The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department has seen a rise in burglaries in recent weeks, in particular around Shawano Lake in the Town of Wescott and the northwest corner of the county.
While the sheriff’s department will do everything in their power to help prevent burglaries, Sheriff Adam Bieber says part of the onus falls on citizens to ensure that they’re not easy targets.
“Obviously, we encourage people, and we expect people, to make sure their property is under watch,” Bieber said. “We have four deputies on at any given moment in Shawano County. We cannot watch every property in Shawano County. We will do our best, but it just isn’t going to happen.”
Preventative measures people can take include installing motion lights, always locking doors and garages and covering windows to help guard against people looking in from the outside for valuables. It’s also recommended to be aware of the activity in your neighborhood.
“It’s a good idea to set up game cameras, find out what vehicles are coming and going in your neighborhood, see who’s walking by your property,” said Bieber. “It’s just good information to have so that if something does happen, you can give that to law enforcement after the fact, or before the fact and maybe we can correct that behavior beforehand.”
He adds it’s also important to be in contact with your neighbors to help look out for one another.