Security
The Woods - A Safe and Secure Neighborhood
The Woods continues to be a relatively safe and secure neighborhood. However, we must also recognize that ensuring the continued safety and security of this community is a responsibility we all share. One of the most common and effective programs used by communities throughout the country is the Neighborhood Watch Program.
A Neighborhood Watch Program is simply you and your neighbors working together to reduce criminal opportunity on your street. Neighborhood Watch groups also work with the Tyler Police and the Community Response Division to promote safety in their community. The program provides education to citizens regarding security measures and depends on a communication network that includes the resident, the Street Representative, and a representative of the Community Response Division.
Neighborhood Watch programs are currently active in Broadmoore, The Ridge and Brighton Creek. Your Association would like to see this program expanded into all neighborhoods in our community. To that end, we are asking residents, especially those living in areas not currently participating in the Neighborhood Watch program, to volunteer their time and talent to serve as a Street Representative or simply help start the program in their neighborhood.
If you are interested in getting information about how to set up a Neighborhood Watch on your street, please contact our Community Officer Scott Behrend or the HOA Property Manager.
If you ever see a crime being committed in your area, please call 911 immediately.
21 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You
- Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
- Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
- Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
- Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
- If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
- If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
- A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom–and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
- It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door–understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
- I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
- Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
- Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
- You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
- A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)
- Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
- The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
- I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
- I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
- I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
- Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
- To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
- If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.
Put Your Car Keys Beside Your Bed at Night
This tip came from a Neighborhood Watch coordinator:
- Next time you come home for the night and start to put your keys away, think about this: If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. It's a security alarm system that you probably already have that requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and no criminal wants that.
- Hold your keys in your hand while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.
- Could also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, when you can't reach a phone.
- Even bring your car keys with you when you go outside. If you fall or have some other kind of emergency and no one can hear you calling, you can activate the car alarm to alert someone that there's a problem.