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It’s every homeowner’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway to see your front door has been kicked in or a window smashed. You can barely process what’s happened, fretting about what’s been stolen and the damage to your house. What will you do? Stay calm, take a breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Fort Myers home.  

Once things are under control, learn how to better prevent break-ins with an advanced security system.

First Steps After A Burglary

Finding your house has been broken into is traumatizing. You may be upset, frightened, or just in shock. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s critical to respond rationally by doing the following: 

• Stay outside. It could be tempting to run inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a possibility a burglar is still on site.
• Call the police at once.  Keep yourself and loved ones at a safe distance and wait until help arrives. Work with the authorities to make an official report. 
• Don’t touch a thing. Let the police secure the scene and collect evidence.  

What Should You Do Next?

You’ve spoken with law enforcement, and it’s safe to go back inside. What are the next steps? 

• Alert your bank and credit card issuers . If a thief grabbed purses, wallets, or sensitive documents, you’ll wish to contact your credit card companies and banks immediately. It’s a good idea to lock accounts and your credit. You may also request a fraud alert with credit bureaus.
• Contact your insurance company. File a claim with your insurance provider. This needs to be done within a day of the break-in. 
• Record damage on camera. Document smashed windows, forced doors, and any other damage you find.
• Document what was taken. Write down what’s gone and provide it to the authorities and your insurance company.
• Secure your house. Restore your home’s security by installing new locks, fixing windows and doors, and addressing remaining damage. If you use a keypad lock, now is the time to change your access codes.

Cleaning up will help ease your mind and get life back to normal. After you do so, it’s time to consider enhancing your home security.

Evaluate And Upgrade The Security At Your Fort Myers Home

How can you prevent this from occuring again? Your starting point should be to assess your home’s security. A new system with the following equipment will go a long way to strengthening your home’s protection: 

• Surveillance cameras: Almost every would-be burglar will reconsider their plans when they see security cameras. Modern outdoor and doorbell cameras provide advanced features like smart detection. Whenever there’s unusual activity, you’ll receive an alert. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (specifically those on the ground level) should be protected by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart lights and locks: These automated tools can be operated from anywhere. Worried you neglected to lock up? You can verify and operate the lock directly from your smartphone. You can even have inside lights turn on if a camera spots suspicious activity.

If you are searching for a connected system that alerts you and monitoring representatives any time a device is triggered, consider a package from ADT, your home security professionals. You’ll appreciate the mobile access, round-the-clock monitoring, and advanced automation.

Stop Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Fort Myers

Stop break-ins before they happen with an ADT home security package in Fort Myers from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install the latest equipment from the most respected name in the business. Learn more about your options by reaching out to (239) 317-1360 or filling out our form today.