Contact Us:
Fredonia Police Dept.
9 Church Street
Fredonia, NY 14063
Phone: 716-679-1531
Dial 911 for emergencies
Safety Tips - Interior Security
Doors & Windows | Lighting Your Home | Your Dog | Safety Home
- Do not admit anyone to your home unless you know the person, or he/she has properly identified him or herself and his/her reason for calling on you.
- Use a chain lock and a rubber doorstop while identifying a stranger at your door.
- Check and double check the identification offered by the stranger.
- Do not assume that a stranger in uniform is legitimate. Verify his status with his employer.
- When a stranger phones ahead and makes an appointment to see you, verify that he is employed by the organization which he claims to represent before you admit him.
- Beware particularly of persons claiming to be building or fire inspectors, or door to door salesman. Check with their place of employment before admitting them.
- Inventory all your belongings and keep your list up to date. Protect the list carefully.
- Preplan your course of action in the event that your credit cards are lost or stolen. Destroy unneeded duplicate cards.
- Never keep a lot of cash in your home or on your persons.
- Use a safe deposit box for storage of valuables.
- Thoroughly investigate all "get rich quick" schemes before you invest. If a scheme requires immediate action on your part, pass it up.
- Never leave checks lying around, and lock up or hide your checkbook in the home.
- If you surprise a burglar or robber in your home, cooperate - DO NOT try to be a hero.
- Identify appropriate items of property with an etcher or similar device.
- Beware of persons trying to get you away from your home.
- Equip any firearms you own with lockable trigger guards.
- Install locks on your bedroom door, and have a telephone in the room.
- Avoid disclosures that indicate you own items of considerable value.
[Back to Top]
- Exterior door should be locked at all times.
- Every outside door, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, should be equipped with a dead-bolt lock.
- Doors should be sturdy. If they are not, they should be replaced or reinforced.
- Glass doors and glass - or wood paneled doors should be equipped with double-cylinder locks.
- Locks with extra-long bolts can offer additional protection.
- Chain locks, especially cheap dime store versions, provide little security. Such devices should be limited to permitting the partial opening of a door to establish the identity of a visitor.
- Peepholes - Ideally with wide angle lenses- Should be installed in all solid, exterior doors.
- Patio doors should be secured with vertical-bolt locks, and equipped with shatter proof or impact resisting panes. A length of broom handle cut to fit the door track can provide an effective, inexpensive "LOCK" for such doors.
- ALL windows should be locked at all times.
- Windows should be equipped with adequate locking devices, preferably key operated.
- Windows Used for ventilation purposes should be lockable in both closed and partially open positions.
- Window-Unit air conditioners should be adequately anchored to prevent their openings from being used as an entry.
- Putty securing window panes should be periodically checked and replaced as necessary.
[Back to Top]
- Provide sufficient lighting at all doors, windows, and other openings in the walls of your home to deny the cover of darkness to an intruder. Lighting is generally sufficient when you can read a wristwatch by it at night.
- Light the front of your property, and encourage your neighbors to do the same with theirs.
- Report non-working street lights immediately.
- Illuminate all shadowed areas caused by trees, shrubbery, or construction features of your home, being particularly attentive to any doors or windows which can't normally be seen from the street or from neighboring homes.
- If an alley serves your home, illuminate the entire area between the alley and your home.
- Provide additional illumination for areas where trash containers are located, especially if adjacent to an alley.
- Light all gates in fences surrounding your property.
- Use lights when moving from room to room at night.
- Leave some lights burning all night.
- Draw your drapes at night.
- When you get up during the night, turn on lights and make a bit of noise.
- Return to a well lighted house.
- Use timers to turn lights on & off during brief absences.
- If you believe someone is in your home when you return, go to a neighbor's and call the police. DO NOT attempt to be a hero.
- Park only in well lighted places.
[Back to Top]
- A dog can be a most effective security weapon, and you should seriously consider owning one.
- The dog's principal use is to serve as a warning device and as a deterrent.
- Try to leave your dog at home when you are away, by arranging to have it fed, watered, and walked by a trusted friend or neighbor.
- A specially trained security dog, especially an attack dog, is not a good idea, except in the most extraordinary circumstances. Always investigate very thoroughly before buying such a dog.
[Back to Top]
