Thursday, May 25, 2017 / News 12 at 6 O'Clock

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- If you've ever been a victim of a burglary, you know that safe feeling can be shattered right along with your windows.

Tony Holley learned the hard way, home break-ins usually happen when you least expect it.

"Walked in and the house was a complete shamble," he said. "Of course, we were both devastated because the whole house had been ransacked."

His first call the next morning was to Cruise Security Systems.

"It's like insurance. You don't need insurance until you need insurance," he said.

Leslie Rahn, President of Cruise Security, was a deputy for five years, so she's seen the pain burglars can leave in their wake.

"I worked several burglaries, and I did witness firsthand what could happen, how people felt. They felt very vulnerable, very invaded," she said.

Now, she helps make sure her customers feel safe, and keeps them from becoming easy targets.

Here are some of her top tips:

-While you're away, make sure all your doors are locked, including screen doors

-Make sure you keep all your shrubs cut away from your windows. Don't give a burglar somewhere to hide

-Install a deadbolt on all entry doors

-Make sure to have a sturdy, solid door that closes correctly

-Make sure your security system panel is not in a spot where burglars can see if it's armed if they look in a window

-Don't let your mail pile up when you are away on vacation

-Keep your yard maintained if you are away

-Don't leave large electronics boxes on the curb for the trash truck

For more tips from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, click here:

For more tips from the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, click here:

In Richmond County, you can sign up for vacation house watch. A deputy will check on your residence while you're out of town to make sure it's secure. Click here to fill out the form:

Deputies say burglars love target that's out of sight. Captain Keith Cox, Captain of the Criminal Investigations Division for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, sees certain trends and patterns when it comes to burglaries.

"Most of our residences with a typical burglar would be a forced entry on the rear door," he explains. "A lot of people have decorative doors on the rear of their residence that makes it a little easier for someone who wants to come in."

Ty to avoid flimsy or glass doors on entrances to your home. They may look nice, but to a burglar, they look easy to smash.

Deputies say one of your best bets to avoid getting hit is to make it look like someone is home.

"If they have any reason to suspect someone is home, 9 times out of 10 they're going to move on to a different house," said Deputy Chris Mezetti.

Deputy Mezzetti tracks crime trends for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, and he says the prime time for burglars is during the week in the early afternoon.

"I guess they figure by that point, if someone is going to come home for lunch, they will have already done so. Then by one or two, they figure they've got the house for at least one or two more hours," he said.

But criminals can be unpredictable. We crunched the numbers to find the peak months for burglaries. We expected maybe December when Christmas presents are under the tree, or summertime when families are on vacation, but the peak month for Richmond County last year was October. The slowest month? February.

Ben Kirkman's job as a security system installer is to think like a burglar, and beat them at their own game. He says technology is making burglary riskier. Now, homeowners can control cameras, alarm systems, and much more from their smartphones.

"You can make it look like you are home if you're on a trip. You can set certain lights to come on in certain bedrooms, or your dining room, whatever the case may be," he said.

All precautions Tony says he will take from now on because once burglars take your things, they also take your sense of security.

"A lot of times when I walk through the door at 11:30 or 12:00 at night, that scene that I witnessed when I walked through several years ago, it still comes back to me," he said.

RICHMOND COUNTY: