Full Notification

Environmental design is a visually appealing way to promote home safety, taking into consideration natural surveillance, territorial reinforcement, access control and “target hardening” to deter crime.

Increase visibility by trimming all bushes and hedges to 3 feet or shorter. Anything taller and you create a hiding place for criminals. Lower shrubs also increase visibility for your neighbors and pedestrian onlookers who may observe and report suspicious activity.

Cover the ground near your windows with gravel. The loud crunch of footsteps on gravel is enough of a deterrent for a burglar to search for another target.

Plant low, thorny bushes beneath your windows. Bougainvillea, barberries, roses or citrus trees discourage criminals from climbing over these prickly specimen to enter a home. Yuccas and other large succulents are a lower-maintenance option. Regardless of your choice, keeping the bushes and trees thinned out increases visibility and decreases places to hide.

Light up dark exterior corners with motion-activated lights. A solar-powered LED motion-activated light is ideal for outdoor use. It frightens would-be trespassers, who think a person has switched on the light. No need to worry about connecting a power source or about the batteries’ running out, either.

Patios and porches free of clutter. Keep spaces up against your home free of places for criminals to hide.

Prominently display signage that may deter a criminal. Alarm, surveillance camera, Neighborhood Watch and “Beware of Dog” signs discourage criminals from approaching the yard or home.

Be a good neighbor. Pick up the newspaper, mail and flyers in your neighbor’s yard and/or on their front door while they are on vacation. In addition, report suspicious activity by calling the Police Department’s non-emergency phone at (408)615-5580. Call 9-1-1 for crimes in progress.