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It’s every resident’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway and find your front door has been forced open or a window shattered. You can’t think straight, fretting about what’s been taken and the harm done to your property. What will you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow our recommendations after a break-in at your Columbus home.  

When things calm down, learn how to better prevent burglaries with a modern security system.

Immediate Steps After A Burglary

Discovering your house has been broken into is traumatic. You may be furious, shaken, or simply in shock. Regardless, it’s critical to act rationally by doing the following: 

• Do not enter. It’s only natural that you want to go inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a possibility an intruder is still there.
• Contact the authorities immediately.  Keep yourself and others at a safe spot nearby and hold tight until help arrives. Work with the police to make an official report. 
• Avoid touching anything. Allow officers take control and gather evidence.  

What Do You Do Next?

You’ve conversed with law enforcement, and your home is clear to re-enter. What are the next steps? 

• Cancel credit cards and call banks . If a burglar snagged wallets, purses, or personal records, you’ll wish to notify your credit card issuers and banks right away. It’s wise to freeze accounts and your credit. You may also request a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus.
• Call your insurance provider. Start the claims process with your insurance provider. You should do so within one day of the break-in. 
• Take photos of the damage. Document shattered windows, forced doors, and any other damage you see.
• Document what was taken. Create a record of what’s been stolen and provide it to law enforcement and your insurance company.
• Secure your home. Make your home safe again by switching out locks, fixing doors and windows, and taking care of other damage. If you utilize a keypad lock, now is the time to change your codes.

Tidying up will bring you some peace and restore a sense of normalcy. After you’re done, it’s time to think about improving your home security.

Assess And Improve The Security At Your Columbus Home

How can you prevent this from occuring again? Your initial step should be to take stock of your home security. A modern system with these tools will go a long way to strengthening your home’s protection: 

• Surveillance cameras: Nearly all prowlers will think twice about breaking in when they see video cameras. Today’s outdoor and doorbell cameras provide advanced capabilities like AI-powered smart detection. Whenever there’s suspicious activity, you’ll be sent a warning. 
• Access-point sensors: All doors and windows (particularly those on the lower level) should be safeguarded by contact or glass-break sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated tools can be managed remotely. Concerned you didn’t lock your door? You can verify and activate the lock directly from your mobile device. You can even have interior lighting turn on if a camera spots an unwanted guest.

If you are looking for a modern system that alerts you and monitoring agents any time a sensor or camera is tripped, get a package from the home security experts at ADT. You’ll enjoy the mobile access, 24-hour monitoring, and advanced automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Top Home Security Systems In Columbus

Stop burglaries at your property with an ADT home security system in Columbus from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your trusted ADT dealer, we install the latest equipment from the top name in the business. Learn more about your options by calling (706) 397-7027 or completing our form today.