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It’s every resident’s nightmare. You arrive home to see your front door has been forced open or a window shattered. You can hardly process what’s happened, worrying about what’s been taken and the damage to your property. What will you do? Take a breath, stay calm, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Cleveland home.  

Once you have control of the situation, learn how to better prevent burglaries with an advanced security system.

Immediate Steps After A Break-In

Finding your house has been burglarized is traumatizing. You might be shaken, upset, or simply in shock. Regardless, it’s critical to act rationally by doing the following: 

• Stay outside. It’s only natural that you want to rush inside to assess the situation. Don’t. There’s a possibility an intruder is still inside.
• Call law enforcement at once.  Keep yourself and family members safely away and wait for emergency professionals. Work with the authorities to file a report. 
• Avoid touching anything. Let the police secure the premises and do their job.  

What Do You Do Next?

You’ve made an official report with law enforcement, and it’s safe to go back inside. What should you do next? 

• Cancel credit cards and alert your bank . If an intruder stole wallets, purses, or personal records, you’ll want to notify 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 credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurer. Initiate a claim with your insurer. This should be done within a day of the incident. 
• Take photos of the damage. Document smashed windows, forced doors, and any other damage you see.
• Document what was taken. Write down what’s missing and provide it to the authorities and your insurance company.
• Secure your house. Restore your home’s security by installing new locks, fixing doors and windows, and addressing remaining damage. If you utilize a keypad lock, now is the time to update your codes.

Cleaning up will help ease your mind and restore a sense of normalcy. After you do so, it’s time to think about enhancing your home security.

Assess And Improve The Security At Your Cleveland Home

What can you do to prevent another intrusion from occurring? Your first step should be to assess your home security. A modern system with these devices will go a long way to better protecting your home: 

• Security cameras: Just about every would-be burglar will reconsider their plans when they see surveillance cameras. Newer outdoor and doorbell cameras give you advanced capabilities like AI-powered smart detection. Any time there’s questionable activity, you’ll get an alert. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (specifically those on the ground level) should be protected by contact or glass-break sensors.
• Smart locks and lighting: These automated components can be operated from anywhere. Worried you forgot to secure your door? You can check and activate the lock right from your mobile device. You can even have interior lighting go on if a camera detects someone lurking.

If you are searching for an integrated system that warns you and monitoring agents any time a sensor or camera is triggered, look into a package from the home security specialists at ADT. You’ll appreciate the mobile access, round-the-clock monitoring, and custom automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Cleveland

Stop intrusions from happening with an ADT home security package in Cleveland from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install advanced equipment from the top name in the business. Explore your options by calling (216) 273-8448 or completing our form today.