Residential Crime Prevention Tips

City of Miami Springs Florida Official Website

Your home is your castle - don't let it be a target for criminals. Most burglars look for easy targets. There's a lot you can do to protect your home from crime - and give yourself some peace of mind!

  • Always keep your doors locked - even when you're home. This includes your vehicles.
  • Install sturdy doors, door frames and hardware.
  • Use deadbolt locks.
  • Install a peephole in your door.
  • Secure sliding glass doors by placing a broomstick or steel rod in the track.
  • Install impact-resistant windows and sliding glass doors.
  • Use lighting and landscaping to make your home's surroundings unattractive to burglars, vandals, and other criminals.
  • Position outdoor lights carefully. Put them out of reach so bulbs can't be easily broken or unscrewed. Aim lights at garage and shed doors, entryways and ground level windows.
  • Consider motion sensor floodlights and photoelectric lights the automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn.
  • Keep plants trimmed - overgrown bushes can cover windows and doorways, giving burglars a hiding place.
  • Plant thorny bushes under windows - they can help keep intruders away.
  • Consider an alarm system. It can offer extra protection, especially for people wo live alone, are away often or have lots of valuables. Please remember however - alarms can give you a false sense of security. They are meant to be used with other security measures, not in place of them.
  • Put away machinery, ladders and tools. Don't leave them where they could be stolen - or used to gain entry into your home.
  • Don't automatically open your door when someone knocks. Use your peephole. Ask service people to slip their identification under the door or call their office to double-check.
  • When you’re away, leave on a TV or radio to make people think someone is home. Don’t be afraid to let someone know you’re home. If someone comes to your door, ask their business without opening the door. If they say they need any type of help, tell them you’re calling the police for them and then call the police.
  • If someone comes to your door and when you answer, they say they have the wrong address, call the police. It’s likely that your home might have been targeted for a burglary.
  • Be an alert neighbor. If you see a stranger at a neighbor’s door, on their property, or if you see a vehicle you don’t recognize backed up in a neighbor’s driveway or parked in an alley, don’t hesitate to call the police. Do not approach the subjects.
  • Take extra precautions when you're on vacation. Make your home look lived in. Have a friend or neighbor pick up mail and newspapers daily. Put interior lights on timers.

Stop intruders before they get started. Take steps to protect your home!