[Summit] Another break in. & a little advice

[Art Norwalk]

There's a less expensive option for turning outdoor lights on and 
off. Home Depot has sockets with built-in light-sensitive timers -- 
under $10 and no electrician.

And we strongly endorse having a car in the driveway if you can 
arrange it. We've been hit with empty driveway but not since we 
enlisted neighborly help.

-- Art

At 09:47 AM 12/30/2008, you wrote:

>Great suggestion. (I've been surprised to see so many homes dark 
>during the holidays.)  Here are a few more.
>
>Ask a neighbor with two cars to park one in your driveway while you're away.
>
>Ask a neighbor to keep a lookout for any mail, newspapers, 
>ads/circulars hung on doorknobs (these should be outlawed, in my 
>opinion), or packages that arrive unexpectedly.
>
>Put a radio on a timer, too. The timers Elianna mentions have two or 
>three on-off periods per 24 hours.
>
>We had an automatic indoor switch installed for our front porch 
>lights. It's programmed to turn them on at sunset (it actually knows 
>when sunset is, anywhere on the globe!) and you can set the time 
>when they go off. The switch can also be used manually to turn the 
>lights on and off at any other time. It's not an expensive 
>item--$35. Perhaps you could install it yourself, though we used an 
>electrician.
>
>Karen
>Chace Drive
>
>
>
>
>On Dec 30, 2008, at 9:23 AM, Bresler E wrote:
>
>>Hello Neighbors,
>>Some friends of ours went away for a few days and when they 
>>returned Monday evening they discovered their house had been robbed.
>>They live on Fourth just up from Miriam Hospital.
>>Entry was apparently gained by violently smashing some heavy 
>>sliding glass doors. The glass broke into a million pieces like a 
>>car windshield but, with out the film coating the glass- it went 
>>EVERYWHERE.  And the place was up ended by the thieves searching. 
>>It's an awful feeling being invaded this way.
>>But at least our friends are not popular consumer types, so there 
>>was no ipod, TV or stereo to take; the computer was apparently too 
>>old for the thieves's tastes.
>>However, besides the invasion,  there are things gone, and they are 
>>afraid of what they haven't missed yet, a phenomenon they 
>>unfortunately discovered when their car was robbed on a trip to 
>>Newport, just a few months back.
>>
>>Focusing on Prevention (Our neighborhood currently HAS a problem.) 
>>This is NOT about blame but Information.  Their house was 
>>dark.  Another friend of ours was thoroughly robbed last month- 
>>also had no lights left on.  While we certainly SHOULD be able to 
>>safely leave our houses dark & unattended, a little light goes a 
>>long way to make thieves hesitate.
>>
>>The best method is a light timer, or two or three.  For those not 
>>familiar- Home Depot sells them for ten bucks or less.  It's a a 
>>small boxy thing you plug into an out let or power strip. Then you 
>>plug a lamp into it.  You set the time of day on it's clock, and 
>>then you set what hours you want the lamp to come on & go 
>>off.  There is an over ride on the side, so you can leave the thing 
>>operative, but temporarily turn the lamp on or off contrary to the 
>>program.  (Although frequent over-riding sometimes knocks the clock 
>>off schedule- So big deal, reset it once or twice a month) A friend 
>>also puts a radio on low on one of these timers when going out of town.
>>
>>  Put one timer in some front room with curtained windows easily 
>> seen from the street, one in another first floor room, and a just 
>> night light in a bathroom somewhere-- and the house looks 
>> occupied-- anytime you are out, with nothing to arrange as you go.
>>(But be sure your drapes or whatever are closed so they can't see 
>>in and tell that no one is there)
>>
>>These timers are also available for wall-switch operated 
>>over-heads, but need to be installed by an electrician.  (Be 
>>careful what kind you get- after we had one installed we discovered 
>>ours will not operate with energy saver bulbs used in our five bulb fixture!!)
>>
>>Of course an alarm system works but it is expensive and you have to 
>>remember to use it.  But until we catch these guys, we have to do 
>>what we can to discourage them.
>>
>>Elianna
>>
>>--
>>FISHEL BRESLER'S KLEZMER & HASSIDIC MUSIC -
>>funded in part by a Folk Arts Fellowship grant from the RI State 
>>Council on the Arts.
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