SUMMER TRAVEL | WITH MEMORIAL DAY TRADITIONALLY SEEN AS THE UNOFFICIAL START TO THE SUMMER SEASON, BELOW ARE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME AND PROPERTY WHEN YOU ARE AWAY:

• Call the El Segundo Police Department Dispatch Center at 310-524-2760 to request "Extra Patrol" for your home while you are on vacation.
• Double check to make sure all doors and windows are locked, including windows on the second floor.
• Keep shades and blinds in their normal positions. 
• Arrange to have your mail or deliveries held or picked up by a trusted neighbor or Neighborhood Watch Bock Captain.
• Have outside lights on an automatic timer to turn on in the evening and off during the day.
• Put your lamps and radios on a timer to make your home appear occupied. 
• Ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway from time to time.  
• Activate your burglar alarm.
• Swiftly take your luggage to the car or taxi. The longer you take to pack up a car, the more chance a burglar has of seeing that the house may be unoccupied.
• Be cautious of oversharing your travel plans with others. Keep your travel plans off social media and post photos from your trip when you return home. Be sure your teenager(s) follow the same rule. 

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY PREVENTION TIPS
While theft from a vehicle is still the highest trending property crime, we are noticing an increase in residential burglaries and therefore wanted to provide some Physical Protection measures when it comes to Controlling Access to your home.

• Install single cylinder, heavy-duty, 1-inch deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.
• Replace hollow core exterior doors with solid code doors.
• Have door hinges fitted on the inside or have non-removable pins.
• Install additional locking devices on all windows and sliding doors. 
• Install locks on gates, garages, and sheds and keep them locked at all times. 
• Install a side-yard gate and keep it locked at all times. Side and back entries are the most common access point for burglars. 
• Consider planting thorny bushes under windows and along fences.
• Trim shrubbery and tree so that limbs don't provide access to second stories or roofs. 

For more residential burglary prevention tips, check out our most recent posts on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.  

KNOCK, KNOCK. ANYONE HOME?
Someone is knocking on your door, and you don't recognize them through the peephole or camera, what should you do? Stay quiet or do you say something?

To keep you and your home safe, here are some suggestions on what you can do:  

1. If you are home, don't open the door. Perform a lock check.
2. Speak with the person through the door or camera, so that they know, or it appears someone is home.
3. If they ask for someone you don't know or claim to be selling something, tell them you are not interested.
4.  If something doesn't seem right, call the police department, and provide as much information as possible such as a description of the person(s), their vehicle and their direction of travel to the police dispatcher.  

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS:
9-1-1 FOR EMERGENCIES | 310-524-2760 FOR NON-EMERGENCIES