“You can throw down thousands of dollars for a security system to prevent home burglaries, but don’t underestimate the power of hedge clippers, police said. Bushes haven’t lost their status as classic hiding spots for burglars.
“First thing I did at my house?” said Munster police Sgt. Steven Kovacik. “I cut all those d—- things down.”
Most burglars aren’t criminal masterminds. They tend to be opportunists and they can be diverted from their target of the moment, Lansing police Sgt. Steven Roberts said.
“The criminals that do it for the opportunity will be thwarted by even the smallest measures that you take to protect your home, it seems,” he said.
Motion lights are worthwhile, said police officials and home security workers.
Dogs — regardless of size — can scare away burglars, McDevitt and Roberts said. Be prepared, however, for extra scrutiny if you go to the Humane Society Calumet Area looking for a dog solely for protection, said Rachel Hall, executive director. The society makes sure dogs find loving homes, and are not being used only as menacing sentries.”