BOISE, Idaho — Boise police say patrols will be stepped up around the City of Trees where clusters of burglaries have been happening. It is going on in certain 'hot spots' in reference to a map the department released earlier this week.
A map that police released shows burglaries that happened between January and April of 2019. Police took multiple reports of items stolen from garages, sheds and homes. Moving forward, police want to prevent burglaries from happening in the first place.
Boise police advise to put yourself in a criminal’s shoes and think about how you would break into your own home. If you think it would be easy, then they suggest making a few adjustments.
Officer Terry Weir has been with the Boise Police Department for 15 years. He knows a thing or two about protecting your house from burglars.
"There is always going to be people out there trying to victimize you, and if you make yourself an easy target they will take you up on that offer,” Weir said.
Officer Weir talked about some good examples of houses that have done the right thing while KTVB did a ride-along with him.
“If you're looking at some of the homes we're driving past on this side notice how the shrubbery is pulled back from the house and the yards are all open,” Officer Weir said while mentioning some homes on the ride-along. “There’s not really a whole lot of places for a potential suspect to hide so neighbors will probably see that.”
Police have been tracking that burglary data this year, so now they know where to target some of their patrols.
"When it comes to things such as burglary in this case, we'd like to know from that data where to put officers for patrols,” Weir said.
Officer Weir said bikes, tools, and guns were among the items stolen. To keep your property safe, police recommend making it as hard as possible on would--be criminals.
"Don't leave stuff like bicycles in your front yard and don't leave your garage door open,” Weir said. "That type of stuff right there will make a thief’s dream come true."
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Police recommend double-checking to make sure your house is secure both at night and when you leave during the day.
“When it comes to residential burglaries and stuff, make sure your house is well lit and your garage door is shut, that your doors are locked and windows are locked as well,” Weir said.
Another thing that police recommend: Think about getting some sort of home surveillance system like one that can give you updates straight to your phone when it detects motion.
Also, police ask everyone that if you do see something that is suspicious, give them a call.