Information from the County Attorney's Office
By Steven J. Franzen, Campbell County Attorney
With the holiday season upon us, it may be helpful to discuss the problem of burglaries and thefts which always seem to increase during the holidays. Most people take extra precautions to lock up their homes and cars at night, but almost half of residential burglaries take place during daylight hours. According to the 2016 Kentucky State Police Report, approximately 16,431 residential burglaries were committed in Kentucky, with 9,860 occurring during daylight hours. The state police estimate that 1 burglary or breaking and entering is committed every 24 minutes in Kentucky.
The average loss for day time burglaries was $1,821.00. The reason for this difference is probably that the burglar feels he has more time to commit the theft during the day time while people are away at work versus sneaking around at night time while people are sleeping. Also with more online sales and packages being shipped to homes, unattended packages are an alluring temptation to thieves. To help deter burglaries and other thefts, the following safety tips are recommended:
While traveling:
*Ask a neighbor to watch your home, shovel snow and park in the driveway from time to time.
*Have mail and newspaper delivery stopped or have a neighbor collect them. A stack of mail in the mailbox or papers in the driveway is a sure sign that no one is home.
*Place an automatic timer on your lights for evening hours.
While away for the day or evening
*Turn on lights and the radio or television, so it looks like someone is home
*Lock all doors and windows every time you leave–even if it’s just for a few minutes.
*Close the blinds or curtains to prevent burglars from scoping out your house
*Although the Christmas tree looks pretty in the front window, don’t display gifts there. They serve as an extra temptation to burglars.
*Make sure someone is available to collect packages delivered during the day or have packages shipped to place where they can be collected and safeguarded immediately.
While shopping:
*Stay alert and be aware of what’s going on around you.
*Park in a well-lit space, close car windows, lock the car and hide shopping bags and gifts in the trunk.
*Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Pay with a check or credit card when possible.
*To deter pickpockets and purse-snatchers, don’t overload yourself with packages.
*Carry purses close to your body and put wallets in your front pants pocket or inside a coat.
*If shopping with children, teach them to go to a store clerk or security guard if you get separated.
While answering the door:
*Be wary of strangers at your door. Criminals sometimes pose as couriers delivering gifts.
*If someone comes to your door asking for charitable donations, ask for identification, and find out how the funds will be used
Unfortunately, there are many thieves out there who are too lazy to work for a living and they try to support themselves and/or to support a drug habit through residential burglaries and other thefts. We should all closely guard our own property and closely watch neighbor’s properties in order to prevent burglaries or to catch burglars. If you see any strangers hanging around your neighborhood, call the police immediately. It’s better to have the police respond and find out nothing is wrong rather than to not call the police and find out later your neighbor’s home was burglarized.
I hope this information is interesting and helpful. If you have any topics you would like to have covered in this column, please contact my office by e-mail at countyattorney@campbellcountyky.org, by phone at 859-491-7700 or by regular mail addressed to 319 York Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.