COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC)- Many of you are likely starting to knock the dust off your air conditioner, but trying to cool off could make you an easy target for burglars.
A/C units are popping up all over the Tri-State. Marilyn McCalister says her family will install their window unit by the end of the month. She knows crooks will try to break into people's homes through the windows.
"I screw mine down. I put screws in the side and the top and bottom so they can't break through," McCalister said.
She said she has had friends have their homes broken into because they didn't take the time to secure their window units.
"Down when I used to live on Madison Avenue, people broke into people's house through the A/C units [in the window]" McCalister said.
Units on the first floor just feet from the sidewalk can be tempting for burglars. It just takes a second to push the unit into the room and jump in. There are a few simple things you can do to keep you and your family safe:
Install a bracket on the outside of the unit. It will support the air conditioner, but it also makes it harder to move out of the way.
You can also add a sliding window lock to each side of the frame to keep anyone from sliding the window up and down. They usually bolt or screw in.
There are also devices you can buy that will prevent the window from sliding up or some people just put a piece of wood up to hold the window in place.
McCalister says the extra time it takes to secure the unit is worth it, especially since there are kids in the house.
"Better to be on the safe side than to be sorry," McCalister said.
If you want to go the high-tech route, you can get a small window sensor alarm for about $20. Just set it at the current window level with the unit in, and if anyone pushes it up, the alarm will go off and hopefully scare the burglar away.
