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It’s every resident’s nightmare. You return home to see your front door is wide open or a window smashed. You can barely process what’s happened, worrying about what’s missing and the harm done to your home. What should you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Appleton home.  

Once things are under control, explore how to better prevent break-ins with a modern security system.

Initial Steps After A Break-In

Seeing your house burglarized is unsettling. You may be furious, frightened, or simply in shock. Regardless, it’s essential to act rationally by doing the following: 

• Stay outside. It may be tempting to rush inside to look around. Don’t. There’s a chance someone is still there.
• Contact the police immediately.  Keep yourself and family members safely away and hold tight until . Work with the authorities to make an official report. 
• Leave everything as is. Let the police secure the premises and gather evidence.  

What Should You Do Next?

You’ve completed a report with law enforcement, and it’s safe to go back inside. What should happen next? 

• Contact your bank and credit card issuers . If an intruder snagged wallets, purses, or personal records, you’ll want to contact your credit card companies and banks immediately. It’s a good idea to put a hold on accounts and your credit. You might also place a fraud alert with the three main credit bureaus.
• Call 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 broken windows, forced doors, and all other detectable damage.
• Document what is missing. Create a record of what’s gone and provide it to the authorities and your insurance provider.
• Secure your property. Get your home secured by replacing locks, fixing windows and doors, and addressing remaining damage. If you utilize a digital lock, now is the time to reset your access codes.

Cleaning up will bring you some peace and make things feel normal. After you’re done, it’s time to consider improving your home security.

Assess And Improve The Security At Your Appleton Home

How can you prevent this from occuring again? Your first step should be to assess your home’s security. A new system with the following equipment will work wonders in better protecting your home: 

• Surveillance cameras: Nearly every prowler will think twice about breaking in when they observe video cameras. Today’s outdoor and doorbell cameras offer advanced functionality like AI-driven smart detection. Any time there’s questionable activity, you’ll get an alert. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (specifically those on the ground floor) should be safeguarded by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated devices can be controlled from anywhere. Are you worried you neglected to lock up? You can confirm and activate the lock directly from your smartphone. You can even have inside lights turn on if a camera discovers someone lurking.

If you are looking for an integrated system that warns you and monitoring agents any time a camera or sensor is triggered, get a package from the home security specialists at ADT. You’ll appreciate the smartphone access, 24-hour monitoring, and advanced automation.

Stop Break-Ins With The Top Home Security Systems In Appleton

Stop break-ins before they happen with an ADT home security package in Appleton from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install modern equipment from the industry leader. Discover your options by calling (920) 309-5628 or completing our form today.