Burglar Disables Home Alarm System By Unplugging Phone Jack

The security company tells police it was not aware the alarm system had been compromised.

SAUSALITO, Calif. – Police in this Northern California community near San Francisco are warning homeowners their security systems may not be as secure as they think. A recent burglary exposed a weak link in the communication systems of some security companies, KTVU.com reports.

The residence that was burglarized had a home security system, but the burglar or burglars were able access the utility box outside the home and unplug the phone jack for the security system, without the security company being aware the system was disabled, according to the news report.

Sausalito Police Officer Nick White investigated the burglary and contacted the security company to find out what time the burglary occurred.

“And they told me there was no record of it, and they don’t keep records of the hard line disconnects,” White told KTVU-TV. “I was very surprised and I was more surprised they didn’t have a record at all, or a time stamp of when the disconnection would have occurred.”

Police aren’t revealing the name of the security company while officers investigate the crime.

“The fact that an alarm can be disarmed from the outside and not notify the police station or not notify the protection company is something I think we all have to be aware of,” Mark Grace, a Sausalito resident, told KTVU-TV. “I actually did have a small break-in and fortunately my alarm did go off. It actually scared the perpetrator out of the house right away, so I was glad that I did have an alarm.”

Police say they want homeowners to know how the recent burglary happened so they can arm themselves with information by asking their utility and security companies how secure their utility boxes and security systems are, and consider a wireless security system if it works for their households, according to the report.

 

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Tagged with: Fire & Intrusion News

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