Your Privacy Fence Hides Burglars: 9 Gate and Fence Fixes (Seniors Living Alone)

Nobody answers the knock, so he walks around to the back yard. Police in Tustin, California, say that is what this kind of burglar often does. And Denton police say a privacy fence "affords a burglar a hiding place." Here are nine gate and fence fixes named police departments recommend. THE NINE (every one from a named police department) 9. Put your house number on the back fence. Denton Police (Texas): it "will help police locate your house quickly when responding to a call." San Diego: in a gated community, give the police your entry code. 8. When you're out back, lock the front. Port Wentworth Police (Georgia): in the back yard, keep the front and side doors locked. 7. Light the side of the house. Tacoma Police (Washington): "Security lights with a motion or photo cell detector will light up the side area of your house." 6. Trim what grows along the fence. San Diego Police (2016): bushes under 3 feet, tree canopies at 8. Tacoma: under 2 feet, trees limbed 6 feet up. Different numbers, same point. 5. Plant thorns, and put down gravel. San Diego: "Plant bushes with thorns or prickly leaves near windows and along fences." Tacoma: "Landscape rocks make a loud crunching noise when someone walks on them". 4. Buy a padlock worth the money. Porter Police (Indiana): "do not economize." Denton: hardened steel, a half-inch shackle, a double locking mechanism, a five-pin tumbler and a key retaining feature. 3. Make sure nobody can reach in and open it. San Diego: wrought-iron gates opened from the inside by a lever arm or knob "should have shields on the gates and the adjacent fencing to prevent a person from reaching in to open them." 2. Pick a fence nobody can hide behind. Tacoma: "Solid fencing may provide you with privacy, but it also provides privacy for burglars as they attempt to break into your home." Or raise a wood fence 10 inches off the ground. 1. Lock the side gate. Every time. San Diego: "Install a good side-yard gate and keep it locked at all times." South Gate Police (California, 2025): "Lock gates and side doors." WHAT THIS EPISODE DOES NOT COVER How anybody gets over a fence or through a gate - no method, no tools. Confrontation or weapons. If you rent, the fence and the gate are your landlord's decision. Many police departments offer a free home security survey. Ask yours.