TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
You might think you're doing everything right when it comes to home security, but a shocking new video shows thieves how to get inside your home using something as simple as a wire coat hanger.
Home burglaries are a problem in Tucson. In fact Tucson is the second worst city for home break-ins according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 2013 preliminary crime statistics. It amounts to more than 2,500 residential burglaries a year.
Tucson News Now found the extra piece of security you need costs pennies and can be implemented in a matter of minutes.
"I spend a fair amount of time out here, you know, when it's not too hot," says retired homebuilder, Jay DeAngeli. He loves tinkering around in his garage. DeAngeli lives in a part of the county that is a major target for burglars. He knows this. Thieves busted into his home several years ago.
"They knocked in a sliding door, took it right out of the tracks with some big whatever," says DeAngeli.
Tucson News Now has uncovered an online video showing just how easy it is to get through a closed garage door using a wire coat hanger. For your security, we are not showing exactly how it's done, but the scary part is the break-in method takes only six seconds. In cases of attached garages, once thieves break through the garage door, they can gain access to the main part of the home.
"It's the emergency release on the garage doors that allows someone to open a door manually," explains Steve McMurry with Kaiser Garage Doors and Gates.
McMurry says he's never heard of someone breaking into a garage with a coat hanger, but once Tucson News Now showed him the shocking video, he immediately knew how thieves were pulling it off.
McMurry says thieves are pulling the emergency release which is overhead towards the top center of the garage door. Once that latch is pulled down, thieves can just roll up the door and walk inside. The must-have anti-theft tool is a simple zip tie. McMurry shows Tucson News Now how looping the tie through two holes on the latch keeps it closed and much harder to pull down.
There are more ways to make sure you don't become a target. McMurry says if your garage doors have windows, cover them or get them frosted so burglars can't see what you're storing inside. Clear the area outside in front of your garage including landscaping that could allow a burglar to break in without being seen by neighbors. Finally if your garage is attached to your home, lock your doors.
"The opportunity presents itself, in they come and garage doors is one," says DeAngeli who has already secured his emergency release latch. He urges other residents to take the online video seriously, and take the steps necessary to protect your home.
The FBI collects burglary stats from the largest cities in Arizona. Phoenix ranked number one with 8,515 burglaries in one year, and Tucson comes up second with 2,524 burglaries followed by Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Peoria, and Gilbert. Of all of the cities tracked for burglary incidents, Surprise came up last with 187 home break-ins in a year.
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