For many families, spring break is a chance to get away for a week or two on a short vacation. Unfortunately, this means that their home or office is often left vulnerable as many people unwittingly leave clues that let burglars know they’re going to be away for a while. If you live in Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, or Boise, … Read More
Prime time crime time
Summertime is prime time crime time While we always see a jump in criminal activity this time of year, the summer of 2011 is shaping up to be even busier than usual for the verification experts in our monitoring center. During May, June and July, 108 suspected burglars, vandals and trespassers have been caught after a Sonitrol Pacific detection and … Read More
Rooftop HVAC Units at Risk
Unprotected Rooftop Units A High Risk And Devastating Cost Elsewhere in the country, rooftop HVAC units have been a draw to burglars now it is spread to the Pacific Northwest. In recent months reports of HVAC units being stripped of their copper has been reported in significantly increasing numbers. Even though the value of the copper retrieved is hardly … Read More
Sonitrol Pacific team offers tips to secure lock boxes
By Tony Orso, Puget Sound Regional Sales Manager I had a chance to speak with Gary Chittim, Investigative Reporter for KING 5 news. He asked me about the locked key boxes companies may have on their buildings. These boxes are used by the fire and police departments to gain easy access into buildings during emergencies. There have been some cases … Read More
Got Knox Box? Be alert
SECURITY ALERT! The Seattle Police have recently investigated a number of commercial break-ins that devastated the victims. Each has been a business with a Knox Box and key stored inside for emergency personnel. The consistent MO of the bad guys has been to remove the Knox Box, take it to a secure location and remove the key. Days later, the … Read More
Construction site security tips
Thieves view construction sites as attractive targets for the tools, lumber, copper wiring and appliances often found there. Due to an increase in thefts at residential construction sites in their jurisdiction, the Piece County Sheriff’s Department compiled a list of recommendations to better prevent construction site victimization. Since this problem isn’t unique to Pierce County, we wanted to share the … Read More
When a burglar alarm doesn't secure
Garages are notoriously the weak link in home security. To be effective, alarms and security systems must include the garage when planning. Check out our earlier blog posts for tips to reduce the garage risk. Courtesy of Tony Orso, Sonitrol Pacific Puget Sound Regional Sales Manager, other possible risks homeowners may face, even if they’ve been told they are protected … Read More