No crime wave yet, but caution still warranted

An editorial earlier this week touted the quality of life in rural Nebraska -- figures cited by a national magazine listed Arapahoe near the top of the best cities in which to raise children.

The survey was based on issues like test scores, culture, income, cultural and recreational opportunities and the crime rate.

We won't argue with the conclusions; rural Nebraska is a great place to live.

But we shouldn't be naive about crime, even in Southwest Nebraska. We've heard some recent anecdotes about criminal incidents that should cause us to be a little more cautious and aware of goings-on in our neighborhood.

They include the usual incidents of petty theft and vandalism, but a few are more frightening.

In one, guns were stolen from a vehicle parked in the victim's driveway. In another a purse was stolen from a vehicle in front of the owner's house, and the victim returned to find all the doors on the house unlocked, apparently with keys from the stolen purse. In that case, a car was seen fleeing the scene, and, we hope, the authorities will be able to put together enough evidence to solve the crime.

As a result, we think it would be wise to redouble our efforts to lock cars and homes, and keep a watch on our neighborhoods, especially during the holidays, when many of us are gone and many valuables are lying around under the Christmas tree.

The Response Insurance company offers a few tips to keep from becoming a victim this time of the year:

* Check the entire exterior of your home to make sure it is secure, that the windows close tightly and are not easy to "jimmy" open, and there are no easy ways to climb to an upper floor. Move expensive items like computers and TVs out of sight from the windows.

* Secure your home, no matter how long you're going to be away.

* Leave your home with a lived-in look. Put timers on a few lights and a radio set to a talk-radio station, use a motion-detector outside light, and ask a neighbor to pick up your mail and have your newspaper stopped.

* Consider a home alarm system; you might even get a break on insurance.

* Walk around the interior of your home with a camera or video camera and tablet and record all of your possessions. Place the video or photos and list, and perhaps the valuables themselves, in a safe, separate location.

* Tell a trusted neighbor when you will be away -- activity or noise that might otherwise seem normal will trigger alarms if they know you are gone.

* Make sure your homeowner's insurance is up to date, so that you have adequate coverage in case of loss.

Yes, there's no reason to turn our home into a fortress, but there's also no reason to allow criminals to take advantage of our trusting nature.