By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Ever head to bed with the overhead door up and the garage left wide open – a welcoming environment for four-legged and two-legged varmints to come in and poke around to check things out?
It’s been known to happen pretty regularly for years in the Town of Waterford, where police now vigilantly keep an eye out for that particular kind of situation, conducting security checks to combat burglaries, said Town Police Chief Tom Ditscheit.
And those pro-active patrols have been effective, he noted.
In 2010, town police took reports of 24 incidents of thefts from autos in the township and 19 incidents in 2011 (also, in 2010-11, the county sheriff’s department was splitting those calls with local officers, and took additional reports), he said.
In 2012, only seven thefts from auto incidents were reported. In 2013, there only have been a couple so far, Ditscheit said.
So, here’s the drill.
If an officer on late night patrol sees an overhead garage door up or a side door open or ajar, the officer will stop and come onto the property to make sure a burglar isn’t inside, said Ditscheit.
If someone is in there, police will take appropriate action.
If the officer discovers a potential burglary has occurred, he or she will immediately contact the resident and investigate, said Ditscheit.
If stolen items are broadcast to other squads quickly, there is a better chance of catching the suspects in, for example, a traffic stop, he explained.
If nobody is inside and all seems OK, the officer will occasionally secure the open door, but most often an officer is not comfortable searching around the garage for the button to close the door, so instead the property will be checked periodically throughout the night, explained Ditscheit.
A note is also left behind advising the homeowner of the need to lock doors and windows to avoid becoming a victim of crime.
Some people prefer to leave their doors open despite the security risk, Ditscheit noted, so officers will only leave a couple of notes for the first couple of times they notice the problem.
Sometimes the added attention can leave a homeowner more confused than appreciative – especially people who are certain they never leave their doors open at night.
But now and then town police will hear from someone who’s grateful for the added attention.
In February, the Town Board reviewed a letter from an Elm Island couple who had inadvertently left their garage door open at night, and who expressed appreciation for the conscientiousness of Town Officer Bill Chesen, who secured the door and left them a note advising them about how vulnerable to theft the open door had left them.
“We appreciate the note and the reminder very much,” they wrote, “as well as the fact that Officer Chesen is watching out for us and the surrounding area.”
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