Home Safety

How to Protect Your Home From Intruders

Learn more about the 9PM Routine.

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Crime Prevention tips on a drawing of a home and car

  • All doors leading to the outside of your home should have deadbolt locks.
  • Leave outside lights on even when you are at home.
  • Do not leave a key over a door or under a mat.
  • Take pictures of all your valuables and their serial numbers. Keep an accurate record of all valuable possessions in a safe location. 
  • When leaving on a trip: Stop all deliveries, connect a light to a timer, notify law enforcement, and have a neighbor check your home periodically. Have someone maintain your lawn.
  • Be a concerned neighbor. If you see a suspicious person, car, or situation, call 911 or contact law enforcement.

Safety at your Front Door

  • Never automatically open your front door.
  • Make sure you know the person's identity before admitting them.
  • If the person at your door is a stranger, ask for identification
  • It is advisable to have a wide-angle viewer (peep-hole) in the door, so you can check a person's identity without unlocking your door.

Apartment Safety

  • If you live in an apartment building with an intercom system, make sure the landlord keeps the system in operating order.
  • Never admit anyone unless you are expecting them or know them.
  • Never admit anyone to the building who is there to see another tenant or to deliver something to another apartment.
  • Anyone asking for admission so they can do some work for another tenant should not be admitted but should be referred to the building manager.
  • If you see someone in your building who looks out of place or is acting suspiciously, call 911 or contact law enforcement.

Going on Vacation? Sign up for a Vacation Home Check

 

Do you know your Neighbors? 

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has found the safest neighborhoods are the ones where you know and engage with your neighbors. In this digital age, the social media network, Nextdoor, allows you to do that from the convenience of your phone or home computer.

Nextdoor is like Facebook, but all of your "friends" are your neighbors and you sign up via your address. 

Residents use Nextdoor to discuss community issues, crime, and safety, ask for recommendations, advertise events, or to sell those items collecting dust you've been meaning to get rid of. It really has become the digital Neighborhood Watch.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office is on Nextdoor as well. As a law enforcement agency, we are not a part of your private neighborhood group. Instead, we use the social media network like a virtual bulletin board. Nextdoor is a tool for MCSO to effectively share information on crime prevention and safety, public events, and emergency notifications specifically happening where you live. We will not be able to "see" your conversations within your community. We will "see" what you comment on our posts or if you direct message us.

Learn more about Nextdoor and how to sign up for free here. 

If you would like to learn more about starting a neighborhood watch in your neighborhood click here. 

 

Theft from Automobile  

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Don't make it easy

The biggest deterrent for car break-ins is to NOT leave your valuables inside the car. Be sure to LOCK your car every time it's unoccupied, it sounds simple, and it is. Thieves look for the easy opportunity, don’t make it effortless for them. 

  1. Park vehicle(s) in a garage if possible;
  2. If not possible:
    1. park the vehicle(s) in a well-lit area, or
    2. park in an area covered by a motion detector floodlight
  3. Lock vehicle(s) completely and roll up all windows
  4. If so equipped, Activate the Auto Alarm!
  5. Don't leave an extra set of keys in the vehicle
  6. Don't leave the vehicle title in the vehicle
  7. Don't leave a purse or wallet in the vehicle, especially in plain sight
  8. Don't leave CD's, DVD's, or other types of media in the vehicle. Use a CD wallet or other type of carrier, take it inside with you or place in the trunk and lock the trunk
  9. Don't leave credit cards, cash, checks, or other forms of currency in the vehicle when rafting, hiking, skiing, at biking trailheads or boat ramps
  10. Don't leave a vehicle unattended and unlocked in the morning or anytime while warming it up or defrosting the windows
  11. Hide valuables and packages from plain sight by placing them in the trunk and locking the trunk
  12. Repair broken windows and door locks
  13. Have neighbors watch your place if you plan to be away or sign up for a vacation home check

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Mesa County Sheriff's Office at 970-244-3500. If it’s an emergency call 911.