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It’s every resident’s nightmare. You return home to see your front door has been kicked in or a window shattered. You can’t think straight, worrying about what’s missing and the damage to your home. What will you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow these steps after a break-in at your Ithaca home.  

When you’re ready, learn how to better prevent intrusions with an advanced security system.

Initial Steps After A Burglary

Finding your house has been broken into is traumatic. You could be shaken, angry, or simply in disbelief. Whatever the case, it’s critical to respond rationally by doing the following: 

• Don’t go inside. It’s not surprising that you want to go inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a possibility a burglar is still inside.
• Contact the police right away.  Keep yourself and others at a safe distance and wait until first responders arrive. Work with law enforcement to file a report. 
• Avoid touching anything. Allow officers take over and gather evidence.  

What Should You Do Next?

You’ve spoken with the authorities, and it’s safe to go back inside. What should happen next? 

• Cancel credit cards and notify your bank . If a thief snagged wallets, purses, or private documents, you must alert your credit card companies and banks right away. It’s a good idea to put a hold on accounts and your credit. You may also place a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurer. File a claim with your insurance company. This should be done within a day of the incident. 
• Take pictures of damage. Document smashed windows, kicked-in doors, and any other damage you find.
• Inventory stolen goods. Make a list of what’s gone and provide it to the authorities and your Insurer.
• Secure your house. Restore your home’s security by replacing locks, fixing windows and doors, and addressing remaining damage. If you use a keypad lock system, now is the time to reset your access codes.

Cleaning up will do wonders for your stress and restore a sense of normalcy. After you’re done, it’s time to consider upgrading your home security.

Strengthen Your Ithaca Home’s Security

What can you do to prevent another burglary from occurring? Your starting point should be to assess your home security. A modern system with these tools will go a long way to better protecting your home: 

• Security cameras: Almost all prowlers will think twice about breaking in when they notice security cameras. Today’s outdoor and doorbell cameras offer advanced functionality like AI-powered smart detection. Whenever there’s suspicious activity, you’ll get a warning. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (especially those on the ground floor) should be shielded by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart lights and locks: These automated devices can be controlled from anywhere. Are you worried you forgot to lock your door? You can check and engage the lock directly from your phone. You can even have inside lighting go on if a camera discovers an unwanted guest.

If you are looking for a connected system that notifies you and monitoring agents any time a sensor or camera is triggered, get a package from ADT, your home security leaders. You’ll enjoy the smartphone access, 24-hour monitoring, and advanced automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Best Home Security In Ithaca

Stop break-ins before they happen with an ADT home security system in Ithaca from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install advanced equipment from the industry leader. Learn more about your options by dialing (607) 204-9053 or submitting our form today.