Over the last 3 days, the Sheboygan Police Department has received 3 reports of home burglaries. Though there is no specific evidence that the events are linked, they share some common elements. In each case, someone entered a home while people were inside the home and took wallets or purses that were within easy access. In each case, the doors to the home were unlocked and the wallets or purses that were stolen were out in the open within a few steps of the unlocked entryway.
At this time, some of the stolen property has been recovered. No one has been arrested for the burglaries.
These crimes are being actively investigated, but we want to give a few simple tips to help prevent these types of crimes from recurring. Most property crime is a crime of opportunity, and the best strategy we can use to control this type of crime is to take away the opportunity.
The Sheboygan Police Department offered a few measures that can help protect our property and our homes.
- When leaving your house, please make sure your doors are locked and your property is secure.
- Never leave valuable out and visible where they can be easily seen by someone approaching your house.
- At night, leave a light on outside your home. Crime tends to decline in neighborhoods that are well lit.
- Be aware of your surroundings and use public space around your home. Using the area around your home, and being outside and visible deter those who would commit this type of crime. By using the space around our homes and in our neighborhoods, we communicate a higher level of guardianship over our spaces and reduce the opportunity for crime to occur.
