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How light can keep your house safe

Posted at 8:12 AM, May 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-12 08:21:34-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- With the temperatures rising and the sun setting later, everyone is enjoying the start of summer. But when the sun sets and your home is in the dark, it becomes a prime target.

"The criminal element are already on high alert because they don't want to be caught, because they know they're doing something they shouldn't be doing," said Officer Jim Gillespie of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Most criminal activity happens after dark, but simply adding a light outside your house can change that.

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Gillespie recommends making sure all four sides of your house are lit.

"I'm not much for DIY," Gillespie said. "I really am not. I always joke that I can't hang a painting straight. But I can install exterior lighting ... If you feel that you're comfortable drilling a couple holes and putting up a light fixture, then do it."

Many of the newest security lights aren't even wired. They run off solar panels.

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After you have the lighting installed, one of the other things police suggest is knowing your neighbors. If they see something that doesn't look right, they can tell you or call police.

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