Holiday Decoration Theft: Villas East 12/1/2016

It seems we have Grinch visiting people's homes this holiday season. A member living on the 12000 block of SW 110 ST Circle South called us to report that someone came to their home on 12/1/2016 between the hours of 9 PM - 12 AM and stole their inflatable holiday yard decorations. We have also seen similar and recent reports of these types of holiday decoration thefts from residents living in the homes that surround our community. Another resident that lives close to our community also reported that on 11/27 someone came to their home and stole their star shower Christmas lights from the front of their home and actually captured the perpetrators on video. If you have a Nextdoor.com account, you can read more about it and see pictures of the perpetrators by Clicking Here.

We know these types of thefts are disheartening and guarding against them is extremely difficult, but there are a few things you can do to try and deter or make it more difficult for them to remove.

• Pound a metal stake into the ground directly behind your lawn decoration using a rubber mallet and attach the decoration to the stake using rope or chain in a way that is not easily removable and hidden from view. This will make it more difficult for a thief to quickly come and snatch the decoration from your yard.
• If you have motion activated security lights on the outside of your home, make sure your decorations are facing them. If a person walks into your front yard after dark the lights will turn on and hopefully scare them away.
• If you can afford too, make sure you are running the decorations all night to make it harder to steal but be sure they are well secured, including the electrical cord.
• If you can, make sure that the extension cord can't be easily disconnected from the decoration or the electrical outlet. Use can use zip ties to bind things together.
• If you have security cameras, make sure they are pointing to your decorations to catch the thieves in action. Also, some security camera systems have the ability to alert you about motion so if you have that feature available, set it up.

Lastly, stay alert for any suspicious activity around your homes and that of your neighbors. The basic rule of thumb is if you see a possible crime in progress, call 9-1-1 right away. If you wish to report suspicious activity, please call the non-emergency number at (305) 476-5423. Please pay particular attention to individuals loitering in the guest parking areas or other parts of the community and if observe anyone circling around the community that should not be there, walking in and around homes or just someone who seems out of place, please contact Police immediately. Miami Dade Police is authorized to ask anyone to leave the property that has no business in this community. After you contact Police, please let us know as well by using our Contact Us page or by calling us at (305) 859-1462 and leaving a message. Messages left at this number are monitored 7 days a week by all members of the board.