Don’t be a Burglary Victim

Safety Tips From Your Montecito Association and Santa Barbara County Sheriffs

We discuss Montecito crime statistics at every board meeting, the second Tuesday of every month at 4 pm. Lt. Arnoldi from the Sheriff’s Office watches trends and keeps us up to date. He also offers the latest tips for how to best protect your home. We take safety seriously here in Montecito! 

Really important tip: The Sheriff’s Deputies can only help when informed in a timely manner. So, when something happens, CALL. Don’t wait, don’t vent on Nextdoor, or talk amongst yourselves. Your calls are added to our crime stats. If no one calls, it looks like there are no problems… so call. Call Direct to Emergency Communications Center (805) 692-5743. Santa Barbara County Sheriff does not charge for “false alarms.”

Break-ins happen a lot during the day, or when people leave for errands or go to dinner. They rarely happen at 3 am. Here are some tips to reduce your risk of burglary:

1. Install cameras. No one wants to be caught on video! Even fake cameras make a good deterrent. 

2. Install and use deadbolts on doors. You can hide a key next to the door for emergency exits.

3. Got a gate? Give your gate code to the Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center. Deputies are happy to do premise checks, but they need to be able to get on and access the property to check around. 

4. Set your alarm even when leaving the house for a short period of time. Yep, even to just go out and get coffee. Leave that alarm on! 

5. See a strange vehicle parked on the street? No construction project nearby? Report suspicious vehicles immediately. People have parked on the street to case a property, and then either burglarize it later, or squat in it, if vacant.

6. Install bright motion sensor lights. 

7. Put lights in and around the house on timers.

8. Discontinue newspaper deliveries when you are traveling. Nothing says, “there’s no one home” like a pile of unread newspapers and packages at the bottom of a driveway.

9. Have your mail person “hold the mail” when you are traveling. 

You’re welcome to join us every month at the Montecito Association board meeting on the 2nd Tuesday at 4 pm. Our Sheriff Lt. Arnoldi is always on, and happy to answer your questions.

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association