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| DEPUTY ROB THORNTON |
SUN CITY CENTER - Burglary of a home takes more than personal property from the residents.
It can steal her sense of security in her own dwelling or shatter his confidence in future safety. And, then there may be the processes of filing insurance claims, replacing what thieves took, mourning what cannot be replaced, and possibly dealing with legal procedures.
With this in mind, security authorities in this retirement community of some 22,000 residents spanning both sides of S.R. 674 are campaigning to prevent the careless practices that can lead to the residential burglary.
High on the list of “don’ts” is leaving garage doors open, warned Hillsborough County Deputy Rob Thornton, the community’s resource deputy. A survey of any part of the community during daylight will reveal numerous open garages, often with neither a vehicle in the driveway nor a homeowner in sight, Thornton noted. The same situation is especially flagrant after dark and frequently noticed by deputies moving through the community in unmarked vehicles during the night, he added.
Open doors can reveal a lot of what is valuable yet stored outside the living area, Thornton pointed out. From golf carts, their keys many times left in the ignitions, to sets of expensive golf clubs, neatly capped and bagged, to a variety of lawn care equipment to the priceless antique being repaired on the workshop bench – it all may be on view through the open garage door, he noted. And, what is observed through the open garage door during the day may be easy pickings for the thief when the same door remains open after dark, he indicated.
“Whatever has value has a market and where there’s a market there’s cash for the burglar,” Thornton asserted.
Plus, there’s another risk to homeowners from the open garage door, the deputy added. Many interior doors between living areas and garages are a thin wood and hollow core design, more easily broken through than exterior steel clad doors. The garage door left open can expose the weaker interior door, he said – as well as residents and their property inside.
In an effort to cut down on open doors at night, the retirement community’s Security Patrol at one time would notify residents when patrolling volunteers noticed an open garage door after 10 PM, the deputy recalled. But the practice was abandoned when so many residents raised objections, he added.
During the last year in the Sun City Center area, excluding Kings Point, five residential burglaries have occurred when entry was allowed through carelessly treated doors, Thornton said. He declined to elaborate on the individual cases as each remains an open investigation, but emphasized that such crimes often reflect a pattern.
Whether entry to the home is gained through the garage or through the front door or through sliders, whether the thief stops in the garage or proceeds directly into the home, the objective is the same - valuables easily carried away and readily converted to cash, Thornton said. Inside the house, the master bedroom remains a top target, he added, with such items as jewelry, currency, coin collections, and guns from in and on the bedroom dressers hit first. “I’m not saying everyone has to install a floor safe, but no one should keep their valuables on their dresser,” the deputy affirmed.
In Kings Point, several houses have been burgled in the last six months, Thornton said. Again, he would not disclose specifics related to the cases under investigation but noted that surveillance is underway, including use of the Sheriff’s Office helicopter at times. “We know that residents sometimes object to the helicopter” he added, “ but it allows us to cover a large area quickly and there are times when that is precisely what is needed.”
While local law enforcement officers continue to reiterate the simple steps residents can take to prevent a home burglary, they also are encouraged by the degree of interest in self protection being exhibited in the community. At a recent home security workshop in Kings Point, about 150 homeowners jammed the North Clubhouse Banquet Room to question Thornton and Deputy Jeff Service about anti--burglary measures.
In the course of about three hours, the deputies demonstrated some door locks and certain lighting techniques, discussed the various means of hardening or re-enforcing a front door, the primary entrance to most homes, reviewed multiple means of adding security to sliding glass doors, and advised residents how to obtain a security evaluation of their homes from an officer.
Another security workshop now is being planned for October or November after return of residents who spend summer months in the north, Thornton said.
Meanwhile, residents interested in a home security survey of their properties may contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office Crime Prevention Bureau at 247-8115, Thornton said. Service will arrange for an evaluation of the home, identifying what steps can be taken to make the home more burglary resistant.
The result can warrant the effort, Thornton summed up. Losses due to residential burglary, he said, are second only to losses caused by scams and frauds perpetrated against a senior population.
©Melody Jameson 2008
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