The North Aurora Police are asking the public to be alert after three garage burglaries that occurred earlier this month in the village in the Tanner Trails subdivision while the residents were home.

There were two cases which occurred in the 500 block  of Kelley Dr. where the offender entered through the side garage service door. 

In one case the offender forced entry and went into vehicles and stole a purse and a laptop computer. In the other, entry was made through the unlocked side service door but nothing was stolen. In the last case in the 2800 block of Berman Rd., the offender entered through the unlocked side service door but nothing was taken.

In the case with forced entry, the offender(s) forced entry with a screwdriver or a tool of some kind. Two of the doors were left unlocked. None of the doors had deadbolts and there were no lights on outside at the service doors. While the offender(s) made entry into the garages, they did not attempt entry into the residence.

The North Aurora Police Department suggests to residents to reduce the chances of becoming a victim:

Make sure all of exterior doors, including garage service doors and doors from the garage into the house, are locked with deadbolts every night.

Keep all of exterior lights on, including those at the entrances, and keep bushes trimmed low. This makes it easy for your neighbors to see someone lurking around your home and removes easy hiding places for offenders.

Consider installing window well covers with cotter pin locks. This not only keeps small children or animals from falling in, but it also keeps offenders out. Cotter pin locks allow easy escape but keep an offender from easily getting in your window well, where he can easily hide.

Consider changing exterior lights to motion activated lights to reduce energy consumption. Having lights turn on as an offender approaches is probably the best defense to scaring an offender off.

Remove valuables from vehicles in your garage and keep them locked.

Also keep a file with model and serial numbers for valuables. This is helpful to the investigation in the event of a burglary.  

North Aurora offers free Crime Prevention Surveys to its residents and businesses. Officer Robyn Stecklein will come to a property, look for vulnerabilities and offer suggestions on protecting the property from crime. 

To schedule a Crime Prevention Survey, contact Stecklein at (630) 897-8705, ext. 716 or email rstecklein@vil.north-aurora.il.us.