Calgary police are reminding people to secure their homes after several break-and-enters across the city.
This comes as officers arrested 32-year-old Tyler Lee Wapegan on Tuesday after a man entered an apartment in the 1300 block of 27 Street S.E. through an open window earlier in July.
Acting detective Peter Healy said the 9 p.m routine is a good way to double-check a home’s entry points before heading to bed.
“Check your windows and see if your gates and the perimeter of your house is secure,” Healy said. “If you are going to leave a window open, I’d still advise to try and close it before bed.”
Healy said even windows on the upper floor need to be secured.
“If someone’s determined enough they will try it,” Healy said. “Particularly if they think in their mind there is something valuable to be gained upon entering… that part of your home.”
Along with windows and doors, CPS also recommends removing valuables and garage door openers from vehicles and turning on an exterior light.
A Calgary woman is also advocating for people to secure their homes after her own run-in with a possible intruder Monday night
Chelsea Quigg said she was putting her son to bed when she heard a noise downstairs.
Thinking it was the wind blowing open a window, she went down to check, only to run into a man trying to make his way through an open window.
“I screamed, ‘Someone’s in the house.’ Then I ran into the nursery to check on our child,” Quidd said. “Honestly, it was the most terrifying moment of my life.”
When Quigg’s husband rushed down, she said the man had taken off.
Quigg said they’ve been careful to lock doors and windows since hearing of similar incidents in their community of Copperfield.
“It had been so hot the last couple of nights,” Quigg said. “On the really hot nights, we’d had the windows open a crack. Not anymore.”
She said she’s urging others to use her incident as a learning experience. Even if it means having a slightly warmer night’s sleep.
“Honestly, I would just say it’s not worth it. Luckily our family is OK,” Quigg said. “But having your windows open is just not worth it. It was the most terrifying thing.”