Crime Prevention

The Cleburne Police Department seeks to enhance the quality of life of our community by working in partnership with citizens and businesses. With its various programs and services, Crime Prevention is able to offer the community this opportunity through citizen involvement and education.

Sergeant Neal Sandlin and Detective Colby Burris, of the Cleburne Police Department, are Certified Crime Prevention Specialists. As crime prevention officers, their goal is to "harden" targets: to make citizens, businesses, homes and vehicles less of a target of criminal activity. Through educational programs, promoting citizen involvement, crime prevention programs for seniors, businesses, homeowner associations, organizations, and children of all ages we can achieve this goal. Sgt. Sandlin and Det. Burris are trained and certified to provide, at no charge, home and business security inspections.

Here are some of the things they will look for:

In the last six months...


  • Did you leave the front door or garage door unlocked while you made a quick trip to the grocery store?
  • Was it too much trouble to check the meter reader or repair person's identification before letting him in?
  • Did you forget to tell a neighbor that you were going away for the weekend?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are making it easier for a thief to work in your community.

What can you do?


  • Good locks, simple precautions, neighborly alertness, and common sense can help prevent most property crimes.
  • Get together with your neighbors to keep an eye on each other's homes. Half of all home burglaries occur during the day when alert neighbors could spot the thieves and call the police.

Locks, doors, and windows



  • Install good deadbolt locks in your doors, not the springlatch ones with the key in the knob. Use them! (About 50 percent of burglars get in through unlocked doors and windows!)
  • Avoid door locks that can be manipulated by breaking glass or door panels to reach inside.
  • Make sure outside doors, including the one between your house and garage, are solid, 1 3/4 inch metal or wood and fit tightly in their frames. Hinges should be on the inside.
  • Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available locks, with a rigid wooden dowel in the track, or with a nail inserted through a hole drilled in the sliding door frame and projecting into the fixed frame.
  • Lock double-hung windows by sliding a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each top corner of the inside sash and part-way through the outside sash, or buy window key locks at a hardware store. Consider grilles for basement or street-level windows.

Outside


  • Trim back shrubbery that hides doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into second story windows.
  • Make sure all porches, entrances, and yards are well-lighted.
  • Help keep your neighborhood in good shape. Dark alleys, litter and run-down areas attract crime.

Key sense


  • Do not hide house keys in mailboxes, planters, or under doormats. Give a duplicate key to a trusted friend or neighbor in case you are locked out.
  • Do not put any personal identification on key rings.
  • Leave only your ignition key with service mechanics and parking garage attendants.
  • If you lose the keys to your home or move, change the locks immediately.
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