What To Do After A Break-in At Your San Jose Home?
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 clearly, fretting about what’s missing and the damage to your property. What should you do? Stay calm, take a breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your San Jose home.
When things get back to normal, see how to better prevent break-ins with the latest home security system.
Immediate Steps After A Break-In
Finding your house has been burglarized is traumatic. You could be angry, frightened, or simply in shock. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s essential to respond rationally by doing the following:
- Don’t go inside. It’s only natural that you want to rush inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a risk an intruder is still on site.
- Call the authorities immediately. Keep yourself and family members at a safe spot nearby and hold tight until help arrives. Work with the police to make an official report.
- Leave everything as is. Allow officers take charge and gather evidence.
What Are The Next Steps?
You’ve spoken with the police, and your home is clear to re-enter. What should happen next?
- Notify your bank and credit card issuers . If a burglar snagged sensitive documents, purses, or wallets, you’ll wish to notify your credit card issuers and banks at once. It’s a good idea to freeze accounts and your credit. You may also add a fraud alert with credit bureaus.
- Reach out to your insurer. Initiate a claim with your insurance company. This should be done within 24 hours of the burglary.
- Take photos of the damage. Document smashed windows, forced doors, and any other damage you discover.
- Document what was taken. Write down what’s been stolen and provide it to law enforcement and your insurance provider.
- Secure your house. Restore your home’s security by replacing locks, fixing doors and windows, and repairing other damage. If you use a digital lock, now is the time to update your access codes.
Cleaning up will do wonders for your stress 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 San Jose Home
What should you do to prevent another burglary from taking place? Your initial step should be to evaluate your home security. An advanced system with these tools will go a long way to strengthening your home’s protection:
- Video cameras: Nearly every trespasser will hesitate when they see video cameras. Newer exterior and doorbell cameras provide advanced functionality like AI-powered smart detection. When there’s questionable activity, you’ll receive an alert.
- Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (particularly those on the ground level) should be safeguarded by contact or glass-break sensors.
- Smart locks and lights: These automated devices can be operated from anywhere. Are you worried you forgot to secure your door? You can check and engage the lock directly from your mobile device. You can even have inside lights switch on if a camera discovers an unwanted guest.
If you want a connected system that warns you and monitoring representatives any time a camera or sensor is set off, consider a package from ADT, your home security experts. You’ll benefit from smartphone access, 24/7 monitoring, and advanced automation.
Prevent Break-Ins With The Top Home Security Systems In San Jose
Stop intrusions from happening with an ADT home security package in San Jose from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your authorized ADT dealer, we install advanced equipment from the top name in the business. Discover your options by reaching out to (408) 641-3351 or completing our form today.