Law officers in the state warn that leaving doors and windows open in the hot weather can leave you “open” to crime. Des Moines police sergeant Bruce Elrod says some of the ways people try to cool a home can compromise security. Sergeant Elrod says there are ways to stay cool without compromising your security. Hardware stores will sell you “bolt locks” for some kinds of windows that will hold them open just a certain amount, and screens help a little. But leaving a door open just isn’t safe, says the sergeant. Does hot weather mean more crimes are committed?Elrod says the number of police calls go up, but that doesn’t mean there’s more crime, though with more people outside on hot days there’s more chance to become a victim. A Des Moines woman tells police she was raped at her home Sunday night, after she left a door open because of the heat. The suspect is a man the woman says she’d been talking with earlier in the evening.
