It’s Spring!  Before you know it we’ll be headed right into summer.  As we all start to enjoy our time outside and all the great things that Forest Park Southeast and St. Louis have to offer I hope we all remember to Be Great Neighbors.  While we take our bikes in and out of the garage, start pulling the gardening tools and lawn equipment out let’s remember to secure our garages when we’re done.  Here are some things you and your neighbors can do to help each other keep your property safe and continue enjoying the warm weather months in the Forest Park Southeast.

  1. Share your contact information with trusted neighbors or Block Captains so you can alert one another to concerns you may have regarding security.
  2. Be sure and secure all garage doors.
    1. The main overhead door
    2. The man door or side entrance to the garage
  3. Check and secure all windows in your garage.
    1. Securing locks and obstructing the view of your garage contents (Blinds, Curtains or a Film that covers the window).
  4. Make sure any lighting you have is operational.
  5. If you don’t have lighting installed please consider installing motion sensitive lights.
    1. If you need assistance with this, contact the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation and ask about the Safe Homes Program
    2. Contact:  Samantha Royston at (314) 747-2332 or via e-mail at roystons@wusm.wustl.edu
  6. Look out for your neighbors.  If you see a garage door or window that has been left open or didn’t close properly alert your neighbor and/or block captain as soon as possible.
  7. Keep a list of the serial numbers of your lawn equipment, bikes and tools.
    1. An easy way to do this is to take pictures of the item and its serial number and store them in a secure place.
  8. Never store keys to your car or extra sets of keys to your home in the garage.
  9. Remember to take all of your electronic devices from the car, into the house with you at the end of the day.

If you have other tips you would like to share please let us know.  I’m your Neighborhood Advocate and my e-mail is ccompton@cwe.nsi.com