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It’s every family’s nightmare. You pull in the driveway to see your door has been forced open or a window broken. You can hardly process what’s happened, stressing about what’s been stolen and the harm done to your house. What should you do? Take a breath, stay calm, and follow our recommendations after a break-in at your Charleston home.  

Once things are under control, explore how to better prevent burglaries with the latest home security system.

Initial Steps After A Burglary

Finding your house has been burglarized is unsettling. You may be angry, shaken, or simply in shock. Regardless, it’s critical to act rationally by doing the following: 

• Stay outside. It’s only natural that you want to run inside to look around. Don’t. There’s a risk an intruder is still on site.
• Contact law enforcement at once.  Keep yourself and family members safely away and wait until help gets there. Work with the police to file a report. 
• Don’t touch a thing. Let the police secure the scene and collect evidence.  

What Should You Do Next?

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

• Contact your bank and credit card companies . If a burglar grabbed wallets, purses, or personal records, you’ll wish to alert your credit card companies and banks at once. It’s smart to freeze accounts and your credit. You might also request a fraud alert with the three main credit bureaus.
• Contact your insurance company. Start the claims process with your insurance company. You should do so within one day of the incident. 
• Take pictures of damage. Document shattered windows, forced doors, and anything else that’s been damaged.
• Document what was taken. Create a record of what’s missing and provide it to law enforcement and your insurance company.
• Secure your house. Make your home safe again by switching out locks, fixing doors and windows, and repairing other damage. If you have a keypad lock system, now is the time to update your access codes.

Tidying up will bring you some peace and restore a sense of normalcy. After you’re done, it’s time to think about enhancing your home security.

Strengthen Your Charleston Home’s Security

How can you prevent this from occuring again? Your starting point should be to take stock of your home security. A new system with these devices will go a long way to better protecting your home: 

• Security cameras: Nearly all trespassers will think twice about breaking in when they notice surveillance cameras. Today’s exterior and doorbell cameras offer advanced features like AI-powered smart detection. When there’s questionable activity, you’ll get a warning. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (especially those on the ground level) should be safeguarded by contact or glass-break sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated components can be controlled from anywhere. Concerned you didn’t secure your door? You can check and engage the lock right from your phone. You can even have inside lights turn on if a camera spots an unwanted guest.

If you want an integrated system that warns you and monitoring agents any time a camera or sensor is set off, look into a package from the home security experts at ADT. You’ll benefit from mobile access, round-the-clock monitoring, and convenient automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Charleston

Stop burglaries at your property with an ADT home security package in Charleston 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 dialing (843) 305-8663 or filling out our form today.