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It’s every family’s nightmare. You arrive home to see your front door has been kicked in or a window shattered. You can’t think clearly, stressing about what’s been stolen and the damage to your property. What can you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow these steps after a break-in at your Waco home.  

Once you have control of the situation, see how to better prevent break-ins with a modern security system.

Initial Steps After A Break-In

Discovering your house has been broken into is traumatic. You could be scared, furious, or just in disbelief. Whatever the case, it’s important to stay level-headed by doing the following: 

• Do not enter. It could be tempting to rush inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a chance an intruder is still inside.
• Contact law enforcement at once.  Keep yourself and others at a safe spot nearby and wait for emergency professionals. Work with the authorities to make an official report. 
• Avoid touching anything. Let officers take charge and do their job.  

What Should You Do Next?

You’ve filed a report with law enforcement, and it’s safe to go back inside. What should happen next? 

• Alert your bank and credit card issuers . If an intruder snagged purses, wallets, or personal records, you must alert your credit card companies and banks right away. It’s a good idea to freeze accounts and your credit. You can also add a fraud alert with the three main credit bureaus.
• Call your insurance company. Start the claims process with your insurer. You should do so within a day of the break-in. 
• Take pictures of damage. Document broken windows, kicked-in doors, and any other damage you find.
• Inventory stolen goods. Create a record of what’s been stolen and provide it to the authorities and your insurance provider.
• Secure your property. Make your home safe again by switching out locks, fixing doors and windows, and addressing remaining damage. If you utilize a keypad lock system, now is the time to change your access codes.

Cleaning up will bring you some peace and make things feel normal. After you do so, it’s time to consider enhancing your home security.

Evaluate And Upgrade Your Waco Home’s Security

How can you prevent this from occuring again? Your initial step should be to evaluate your home security. A modern system with these devices will go a long way to strengthening your home’s protection: 

• Video cameras: Nearly all trespassers will hesitate when they see surveillance cameras. Newer exterior and doorbell cameras offer advanced capabilities like smart detection. Whenever there’s questionable activity, you’ll get a notification. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (especially those on the ground floor) should be safeguarded by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart locks and lighting: These automated tools can be managed remotely. Concerned you neglected to lock your door? You can check and activate the lock directly from your smartphone. You can even have inside lighting go on if a camera discovers an unwanted guest.

If you want a modern system that notifies you and monitoring agents whenever a device is tripped, look into a package from the home security leaders at ADT. You’ll benefit from remote access, 24/7 monitoring, and advanced automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Best Home Security In Waco

Stop burglaries before they happen with an ADT home security system in Waco from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your trusted ADT dealer, we install the latest equipment from the most respected name in the business. Explore your options by reaching out to (254) 236-5604 or submitting our form today.