By By JESSICA SIEFF/Niles Daily Star
Criminal acts of home invasion are no new occurrence in Michiana.
Reports of victims coming home to find their houses and/or cars broken into have come out of various parts of Michiana, as well as residents at home when their houses were broken into near the state line.
Late last month, three men allegedly broke into the home of a 66-year-old South Bend man in the middle of the night.
But incidents of home invasion are increasing during the daylight hours.
In May, the Berrien County Sheriff's Department advised residents of southwest Michigan including Niles and Niles Township to be aware of any suspicious activities after eight reports of home invasion, incidents taking place during the day, were made in the New Buffalo, Three Oaks and Galien areas.
No arrests have been made in regards to any of those incidents.
"The threat is always going to be there, especially now in our economic times," Deputy Karen Klug of the Berrien County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.
Because of dire economic conditions, more criminals are reverting to committing home invasions, she said. "People just need to be proactive."
While local law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the incidents, and are "actively patrolling" areas where crimes have occurred, getting information from residents and victims and members of area neighborhood watch groups can only help in bringing those responsible for the crimes to justice.
Klug said that residents of Niles and the southwest Michigan area have been "lucky" that incidents taking place recently have not been as violent as some that are being reported in other areas, some as close as South Bend and Mishawaka in Indiana.
To be proactive and safe, Klug recommends that residents "lock your doors, lock your car doors…" If windows are to be opened, open them only two inches, she said, and get a lock to keep them from being forced open for entry.
Klug also reminds residents to be aware of their surroundings and what's going on in their neighborhood, watching for things like suspicious vehicles or people coming to the door asking for someone who "used to" live at the residence.
"Report it right away," she said, encouraging citizens to contact their local law enforcement office.
Aside from economic hardship lending to the increasing desperation of criminals, Klug said that the fact that "knowing that we're a busy society," also lends itself to crimes such as home or automobile invasions, as criminals may assume many residents are not at home during the day.
There are other precautions one can take to protect themselves from being a victim of home invasion, Klug said. Should a stranger come to the door, she suggests keeping the door locked, a phone handy and speaking through the door, rather than opening it up to an unknown visitor.
"If you do come home and it looks like your house has been broken into – don't go in," she said.
And for those parents whose children can't wait to get out and play during the summer hours away from the classroom, Klug stresses responsibility to parents and talking with their children about strangers. "If you don't know, you don't go," she said.
Klug, who presented new neighborhood watch signs to Niles Township in May, says an active and aware community is still the best help for law enforcement.
"Get to know your neighbors," she said. "We can drive through your neighborhood…" but they can't tell what might be out of the ordinary.