Home Security

  • Never leave your home or car unlocked. A burglary or entry to auto only takes a few minutes to complete
  • Trim back bushes and trees from windows and doors. Overgrowth provides an area of cover for burglars to do their work.
  • Use exterior lighting during the evening hours. Constant lighting is more effective than motion detectors. The newer, compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, can be run all night for pennies a day.
  • If you return home and find that your house has been burglarized exit the home immediately and go to a neighbors house or use your cell phone to call the police. Never go through your house to see what has been taken since the burglar may still be inside. Once the police arrive they will search your home. After they know no one is inside the house they will walk through your residence with you to inventory what has been taken.
  • If you park your car outside do not leave items of value in plain sight. Never leave a set of keys for the vehicle or your house in your vehicle.
  • Get to know and talk with your neighbors. This will give you a better idea of what is normal in your neighborhood.
  • If you have children, of any age, post the phone numbers for the North Shore Fire Department, the Whitefish Bay Police Department, as well as several trusted neighbors or family friends that live nearby in case of an emergency. Make sure your children know where the list is posted and that they would know what to do in an emergency.
  • If you are going on vacation or away on business and your house will be vacant:
    • Call the police administrative line during business hours at 414-962-3830 or click here for a form to complete and put your house on the “Watch Homes List.” Each day a list of houses called in to the police department is printed off and officers drive by throughout their regular patrols to make sure the house appears undisturbed. This does not replace having a friend, family member, or neighbor checking the residence as well.
    • Suspend newspaper and mail delivery.
    • Arrange for someone to shovel walks and driveway during the winter and to cut the grass during the summer.
    • Place lights on timers inside the house
    • Leave a radio on, tuned to a talk radio station.
    • Have a neighbor watch for unexpected fliers or other deliveries.