Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Times
Wednesday, May 19, 1976, page 29 (of 35)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
June is 'make it tough on burglars month' in SM
By EDWIN KNIGHT Staff Writer In view of June being Burglary Prevention Month, City of South Miami Police Chief Sal Vizzini is giving South Miami homeowners and others some tips to help prevent residential breakins. "There is no such thing as a burglar-proof home," the police chief declared, "but there are some important suggestions which can serve to protect your home while you're away on vacation or for the weekend." The South Miami police department is putting particular emphasis on preventing burglaries due to the large number of home burglaries — 397 committed in South Miami last year. "And in most of these cases," the police chief explained "the homeowners may as well have hung out a sign saying, 'no one's home, burglars welcome' before they left on vacation." The most important thing is to make your home appear as though someone is there and not away, Vizzini emphasized. "A stroll around your neighborhood any day will tell you at a glance who's away," the police chief brought out. "The police can drive through any subdivision and immediately spot a home where the occupant is away. And if the police can do it, so can a burglar." These homes, the chief added, are characterized by their porches being cluttered with circulars; an accumulation of milk bottles on the stoop; an unkempt lawn; an empty garage with the door open or a bulging mailbox. "In the evening, most empty homes can be spotted, too," Vizzini said. "They are dark — and this is a formal invitation to a burglar that your home could be easy pickings." The chief described a simple but effective means of having light in the home every evening. It is an automatic timing device connected to one or two lamps. Such a timer will turn a lamp on early in the evening and then shut the lamp off several hours later. "With lights turning on and off during the evening hours," the chief pointed out, "your home will give the appearance of being occupied. This could prevent a possible breakin." Chief Vizzini went on to say that most burglars pick the easiest targets they can find. They want to get in, get the loot and leave as quickly as possible. With June the beginning of the vacation season, the police chief offered these suggestions for preventing a burglary at your home: CLOSE AND LOCK all doors, including porch, basement and garage. Use pin-tumbler cylinder locks on the outside entrances and safety latches on windows. CONNECT a lamp to an automatic timer to turn lights in the home on and off each evening. Since noise is a deterrent, connect radio or television to a timer. PROTECT all doors and windows with an inexpensive, portable burglary alarm which sounds whenever someone attempts to break in. LIGHT UP your porch and yard with outdoor lights to increase the likelihood that an attempted burglary would be seen. These lights also can be timer-controlled, if desired. BE SURE all sliding glass doors are securely fastened. NEVER LEAVE valuables lying around; keep them in a safety deposit box. IF YOU ARE leaving for a weekend or longer, Chief Vizzini suggests notifying your police department how long you expect to be away. In South Miami, cruising police officers will pay particular attention to your home. CANCEL all deliveries. Be sure to discontinue the newspaper or have a neighbor pick it up daily. Also have a neighbor pick up your mail from your mailbox daily. ARRANGE with a neighbor to mow your lawn and sweep your sidewalk periodically.
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