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sides of buildings, exposed to view,
while looking for likely targets.
Generally, thieves prefer to stay as
close to exits as possible, in case
they are interrupted and have to run
for it.
Keep Valuables Elsewhere
Assuming that a thief may get into
your Living space, there a re severa!
ways
in
which you can minimize
your potential losses: One of the
best is to keep your most precious
va luables elsewhere. Jewels, furs,
and large amounts of money are
safer in a bank's insured safety de–
posit vault than they are in your
home. Those possessions too bulky
to be kept in a vault, but not used
on a daily basis, shou ld be kept in
the room farthest from the street
and the front door-the attic, if you
have one, or the basement, if it isn't
subject to frequent ftooding. Store
them in an unattractivc container–
an old steamer trunk, or even a
sturdy cardboard box.
The small amount of cash you
keep for shopping and immediate
needs can be concealed in any num–
ber of ways- but avoid the obvious.
Hiding money in a desk or behind a
picture frame is a cliché- everybody
does it. One of the best caches for
small amounts of money is the re–
frigerator. Paint the inside of a may–
onnaise or mustard bottle white
or yeliow, respectively, and use it
as an adult piggy bank for "cold
cash."
One thing you should
never
hide
around the house, however, is the
key. Many people think it's fright–
fully clever to leave the front-door
key hidden someplace near the door
in case they lock themselves out;
atop the lintel (the beam over the
door frame) or in the milkbox are
favorite spots. Sorne people actually
hide the key in the mailbox or under
the doormat, which ís almost crimi–
nal in itself. The thief knows all
these favorite places, and if the key
is left in any of them. you needn't
even bother locking the door when
you leave. The places you leave the
key are the first places the burglar
willlook for it.
lf a Burglar Enters
Even assuming you take all the pre–
cautions-but more especially if you
The
PLAIN TRUTH May 1978
M os t thieves
would rather pass up
a home where they can
see a dog inside,
or hear one barking.
A
dog can be the
best of burglar alarms.
don't bother taking any of them- it's
quite probable that one day you'll
come home and find the door ajar
and hear someone inside your
house.
What do you do?
First. don't panic. Panic never
helped anyone.
Don't try to enter the
house or apartment,
no matter how
big and strong you think you are, or
how outraged you may feel. The
burglar may hear you coming and
panic himself- in which case you
could be faced with a battle to the
death inside your own front door.
Th is is a losing proposH10n. You
really don't want to kili another
human being, not even a thief. lf
you do. you could also be liable
for criminal prosecution. An even
more distasteful thought: The thief
might kill you. So
don't
barge
in.
Instead, back off quietly, make
your way to the nearest safe tele–
phone, and call the police. If you
can't remember the number, dial
the operator. Tell her there's a bur–
gla ry in progress, and give your ad–
dress. Wait until the police get there
and have them check out the house
to make sure it's safe, and also to
look for whatever evidence they
want. In many towns, the exam–
ination of the scene of burglary is
pretty elementary. but sorne depart–
ments actually do dust for finger–
prints and check files and records,
especially if they a iready have a sus–
pect in mind. Be on the lookout
yourself for anything that could pro–
vide evidence: tracks in the dirt out–
side the house, smudges that could
contain fingerprints, and anything
the thief may have dropped and left
behind.
l f you do bump into a thief–
freezc. then back away. Don't abuse
him verbally or try to psychologize
him. But at the same time, try to
look him over and remember his
size, height, weight, color of hair
and eyes, or any visible marks or
scars, as well as what he's wearing.
Don'!
get between the thief and
the door. Let him make his way out
unimpeded. He may very well drop
whatever of yours he's picked up to
steal , as a sort of trade-off in return
for free access to the street; but even
if he doeso't, don't try to attack him.
Le t him leave, lock or secure the
door behind him, and then cal! the
police immediatcly.
For a Safer Neighborhood
Just because you shouldn't play po–
liceman doesn't mean you should
ignore all responsibility for your
neighborhood. Here's a checklist of
sorne things you can do to make
your neighborhood safer.
1)
Call police and report any
strange persons loitering in the vi–
cinity without any apparent reason
for being there.
(Continued on page 34)
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