MPD: Don't relax burglary defenses

By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
March 16, 2002
With hot summer temperatures around the corner, Meridian police say it's time for residents to take extra measures to make their homes less attractive to burglars.
Detective Deano Harper, a spokesman for the Meridian Police Department, said the number of residential burglaries in the city tends to rise as the temperature rises.
Harper said the MPD receives the highest number of burglary calls in the summer months and most houses are broken into when no one is home.
While Harper doesn't advise people to swelter in a closed-up house, he said there are other things residents can do to keep their homes from being easy targets. Leaving your windows open when you leave because you don't want to come home to a hot house is a bad idea.
Harper said people should not leave valuables in plain sight.
For more information, visit CrimeStoppers of Meridian and Lauderdale County at crimestoppers911.tripod.com.