Residential Security Tips
by John M. Carpino
If a stranger rings your bell and his story doesn't sound
right and appears nervous, alert the police. It may be a burglar checking to see if anyone
is home. Had no one answered the door when he rang the bell, he would have tried to break
in.
Lock all windows and doors when leaving the house unattended. If you have a security
system, use it! Its like an officer not wearing his or her bullet proof vest. You never
know when you will be the next target.
Install double dead bolt type locks on doors where there is glass near the lock. A thief
can break the glass, reach in and guess what, you're a victim. A double dead bolt lock
would prevent this from happening. Yes, the thief can pry off the double dead bolt or kick
a wooden door from the hinges, but it is just as easy to move on to the next target.
Besides a majority of the burglars are neighborhood kids looking for fast cash.
Use as much outdoor lighting as possible, especially in areas that may conceal a burglar's
activity. Use motion type lighting in these areas.
Check with a local locksmith or hardware store for ideas on how to better equip your home
with security devices for windows and doors. Don't forget about basement windows and
attached garage, as these are areas often overlooked by the homeowner.
When moving into a new home? Change the locks! Sounds simple but you would be surprised
how many new owners don't do it. Particularly with new construction. Once the house
is turned over to you from the builder, have the cylinders rekeyed by a locksmith.
Don't forget about the garage door opener that is on the sun visor waiting to be taken,
while the car is parked unlocked on the driveway. This is another good source for a
burglar to gain easy entry into your home.
Check with your local police as they may have a service
available, free of charge, to visit your home and make recommendations for home security.
When home don't leave your front door or patio door unlocked as burglars like to
walk around and find open doors. A burglar can enter your house either during the day or
while you are sleeping, and take whatever they are looking for. Don't make yourself
an easy target. If you have windows on the ground level, don't leave them open while you
are away and never at night when the family is sleeping, unless there is a limit
protection that will restrict the window from opening so far for a person to crawl
through. Even in the best neighborhoods burglars go around at random and look for the
target with no security system and unlocked doors or windows.
If you insist on leaving your windows open on the ground floor, then you need to seriously
consider an security system with motion detection. An alarm provider can educate you on
what type of system and related options will best fit your lifestyle.
Going on vacation ?
Stop the U.S. Mail delivery.
Stop any/all newspaper delivery.
Call police and see if they provide service to check your home while you are away.
Load luggage in garage, don't advertise the fact you are leaving on a trip.
Ask a trusted neighbor to park on your driveway and give the appearance someone is home.
Ask a relative to stop in and check the residence while you are out of town and leave
word with a trusted neighbor how they can contact this relative in the time of
need.
Trim evergreens/bushes so police and or neighbors can see windows/doors from the street on
the ground level. Overgrown bushes may offer cover for a burglar or even provided a means
to reach the second story of a residence.
Think about installing an alarm system. All the locks in the world won't stop a burglar
from entering into your home, but a security system will stop em in their tracks. If you
are worried about a burglar defeating a security system, you apparently have something of
value in your home that sounds like it should be secured in a bank security vault.
Burglars are looking for CASH, JEWELRY, and SMALL ITEMS easily concealed and most often
not traceable. If a burglar takes an item of jewelry , he needs to sell it for fast cash.
A burglar will sell an item for as little as 10 percent of the value in order to buy drugs
that he desperately needs due to a dependency problem. A majority of street crimes are a
direct or indirect result of the drug abuse problem facing our country.
Don't be naive and think nothing like this will happen in your neighborhood.
Don't wait until its too late.
Report all suspicious activity to your local police.
Sgt. Nathan Teslik of the Butler Township Police in Pennsylvania recently advised
SafetyCops of a series of burglaries he worked where the "paper boy" was a
member of the burglary crew. The victim homeowner would stop newspaper delivery while he
goes on vacation. The kid then passed the information on to his burglar friends. In one
case the kid would purposely collect on rainy days so he'd get invited inside. The paper
boy would case the house from the inside while the homeowner went for the payment. Then
he'd come back when the homeowner went on vacation and hit the place. This enterprising
future criminal was given two key pieces of information from his victim: he was told that
the house would be vacant, and he got a look at the property inside. Instead of just
canceling delivery, you may want to have a neighbor collect the papers each day.
Thanks for the Tip, Nathan!!
If it looks like a burglar, walks like a burglar, sounds like a burglar.... guess what,
it's a BURGLAR.
SafetyCops say forget about the spare house key idea in the fake rock. Get
Real!
SafetyCops.com
