Home Security & Personal Safety Tips
MUNSTER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Helpful Crime Prevention Tips
HOME SECURITY
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Join your local Neighborhood Crime Watch Group and get to know your neighbors. If your neighborhood does not have an active Crime Watch Group, form one of your own. Display your member sticker prominently inside your front window.
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Keep your home well-lit and make sure that your address number is clearly visible from the street during the day or night.
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Keep all windows and doors locked when you are not at home, even for a few minutes.
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Do not leave keys inside vehicles parked inside the garage.
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Never leave a note on your door explaining why you are not at home.
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Install an alarm from a respected company and arrange for it to be tested from time to time through the company and the police department.
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Use steel-reinforced doors with "bump" proof locks and keep them updated. Always use deadbolts that are reinforced with metal plates fastened with at least three inch screws.
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Insert thick dowel rods in the railings of sliding doors and in the space between windows to prevent them from being forced open.
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Keep your garage door closed and the service door locked. This is especially important with attached garages. Burglars can easily enter through service doors connecting attached garages or they will wait inside the garage for the homeowner to leave and close the garage door.
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Make sure that bushes and shrubs are no higher than three (3) feet high and that branches on trees are at least seven (7) feet off the ground. This prevents burglars from hiding behind them while attempting to break in or while observing the interior of your home.
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Do not leave spare keys under the door mat, on top of a door frame, or inside a fake rock. Leave a spare key with a trusted neighbor or family member if you feel it is necessary.
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Always make it appear as if someone is at home. Use timed lights, radios, and TV's.
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When going on vacation, have a trusted neighbor pick up your newspapers (or have them stopped). Do the same with your mail. Have them park their vehicle in your driveway to make it appear as if someone is at home. Have them cut your grass or shovel your snow as well if possible if you will be away for more than several weeks.
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Let the Munster Police Department (836-6600) know that you will be going on vacation, how long you'll be gone, who will have access to the house, and provide an emergency contact person and number.
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If you come home to find your front door unlocked (when you have locked it) or wide open, do not investigate the interior of the home. Go to a trusted neighbor's home immediately and contact the police. They will clear your home of any intruders if they are still present and secure the crime scene (if applicable).
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Contact the Crime Prevention Officer to have a security inspection done for your residence. This is FREE and only takes around an hour to do.
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Report suspicious persons or vehicles around your neighborhood immediately.
PERSONAL SAFETY
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Do not shop alone. Always shop with a friend and carpool.
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Try to park in well-lit areas. Have a friend or co-worker walk you to your vehicle. If security is available, ask them to escort you to your vehicle if you feel scared or uneasy.
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Carry mace (available for $5.00 from the Munster Police Department) and have it ready when walking to and from your vehicle.
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When you are out walking, biking, or jogging, do so with a friend or group of people to keep each other safe.
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If you see a strange person standing in your path, go a different way and attempt to get to a well-populated area as quickly as possible.
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If you feel that you are being followed, attempt to get to a well-populated area as soon as possible. Yell for help if necessary.
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If grabbed by an attacker, attempt to spray them in the mucous membranes of the face (eyes, ears, mouth) with pepper spray (if you possess it) or do what is necessary (claw, kick, punch, even bite) to get away. When striking, aim for areas of the face, the Adam's apple, the shins, the knees, or between the legs. Yell for help.
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If your attacker has a weapon or threatens bodily harm, give up whatever he/she asks for (purse, wallet, etc.) and instruct your children to cooperate as well. Intruders or robbers usually only want your property and not to harm you if at all avoidable.
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Never attempt to take on a burglar. Get out of the house and call the police immediately. Stay out of their way if they are attempting to leave the residence.
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If someone should enter your bedroom while you are in bed, pretend that you are asleep as long as they do not come near you.
To access a list of Information Brochures available through the Munster Police Department, click here. For more information about our Crime Prevention programs, contact Officer James Ghrist at (219) 836-6639 or JGHRIST@MUNSTER.ORG.
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