BOISE, Idaho — Boise Police Department (BPD) is reminding residents to keep their homes secured, following several reported incidents of suspicious behavior in a downtown neighborhood.
On Oct. 2, at roughly midnight, BPD officers responded to a report of a "prowler" on the 1400 block of South Manitou. An unknown suspect was reported to be on properties and looking into windows. As police patrolled the neighborhood, looking for the suspect, another report came in. At roughly 12:45 a.m., on the 1200 block of Lincoln Avenue, an unknown suspect approached the rear door of a residence and ran away after the alarm system was activated, police said.
BPD said that there was at least one other report of this suspicious behavior in the area, with a different suspect description.
If residents see suspicious activities, such as the ones described above, they are advised to call Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790.
BPD has provided a list of home safety reminders for residents:
- Install quality locks on doors and windows and use them. Lock and close your doors and windows even when you're home.
- Do not rely on thumb-turn locks on windows, as they can be unlocked through a broken window. A good quality deadbolt should be installed on every exterior entry door no matter how friendly your neighborhood is, make it a habit to check for locked doors each time you leave the house and go to bed.
- Trim shrubs around doors and windows so burglars don't have a sheltered place to work.
- Consider timers hooked up to indoor lights, as well as radios or televisions to give your home that lived-in appearance.
- Close shades, drapes and other window treatments while you're away to keep potentially tempting household items out of view.
- Pay attention to suspicious activity or anything that appears out of place. Immediately report any and all suspicious activity by calling non-emergency dispatch at 208-377-6790 or 911 in the event of an emergency.
- If you have an alarm, set it.
- Lighting is one of the best deterrents. Indoor and outdoor lighting are important; install lights by all exterior doors and make bulbs hard to reach. Motion senor lights are often a good choice for side or backyards.
