Crime & Safety

Somerset County Prosecutors Office Offers Crime Prevention Tips Due To Rise In Burglaries

Press release provided by the Somerset County Prosecutors Office

Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano states that law enforcement authorities are observing a trend in residential burglaries throughout the county. Residential burglars have targeted a disproportionately high number of homes of Asian Indian and other Asian ethnic groups. This noted development is not specific to Somerset County as it is also evident in burglaries occurring in Union, Middlesex and Morris Counties as well as in other states. Law enforcement officers point out, that in many instances, the victims of these residences possess gold jewelry having high quality with religious and cultural importance. 

Intelligence gathered by investigators indicates that specific burglary crews will endeavor to determine the locations of Asian Indian and other Asian community clusters and then target those areas for residential burglaries. Typically, these crews look to avoid encounters with any homeowners.  The goal is to avoid confrontation and get away, undetected, with the proceeds of the burglaries.

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Prosecutor Soriano states that all homeowners should take reasonable measures to protect their homes and belongings. The following are suggested steps that homeowners should take to prevent their residences from being the target of a burglary:

·      Promptly take garbage containers in from curbside.

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·      Promptly retrieve delivered newspapers, be sure to arrange for a delivery            stop or someone to retrieve newspapers when away from home.

·      Bring in mail daily, and, if away from home, arrange for a postal hold or someone to retrieve mail.

·      Lock all exterior doors and windows.

·      Lock vehicles--especially if there is a garage door opener inside the vehicle.

·      Avoid leaving key fobs with push start ignitions in vehicles.

·      Cut back overgrown shrubbery near the windows and doors.

·      Lock yard gates.

·      Get to know your neighbors.

·      When observing anyone suspicious in the neighborhood, immediately call your local police.  You are law enforcement’s “extended vision”.

·      Take note of suspicious vehicles and record the license plate number if possible.

·      Beware of “pretextual contacts” like individuals knocking on your door soliciting work, looking for a lost animal, or stating that they thought a friend lived at the residence.  These could be efforts to determine whether the home is unoccupied at the time.  Take note of the direction in which the person walks as well as any vehicles in which they enter, and notify the police of same.

·      Master bedroom and master bedroom closets are primary locations in which burglars look for valuables.  Put valuable in alternate locations. 

Law enforcement in Somerset County continues to deploy its Burglary Task Force which consists of detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and police officers and detectives from municipal police departments throughout the county.  A call from a concerned citizen to law enforcement is not bothersome.  The Task Force has been very successful in the investigation and apprehension of those individuals who choose to commit burglaries.  It is with the public’s assistance, however, that burglaries can be prevented from the very outset.


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