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It’s every family’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway to see your door has been kicked in or a window shattered. You can barely process what’s happened, worrying about what’s missing and the harm done to your house. What should you do? Stay calm, take a breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Sioux City home.  

Once the dust settles, learn how to better prevent break-ins with an advanced security system.

Initial Steps After A Break-In

Seeing your house burglarized is unsettling. You could be upset, scared, or simply in disbelief. Regardless, it’s important to stay level-headed by doing the following: 

• Don’t go inside. It might be tempting to rush inside to assess the situation. Don’t. There’s a possibility a burglar is still inside.
• Call the police right away.  Keep yourself and others safely away and hold tight until first responders arrive. Work with law enforcement to make an official report. 
• Leave everything as is. Let the police secure the area and collect evidence.  

What Do You Do Next?

You’ve spoken with the authorities, and your home is clear to re-enter. What should you do next? 

• Contact your bank and credit card issuers . If a thief snagged personal records, purses, or wallets, you’ll wish to contact your credit card issuers and banks right away. It’s wise to freeze accounts and your credit. You may also add a fraud alert with the three main credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurance company. Start the claims process with your insurance provider. You should do so within 24 hours of the burglary. 
• Take pictures of damage. Document smashed windows, forced doors, and any other damage you discover.
• Document what is missing. Make a list of what’s missing and provide it to the police and your insurance company.
• Secure your property. Get your home secured by installing new locks, fixing doors and windows, and taking care of other damage. If you have a keypad lock, now is the time to change your codes.

Cleaning up will do wonders for your stress and get life back to normal. Once you do, it’s time to think about improving your home security.

Strengthen Your Sioux City Home’s Security

What can you do to prevent another break-in from occurring? Your first step should be to take stock of your home’s security. An advanced system with these devices will go a long way to better protecting your home: 

• Security cameras: Just about all prowlers will hesitate when they notice video cameras. Today’s outdoor and doorbell cameras give you advanced functionality like AI-powered smart detection. Any time there’s questionable activity, you’ll get a warning. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (particularly those on the lower level) should be protected by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated components can be managed remotely. Worried you didn’t lock up? You can confirm and engage the lock from your smartphone. You can even have inside lights switch on if a camera detects suspicious activity.

If you want an integrated system that notifies you and monitoring staff whenever a sensor or camera is set off, get a package from the home security leaders at ADT. You’ll appreciate the remote access, round-the-clock monitoring, and custom automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Sioux City

Stop intrusions at your property with an ADT home security system in Sioux City from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your trusted ADT dealer, we install advanced equipment from the most respected name in the business. Discover your options by calling (712) 796-2024 or filling out our form today.