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

Once the dust settles, learn how to better prevent burglaries with a modern security system.

First Steps After A Burglary

Discovering your house has been broken into is traumatic. You might be scared, upset, or simply in disbelief. Regardless, it’s critical to act rationally by doing the following: 

• Do not enter. It’s only natural that you want to run inside to look around. Don’t. There’s a possibility an intruder is still on site.
• Contact law enforcement immediately.  Keep yourself and others at a safe distance and wait until first responders arrive. Work with law enforcement to make an official report. 
• Avoid touching anything. Allow officers take charge and do their job.  

What Are The Next Steps?

You’ve spoken with law enforcement, and your home is clear to re-enter. What should happen next? 

• Notify your bank and credit card issuers . If an intruder stole wallets, purses, or private documents, you’ll want to notify your credit card issuers and banks immediately. It’s smart to freeze accounts and your credit. You can also add a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurance provider. File a claim with your insurance company. You should do so within one day of the break-in. 
• Record damage on camera. Document shattered windows, kicked-in doors, and anything else that’s been damaged.
• Inventory stolen goods. Make a list of what’s missing and provide it to the authorities and your insurance company.
• Secure your property. Make your home safe again by installing new locks, fixing windows and doors, and taking care of other damage. If you have a digital lock, 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 consider upgrading your home security.

Evaluate And Upgrade The Security At Your Gaithersburg Home

What should you do to prevent another intrusion from occurring? Your starting point should be to assess your home’s security. A new system with these tools will go a long way to strengthening your home’s protection: 

• Video cameras: Nearly all trespassers will reconsider their plans when they notice surveillance cameras. Modern outdoor and doorbell cameras provide advanced capabilities like AI-driven smart detection. Whenever there’s questionable activity, you’ll be sent a notification. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (especially those on the lower level) should be shielded by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated devices can be operated from anywhere. Worried you neglected to lock up? You can verify and engage the lock from your phone. You can even have interior lighting switch on if a camera spots someone lurking.

If you want an integrated system that alerts you and monitoring agents any time a camera or sensor is tripped, consider a package from the home security specialists at ADT. You’ll enjoy the mobile access, round-the-clock monitoring, and advanced automation.

Prevent Break-Ins With The Top Home Security Systems In Gaithersburg

Stop burglaries from happening with an ADT home security package in Gaithersburg from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install modern equipment from the most respected name in the business. Learn more about your options by reaching out to (301) 278-8866 or submitting our form today.