MPD Monitoring Unoccupied Homes After Recent Burglaries

Second District police are taking a more proactive approach to check in on unoccupied homes following recent Georgetown burglaries.

The police plan to check in on homes when owners notify them they will be out of town.

In an email sent over the weekend, Second District Officer Antonial Atkins told Georgetown neighbors that he had checked in on about 10 local homes for signs of disturbance while the owners were out of town.

Atkins cited the "recent burglary trend in the Georgetown area," for his efforts.

In an email sent to Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG) block captains last week, Diane Colasanto, a member of the CAG Public Safety Committee, alerted residents to the need to be vigil, even in their absence.

"Earlier this week, on consecutive nights on O St., a burglar (or burglars) targeted homes where the resident was out of town, using tools to try to gain entrance," wrote Colasanto.

Colasanto informed residents that Atkins was willing to stop by homes during his daytime shift if they called or emailed him about their absence (Antonial.Atkins@dc.gov).

Atkins reported that several of the homes he went by did not have sufficient security precautions in place.

"I have found packages under the steps and post it [sic] notes for attempt to deliver package left on the doors of other homes. I have noticed that several homes had windows that were not covered with drapes, curtains, blinds and etc.," he wrote. 

Atkins offered the following safety tips:

• Inform your neighbors across from, the rear of and adjacent to that you will be out of town.
• Inform them to pick up your packages or have them delivered to your office while you are away.
• Invest in a motion detector for your front and rear of the home.
• Inform your neighbors who your contractors are.