that he didn’t lock that back door. So, Daddy’s taking some heat on this one,” he said with a chuckle.
As part of their report on the incident, Madison Heights police issued a warning that people should keep all entry doors and garage doors locked, even when they are home and awake, and especially after dark.
Contact BILL LAITNER: 586-826-7264 or blaitner@freepress.com
http://www.freep.com/article/20091223/NEWS03/91223037/1322/Off-duty-Ferndale-cop-stops-home-break-in-suspect
Kip William Kiefer, 31, who lives in Madison Heights just blocks from the site of the break-in, was in Oakland County Jail on a $1-million bond today after being charged with first-degree home invasion, Lt. Robert Anderson said today.
Anderson gave this account of the incident: Around 4:40 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18, Madison Heights police responded to a 911 call from the 28000 block of Alden for a “home invasion in progress.” The 19-year-old woman who called told police she’d been watching television in her lower-level bedroom of the quad-level house when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see a strange man staring at her. She said hello and the man backed away from her.
“The quick-thinking female then used her cell phone to call her father, who was sleeping in an upper-level bedroom and is an off-duty Ferndale police officer,” Anderson said.
The teen’s father jumped out of bed and came downstairs in time to see the suspect leave through the home’s back door, he said. The father, who is the homeowner, rushed out the front door “to cut the suspect off and then he gave chase down the street.”
The homeowner repeatedly identified himself as a police officer, yet the suspect continued running until the homeowner caught up to him, whereupon the suspect threw money he’d stolen from the home at the officer and then continued trying to flee. The homeowner was able to throw him to the ground after a struggle, during which Kiefer received a black eye and other bruises. He then held the suspect until Madison Heights police arrived to take the man into custody. The homeowner and his daughter told police they believe the man entered their home through its back door, which had not been locked, Anderson said.
Kiefer is scheduled for a preliminary exam at 8 a.m. Jan 6 in Madison Heights District Court, following his arraignment Saturday, Dec. 19, in front of Magistrate James Patterson. Anderson said the Madison Heights Police Department expects to issue a public award to the homeowner for his actions, although so far he has not been named.
“He did a tremendous job in apprehending this dangerous criminal” who has a prior police record. … To be able to react like he did after being awakened from deep sleep is just amazing, and it’s a credit to our occupation and his own department,” Anderson said. The off-duty officer, who is in his 40s, “is in phenomenal shape” to have chased down the younger man, he said.
Surprisingly, the officer won’t be getting praise from his own daughter, Anderson said.
“His daughter is livid that he didn’t lock that back door. So, Daddy’s taking some heat on this one,” he said with a chuckle.
As part of their report on the incident, Madison Heights police issued a warning that people should keep all entry doors and garage doors locked, even when they are home and awake, and especially after dark.
Contact BILL LAITNER: 586-826-7264 or blaitner@freepress.com
http://www.freep.com/article/20091223/NEWS03/91223037/1322/Off-duty-Ferndale-cop-stops-home-break-in-suspect
Monday, December 21, 2009
DETROIT: Task force is guarding Christmas
As Detroiters stockpile gifts, city police are cracking down on home invasions.
Police Chief Warren Evans said Friday that the department has teamed up with other local agencies for Operation Home Sweet Home, a home-invasion initiative, that so far has resulted in 25 arrests.
"As much as any crime, home invasions are driving people out of the city, and we have to do more to address this issue," Evans said in a news release. "Once a person has experienced that kind of personal violation, it's hard for them to want to stay."
The operation identified break-in hot spots throughout the city to watch over the past month, including parts of the 6th Precinct, the Eastern District and the Southwestern District. Surveillance crews were sent to those areas to provide faster response to home invasion calls.
Evans said he hopes to expand the operation to a full-time strategy.
http://www.freep.com/article/20091219/NEWS05/912190313/1001/News/Local-news-in-brief
Police Chief Warren Evans said Friday that the department has teamed up with other local agencies for Operation Home Sweet Home, a home-invasion initiative, that so far has resulted in 25 arrests.
"As much as any crime, home invasions are driving people out of the city, and we have to do more to address this issue," Evans said in a news release. "Once a person has experienced that kind of personal violation, it's hard for them to want to stay."
The operation identified break-in hot spots throughout the city to watch over the past month, including parts of the 6th Precinct, the Eastern District and the Southwestern District. Surveillance crews were sent to those areas to provide faster response to home invasion calls.
Evans said he hopes to expand the operation to a full-time strategy.
http://www.freep.com/article/20091219/NEWS05/912190313/1001/News/Local-news-in-brief
Crime Stoppers gets more tips, more support
Nearly 4,000 tipsters statewide have called the Crime Stoppers hot line this year, a 23% increase over 2008, officials said.
The increase is due to a growing intolerance for crime in metro Detroit and a push this year by the organization to form partnerships with suburban police departments in counties such as Oakland, Wayne and Macomb, said John Broad, president of Crime Stoppers of Michigan.
"People have decided that enough is enough," Broad said.
Broad said about 35 police agencies in seven counties have signed on -- many this year -- as financial partners with Crime Stoppers, giving anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 annually. Since it began in 2002, Crime Stoppers has seen the number of tips steadily rise from 1,773 in 2006.
So far this year, 631 people have been arrested due to the anonymous tips, down from about 700 last year, Broad said. This year, the organization has doled out more than $75,000 in reward money, about the same amount as last year.
The sheriff's offices in Macomb and Oakland counties have increased efforts to use and make citizens aware of Crime Stoppers this year.
Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said his office uses Crime Stoppers' number instead of a sheriff's tip line. Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said his office has blanketed neighborhoods with door hangers bearing the Crime Stoppers tip line number after crimes such as home invasions.
Broad said many suburban departments put Crime Stoppers bumper stickers on their patrol cars or tell neighbors about the tip line after a crime has occurred, as well.
"It all goes back to our philosophy of community policing," Hackel said of his agency's partnership with Crime Stoppers. "The majority of information that comes our way comes from someone who knows something, who sees something."
Contact KORIE WILKINS: 586-826-7262 or kwilkins@freepress.com
The increase is due to a growing intolerance for crime in metro Detroit and a push this year by the organization to form partnerships with suburban police departments in counties such as Oakland, Wayne and Macomb, said John Broad, president of Crime Stoppers of Michigan.
"People have decided that enough is enough," Broad said.
Broad said about 35 police agencies in seven counties have signed on -- many this year -- as financial partners with Crime Stoppers, giving anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 annually. Since it began in 2002, Crime Stoppers has seen the number of tips steadily rise from 1,773 in 2006.
So far this year, 631 people have been arrested due to the anonymous tips, down from about 700 last year, Broad said. This year, the organization has doled out more than $75,000 in reward money, about the same amount as last year.
The sheriff's offices in Macomb and Oakland counties have increased efforts to use and make citizens aware of Crime Stoppers this year.
Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said his office uses Crime Stoppers' number instead of a sheriff's tip line. Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said his office has blanketed neighborhoods with door hangers bearing the Crime Stoppers tip line number after crimes such as home invasions.
Broad said many suburban departments put Crime Stoppers bumper stickers on their patrol cars or tell neighbors about the tip line after a crime has occurred, as well.
"It all goes back to our philosophy of community policing," Hackel said of his agency's partnership with Crime Stoppers. "The majority of information that comes our way comes from someone who knows something, who sees something."
Contact KORIE WILKINS: 586-826-7262 or kwilkins@freepress.com
Monday, December 14, 2009
Home damaged by fire
By Corky Emrick emrick@sturgisjournal.com
Sturgis Journal
Fri Dec 11, 2009, 01:51 AM EST
Constantine, Mich. -
The cause of a fire that damaged a home Thursday in Constantine remains under investigation.
Firefighters were called to a home at 185 W. Sixth St. at about 5:30 p.m.
First arriving personnel found flames coming from the front of the home. The fire was quickly extinguished.
The fire appears to have started on the lower level. Parts of the second level suffered some smoke damage. The homeowner was not at home at the time of the fire.
Officials said the fire’s cause is undetermined and that the Michigan State Police fire marshal will help with the investigation.
Assisting firefighters were Constantine police and LifeCare Ambulance.
http://www.sturgisjournal.com/news/x1479442242/Home-damaged-by-fire
Sturgis Journal
Fri Dec 11, 2009, 01:51 AM EST
Constantine, Mich. -
The cause of a fire that damaged a home Thursday in Constantine remains under investigation.
Firefighters were called to a home at 185 W. Sixth St. at about 5:30 p.m.
First arriving personnel found flames coming from the front of the home. The fire was quickly extinguished.
The fire appears to have started on the lower level. Parts of the second level suffered some smoke damage. The homeowner was not at home at the time of the fire.
Officials said the fire’s cause is undetermined and that the Michigan State Police fire marshal will help with the investigation.
Assisting firefighters were Constantine police and LifeCare Ambulance.
http://www.sturgisjournal.com/news/x1479442242/Home-damaged-by-fire
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