According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a burglary occurs every 14.6 seconds across the United States. What can you do to be sure your home isn’t next? Make your home an unlikely target. Burglars are opportunists. They look for homes they believe can be broken into easily without a risk of being caught. Implementing several layers of home security is the best way to make your home look less appealing to crooks.
Doors are the most common entry point. Most burglars will kick in the door rather than spend time picking the lock. That’s why a durable exterior door is important. Solid core doors, made out of wood or metal, are the best choice. Hollow core doors are made for interior rooms and are meant for privacy, not security. All it would take is a good kick and the bad guy gets through. Also, doors with a window or glass side panels within 40 inches of a lock are less secure. It’s too easy to smash the glass and reach through to unlock the door.
Locks are no good unless used. Too many of us leave our doors unlocked, giving crooks an open invitation to rob us. Lock your doors when you leave your house, even if you’re only stepping out back to do yard work. Keep your doors locked when you’re inside your home as well. Robberies have happened while homeowners were in the shower or in another part of the house.
Door knob locks alone do not provide adequate security. The latches are too short and won’t hold up if someone kicks the door. Also, once the latch is extended, it can be pushed back. Most amateur burglars are skilled at jimmying the door open by inserting a credit card or screwdriver between the latch and the strike plate (the piece of metal attached to the door frame).
To increase home security, add a deadbolt lock to all exterior doors. Deadbolt locks have a solid bar, called a throw that slides into a hole in the door frame. Once extended the throw can’t be pushed back, making it impossible to jimmy the door open. A good deadbolt will have a throw that is a minimum of one inch in length. The cylinder—the outer casing that holds the locking mechanism—should be beveled and made of case-hardened steel to make it more difficult for a crook to hit or twist the lock off with tools. There are even drill-resistant deadbolts and deadbolts with hacksaw-resistant throws.
If you have a door with window within reaching distance of your deadbolt, you may be tempted to use a double cylinder deadbolt. Double cylinder deadbolts have a key slot on both sides. In order to unlock the door from the inside, you need a key. While this seems like way to improve security, think of the fire safety risk. Will you be able to find and operate a key when you are in a panic or overcome by smoke? Will your kids be able to?
Finally, it’s important to note, not all locks are created equal when it comes to quality. While you are shopping, look for a lock that has an ANSI grade 1 security rating, the highest quality rating of the American National Standards Institute.
Standard strike plates and hinges usually come with short screws that attach the hardware to the door frame. If a burglar kicks at it, the door frame easily splinters. Replace the short screws with 2 1⁄2 to 3 inch screws. Longer screws will go through the doorframe and into the studs, which will strengthen the frame. You can strengthen the frame even more by replacing the standard strike plate with a heavy duty, four-screw, strike plate.
You never want to open a door without knowing who is on the other side so if your door doesn’t already have a peephole, add one. Some doors have safety chains allowing you to open the door a few inches to see who is there. Peepholes are a safer option than a flimsy door chain because once you open the door, it doesn’t take much for a bad guy to slide his shoulder in the opening and snap the chain.
Chances are if a burglar isn’t entering your home through a door, he’ll be entering through a window. The simplest way to secure your windows is to keep them closed and locked, especially at night while you’re asleep. Don’t assume it’s safe to leave windows open on the second level. Burglars have been known to climb ladders, trees, and even parked cars to gain access to the top floor. Also, be sure window air conditioners are properly secured. It doesn’t take much to push a poorly installed air conditioner out of the way. You may want to invest in a steel protective cage for your unit just to be safe.
There are a variety of ways to reinforce your windows. If you have double hung windows, invest in window pins or extra locks to make them difficult to pry open. Consider replacing standard glass with glass that is designed for added security, like tempered glass, laminated glass or polycarbonate. Invisible security film is another option. Applied to the window, the film will not prevent the glass from breaking. But it will hold the pieces in place, which makes it challenging for someone to crawl through. Whatever method of reinforcement you use, make sure it doesn’t interfere with your family’s fire escape plan. For example, window bars are the best way to secure your windows. If a burglar smashes the glass he’s won’t be able to squeeze through the bars to get inside. While this security measure is effective at preventing bad guys from getting in, it also prevents your family from getting out during a fire.
A: Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. However, before you leave your child home alone, there are some things for you to consider. Some states have child neglect laws stating the minimum age a child can be left home alone but most just offer guidelines. Check with your local child protective services agency for specifics.
If your child meets the age set in the guidelines, it still might not be safe to leave them home alone. Ask yourself some questions to determine your child’s home alone readiness. Is my neighborhood safe? How secure is my home? Does my child know how to lock all the doors and windows? Can he arm and disarm the alarm? Does he know what to do if the alarm goes off?
Talk to your child about what he should do if someone rings the doorbell. In general, it’s best to advise him not to answer the door. And if your child answers the telephone while you’re away, make sure he knows never to say you aren’t there. Instead, instruct him to say something like “My parents are too busy to come to the phone right now, can I take a message.”
Even if you’re confident your home is secure and you developed a family plan for home invasions, your child is not ready to be left home alone if...
Every year or so, I receive an email from the police department notifying the residents of my neighborhood about a rash of garage break-ins. Truth be told, it’s not really a break-in as much as it is a walk-in since in every case, the garage doors were left open. The crooks walked right in and helped themselves to tools, golf clubs and more. Unfortunately, this is common in neighborhoods everywhere that’s why it’s important to keep your garage door closed.
A closed garage doesn’t necessarily guarantee a secure garage either. Some thieves will break into cars parked in driveways and use the garage door remotes to gain access to garages. Whenever you park outside the garage, don’t leave the garage door remote clipped to the visor. If you don’t think you can remember to take it in and out of the car, use a keychain garage door remote instead.
If a burglar succeeds at getting into your garage, do you really want him to be able to waltz right into your house? Treat the entry door from the garage to your house like an exterior door. Install a solid core door with a deadbolt and keep it locked. It’s also a good idea to install a peephole in the door. If you hear a noise in the garage, it’s safer to investigate through a peephole than it would be to open the door.
When you go on vacation, lock your garage door. Unplugging the garage door opener is one way to do this, however I recommend you physically lock the door with a garage door lock to prevent fishing. Fishing is when burglar slides a hooked coat hanger under the overhang and pulls the emergency release cable to open the door.
Sliding glass doors are the most difficult entry point to secure. It’s rare that a crook will smash a huge pane of glass since the noise may attract unwanted attention. Nevertheless, apply invisible security film to the glass just in case. To prevent the burglar from busting the lock and sliding the door open, lay a wooden dowel in the track. Also, install several, large pan-head screws into the upper channel to prevent someone from lifting the door out of the track.
Lighting is a simple and inexpensive way to deter burglars. Exterior lights illuminate the shadows bad guys love to hide in and interior lights can trick them into thinking you are home.
Exterior lights should always be turned on at night. Every door should have a light and preferably a two light bulb fixture in case one blows out. Motion sensor lights provide a bright sudden burst of light when someone walks by and can be effective at scaring away someone who is up to no good. At the same time they give you a heads up that someone is in the yard. Install one on all the corners of your house. Be sure it’s high out of reach so that a criminal can’t unscrew the bulbs or cut wires to disable the light.
Do you leave a light on when you are away from home? Most of us do. But do you always leave the same light on, like the light over the kitchen sink or the lamp in the corner of the living room? Unfortunately, leaving these “beacon lights” on aren’t fooling the crooks. You need to be more unpredictable if you want the bad guys to think someone is home. Put your lights on timers. It is the best way to achieve unpredictability. Timers allow you to randomly turn on lights at scheduled times through the night. Remember, be unpredictable. Avoid scheduling the same light to go at the same time every night.
Remember, the last thing a burglar wants is to be seen. Houses with plenty of hiding places are ideal targets because they keep bad guys from being seen by the neighbors. Take a good look at your home’s exterior and eliminate these hiding places. Trim bushes and hedges closest to your driveway, sidewalks, and doors to a height of no more than three feet. Don’t let the shrubs under the windows grow taller than the window sill. Prune the lower branches of trees. A good height is seven feet off the ground. Then prune the upper branches away from the house to discourage someone from climbing the tree to gain access to your second story.
Some homeowners believe fencing will deter a burglar because he can’t walk through the yard as easily. This is true but fences—especially privacy fencing—provide cover for bad guys since they can make it difficult for neighbors to see your house. If you have a fence, be sure to keep the gate closed and locked.
Landscaping can be used to deter someone from breaking in. Plant thorny shrubbery like barberries, roses or yucca under your windows and along fences. Place gravel on the ground in front of first story windows. It’s difficult for the bad guys to sneak around when they are making loud crunching footsteps.
Burglars are on the lookout for unattended homes, so before you leave on a family trip, do your best to secure your home. If you’ve been meaning to install that deadbolt but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, get it done before you leave on vacation. Put your lights on timers and don’t forget to activate your alarm when you leave.
Inform your neighbors of your plans so they can keep watch on your house. Make arrangements for them to pick up your mail and put your trash cans out on trash day. If it’s winter, make arrangements for snow removal. Pristine white snow on the driveway and walkways is a dead giveaway that no one is home. If you can’t rely on your neighbors consider hiring a house sitter. You can also stop mail and newspaper delivery through the post office and newspaper. It is better than leaving it to pile up but understand that you are still taking a chance. You just don’t know who is privy to the stop request information.
Check with your police department. Do they offer vacation security checks? In my town, homeowners can inform the police department of vacation plans. During their absence, a police officer will periodically stop by the home to check for open doors, broken windows or any other sign of a break-in.
Keep quiet about your vacation plans on social media. Posts like “Paris, here we come!” on your Facebook page are not the best idea. Yes, you may have the privacy settings activated but how well do you really know everyone on your friends list? Save the vacation photos and the status updates for when you return. Also, avoid talking about your vacation plans in public. It’s very possible that the wrong person will overhear you. They may decide to follow you home to see where you live and then come back and rob you while you are away.
Lastly, a well-maintained lawn and landscape can also be a psychological deterrent. If you take the time to keep the exterior of your home in tip-top shape, you are sending a message that you care about your home and a burglar may assume you’ve taken steps to protect it.
Dogs are a great addition to your home security plan. Not all dogs are intimidating but most provide another security layer a potential thief has to get through. Once the burgular realizes he will have to deal with a dog, he will usually pass up your house in favor of dog-free home.
Most dogs make good watch dogs. Their barking alerts you to potential invaders. And if properly trained, some dogs are excellent protection dogs and can be relied on to keep you or your property safe from an intruder. Before you add a dog to your home, do your homework. There are breeds that have stronger protective or territorial instincts. Read up on different breeds, visit animal shelters and seek the advice of a good dog trainer.
If you already have a dog, be realistic about his home security abilities. Will he warm up quickly to someone with treats? Does he cower from strangers? Or does he happily greet everyone who comes through the door? You hope he will jump into protection mode when there’s a threat, but you can’t be sure. His behavior may not be different with a burglar. On the other hand, an aggressive dog that would surely hurt an intruder isn’t necessarily the best answer either. There is always a risk he could hurt a friend or family member.
If an alarm system isn’t in your budget, keep your car keys beside your bed at night. Hear a noise? Hit the panic button on the key fob to set off the car alarm. There’s a good chance the noise will scare the burglar away.
Who keeps an eye on your home when you’re away? Get to know your neighbors. I have an agreement with my next door neighbors on both sides to watch each other’s houses when we go on vacations. It’s great to have someone pick up the mail, turn on lights and take out the trash—all the things that help keep up that lived-in appearance. And it’s comforting to know that if something suspicious is going on, one of them will immediately call the police. I highly recommend you build a support network with the people on either side of your home and those across the street if you feel they could be trustworthy.
Neighborhood Watch programs are another way neighbors helping neighbors effectively lower the risk of home burglaries. The purpose of a watch group is not to act as police. Instead, neighbors agree to be alert to their surroundings and report suspicious activity if they see it. If your neighborhood doesn’t already have a program you can join, consider starting one. Find like-minded neighbors who are willing to commit the time. Then contact your police department and ask for their assistance in forming the group.
No home is 100-percent burglar-proof but research shows that a home with a good alarm system is less likely to get broken into than one without. For some crooks, it’s the fear of getting caught, for others it’s the hassle of dealing with another security layer.
The best alarm system is a monitored one. The alarm is connected to a central monitoring station and if it’s activated, someone is there to notify the police. The only downfall is it’s not cheap. You’ll pay for the equipment, installation and then a monthly monitoring fee. How much you’re willing to invest will determine what options are available to you. Some options are: motion detectors, glass break detectors, video surveillance cameras, panic buttons, flood detectors, battery back-up, remote control key fobs and fire and carbon monoxide alarms. Usually, signing a two or three year monitoring contract with the company results in a hefty discount on the price of equipment and there’s no shortage of companies offering systems. It pays to shop around. Do some research and go with a reputable company.
If you’ve made the investment, use it. There’s only been two break-ins on my street since I’ve lived here. In both cases, the homeowners forgot to turn on their alarms. Too many of us don’t activate our alarms because we forget, we decide not to or we don’t even know how. Your alarm system is useless if it isn’t turned on. Teach everyone in your house how to arm and disarm the system and make setting the alarm a house rule.
I’ve always said, “If you are going to break into my house, please do it when I’m not home.”
As bad as burglaries are, home invasions are worse. A home invasion is when a criminal forces his way into your house while you are home with the intent of stealing from or harming you. Home invasions are terrifying and in some cases deadly.
There are things you can do to reduce the chance of a home invasion. Keep exterior doors locked and if you have one, turn on your alarm system when you are home. Yes, it’s inconvenient and no, it won’t prevent someone from entering your home. But it will give you advance warning of an intruder and as a result you will have more time to react. At the same time, it will notify authorities that you need help.
If the doorbell rings and it’s someone you don’t know, always assume they are there to do you harm. Never open the door! Instead, talk to them through the door. I’ll admit when I first started doing this, I felt pretty stupid. But you will get used to it (I promise!) and frankly, who cares. Your safety is more important than what the other person thinks.
If the person on the other side of the door needs help and is asking to use your phone, offer to make the call for them instead. And don’t be tricked into opening the door by someone is dressed as a pizza delivery or repairman. If you are expecting a repairman, don’t assume that the person ringing the bell is him and fling the door wide open. Again, ask through the closed door who is there. If the person says they are from a utility company but you aren’t expecting them, place a call to the utility company and find out if they are who they say they are.
If you absolutely can not get used to the idea of talking to someone through the door, I recommend you only open it a little ways. Brace your shoulder and your foot against the back of the door so it will be harder to push past you.
Finally, be aware of what’s going on in your neighborhood so you will know if something doesn’t seem right. Is there a strange car parked within view of your house? Report anything out of the ordinary to the police. And if you pull into your neighborhood and see that the same car has been behind you since you left the grocery store, do not pull into your driveway. Pass by and go somewhere public, like a store or restaurant, and call the police.
Whenever I hear the word safe room, images of a high-tech steel fortress similar to Jodie Foster’s in the movie Panic Room comes to mind. Some homeowners actually have fortified safe rooms, but if you don’t, you can make a simple, effective one.
Choose a room away from entry doors. A windowless, interior room works best, like a bathroom or closet. When considering your options think about how the room will work for your family. Do you have small children? If so, their bedroom closet may make the perfect safe room since you’ll be running to get them anyway. Is your bedroom on a different level than your children’s? Maybe you need to create two safe rooms—one upstairs and one downstairs—in case it’s impossible for everyone to get together in time.
Once you’ve chosen the room, get busy reinforcing it. Replace the door with a solid core door. Throw away your flimsy interior door knob and use one made for exterior doors. Add a deadbolt to the door. (Two is fine too!) Strengthen the strike plate by using longer screws. Mount hinges (with non-removable pins) on the outside, so the door swings out instead of in. This will make it more difficult to kick in. And don’t forget the peephole! Whatever room you choose, the goal is to put as many barricades as possible between you and the intruder. If you choose a bedroom closet, it’s not a bad idea to double your protection and fortify the bedroom door too.
Your safe room should be equipped with a way to call 911. If you don’t keep your cell phone within arms reach 24/7, then run a landline into the room. Another option is to get a spare cell phone and store it, fully charged, in the room. Make sure you add a flashlight, first aid kit and a weapon.
When we hear the word weapon, most of us think of guns. Before you bring a firearm into your home, ask yourself these questions:
If you answer no to any of these questions, then skip right over this section. It’s OK if guns are not for you. Instead, a more suitable weapon might be a Taser, pepper spray, or my former pre-gun favorite, a baseball bat.
If you’re thinking of becoming a gun owner, learn your state’s gun laws. A state-by-state summary is available on the National Rifle Association’s website at www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-laws.aspx. And since these laws change, you’ll need to stay informed. Be sure you are clear on the laws regarding the use of deadly force. You can’t take a bullet back. Once you’ve fired a gun, you have to live with the consequences.
Responsible gun owners practice safe handling rules every single time they pick up a gun—no exceptions. Always treat a gun as if it’s loaded. Always point the gun in a safe direction. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. And lastly, always identify what you are shooting at before you shoot (Never shoot at noises!) and know what’s behind it.
Before you purchase a gun, do your research to figure out what gun is right for you. Shotguns and handguns are popular choices for home defense but I don’t recommend you buy either until you have had the chance to shoot them. Go to a range that offers training courses and try different models and calibers.
Once you purchase a gun, learn how it operates. How do you load and unload it? How do you clear it? How do you clean it? Decide how you will safely store it. Will you carry it holstered on your body at all times? Or will you invest in a gun safe? Once you’ve come up with a safe storage plan, follow it. Safety is no one else’s responsibility but yours.
Just because you’re willing to take a life to protect your loved ones, doesn’t mean you have the cool-headed composure needed to carry it out. Are you sure you will respond quickly and confidently under any circumstances? Or will you hesitate, giving the bad guy a chance to grab your gun and turn it on you or a family member? Invest in shooting lessons with an experienced firearms instructor. You’ll learn the fundamentals like proper grip, stance and trigger control before you move onto more advanced skills—quick draw, shooting at moving targets and shooting in low light conditions.
Then, make a commitment to practice regularly. A former Navy Seal friend of my family who is also a firearms instructor once told me: Under extreme stress, we all revert back to our training. If your training consists of one or two sessions at the indoor range shooting at stationary targets, you will probably freeze up and do nothing in a scary situation.
It’s impossible to predict exactly how an intruder will get in the house and how everyone will react. That’s why it’s important for your family to sit down together to discuss possible “What if” scenarios and make a plan. What if a bad guy breaks through the door in the middle of the day? What if there are two bad guys? Nothing is too farfetched. Let your imagination run wild.
Another part of your plan should be to come up with a code word. Similar to yelling “Fire”, when the code word is used, everyone in the family must react as planned. The plan may be to get to the safe room or it may be to exit the house. And then just like you practice your fire escape plan twice a year, practice your home invasion escape plan.
If you hear glass break or some other commotion, don’t go and investigate. Instead, the best thing to do is stay out of the way. Get to your safe room or get out of the house and call 911.
If you wake up and realize there is someone in your house, keep quiet and assess the situation. How many people are there and where are they in your house? Can your family get out of your house safely? If not, get to your safe room and call 911. Drop something heavy on the floor. They may not have known you were home and the noise might scare them away. If the intruder tries to break into your safe room, tell him you already called the police. Then warn him you have a weapon and get ready to fight.
If you can’t get out or get to your safe room and you’re forced to interact with the intruder, stay calm and do what he says. Hand over any valuables without hesitation. If he turns violent, fight back with everything you got, keeping one goal in mind: escape.