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It’s every family’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway and find your front door is wide open or a window shattered. You can barely process what’s happened, fretting about what’s been stolen and the damage to your home. What can you do? Stay calm, take a breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Salem home.  

When things calm down, learn how to better prevent break-ins with the latest home security system.

Initial Steps After A Break-In

Finding your house has been burglarized is traumatic. You could be frightened, furious, or simply in disbelief. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s critical to respond rationally by doing the following: 

• Don’t go inside. It’s not surprising that you want to rush inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a risk a burglar is still present.
• Call the authorities at once.  Keep yourself and family members safely away and wait until help gets there. Work with the authorities to file a report. 
• Leave everything as is. Let the police secure the scene and gather evidence.  

What Do You Do Next?

You’ve spoken with the authorities, and your home is safe to re-enter. What should you do next? 

• Cancel credit cards and alert your bank . If a burglar grabbed purses, wallets, or personal documents, you’ll want to alert your credit card companies and banks right away. It’s a good idea to put a hold on accounts and your credit. You can also request a fraud alert with credit bureaus.
• Call your insurance company. Initiate a claim with your insurance provider. This needs to be done within a day of the break-in. 
• Record damage on camera. Document broken windows, forced doors, and any other damage you discover.
• Document what was taken. Create a record of what’s gone and provide it to the police and your insurance company.
• Secure your house. Get your home secured by installing new locks, fixing windows and doors, and taking care of other damage. If you use a keypad lock, now is the time to change your access codes.

Tidying up will bring you some peace and get life back to normal. After you’re done, it’s time to think about upgrading your home security.

Assess And Improve The Security At Your Salem Home

How can you keep this from occuring again? Your starting point should be to take stock of your home’s security. An advanced system with these devices will work wonders in better protecting your home: 

• Video cameras: Nearly all would-be burglars will think twice about breaking in when they observe video cameras. Today’s exterior and doorbell cameras offer advanced capabilities like AI-powered smart detection. Whenever there’s questionable activity, you’ll be sent a warning. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (specifically those on the ground level) should be safeguarded by contact or glass-break sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated devices can be controlled from anywhere. Concerned you didn’t lock your door? You can verify and activate the lock from your smartphone. You can even have inside lights switch on if a camera spots an unwanted guest.

If you are looking for a connected system that warns you and monitoring staff any time a camera or sensor is set off, consider a package from the home security specialists at ADT. You’ll benefit from remote access, 24-hour monitoring, and custom automation.

Prevent Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Salem

Stop break-ins before they happen with an ADT home security system in Salem from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your trusted ADT dealer, we install advanced equipment from the industry leader. Explore your options by reaching out to (503) 300-4371 or completing our form today.