file photo by Boyd Loving
It’s vacation time and the burglars are hard at work in North Jersey
MONDAY, JULY 15, 2013 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY JULY 15, 2013, 2:02 PM
BY KARA YORIO
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Summer is the busy season for lifeguards, ice cream truck drivers — and burglars.
July and August are the months with the most home break-ins, according to the FBI. People go on vacation, and their homes become easy targets.
“Most burglary suspects do not want to engage somebody,” said John Ward, Ridgewood police chief. “They want a quick in-and-out.”
Empty houses provide that. Homeowners are not helpless, however, and can take a number of steps to keep their property safe.
Ward recommends running radios and televisions on timers, just as you would do with lighting.
“The idea is to make the house appear occupied,” Ward said. Dry cleaning hanging on a door, something he often sees, is an instant clue that no one is home, he said.
Ridgewood and other towns maintain vacant-house lists, which allow residents to inform the police that they will be away. Some towns also have community and crime prevention officers who will survey a residence and make security recommendations.