Burglar Proofing Your Home

Jack H. Thanks very much for your good advice, CK. Handy tips that we all can use. - 01/18/2012

C. K. Here are some tips we use for keeping criminals from gaining access to our home via preventing them from stealing items from our Auto. Theft from inside vehicles happens alot to parked autos in our city (in driveways, on the street, and in public parking lots, even in broad daylight). Leave nothing in sight. Keep valuables hidden; safest is in your trunk (locked) or carry your garage door opener in purse if possible Do not leave garage door openers, home address or personal ID in your (vacant) parked vehicles or glove compartments (these can be stolen and used to gain access to your home and/or finances). I also leave a fake "joke" plastic pile of dog poo or on my dashboard; it looks disgusting. Thanks everyone for your tips--I will share them with my Neighborhood Watch group at our upcoming meeting. - 01/17/2012

Mike D. My neighbors were burglarized this afternoon. Suspects/s cut power to the residence to eliminate the alarm activation and then kicked in the side garage door. Some alarm companies are alerted by the loss of power in the residence (they have an external battery source) and the local law enforcement is notified anyway. - 01/11/2012

Bob W. I just heard about a WiFi camera that will upload a video stream offsite for 7 or 30 days. Check it out at www.dropcam.com. (I have no relationship with this company.) - 04/21/2011

Bob S. They forgot the most important security system...Smith and Wesson. Even if you have kids in the house a firearm will protect you when used properly. Remember when seconds count the cops are only minutes away. I was on the phone with an alarm company. I asked "the alarm goes off, what do you guys do for me." "We call the home. If we don't get you there we call the alternate number. If we don't hear from you there we try the first number again. Finally we call the police." Great I am on the floor bleeding and my wife getting strangled and you're playing phone tag. - 02/21/2011

Aries L. Keep the instruction manuals that come with electronics and such in a safe deposit box or like place so that if there is a burglary or fire you have record of brands and models of prized possessions. - 02/21/2011

D K. Homes have vulnerabilities that most people either don't realize or they ignore. Number 1: Most places are made of wood. Wood can be easily cut. 2. Doors can be kicked in unless frame is reinforced or a door bar is used 3. Windows can be broken unless specially treated to hold onto the pieces and use wood dowels at least 3/4". 4. Attics and crawlspaces are vulnerabilities in the home that usually people forget to install locks or grilles on vents. 5. Roof drain pipes can be climbed. If using anti-climb paint, be sure to post signs to avoid lawsuits. 6. Get a watch dog. Unwanted noise and a loyal companion prevents intruders from doing or attempting. Be sure to post signs to warn intruders and avoid potential lawsuits. 7. Get a security system, especially one with a motion sensor and a panic button if possible in case of an intruder. 8. Do not leave valuables, extra keys, guns, etc. in plain view or easy to find places without proper lockers or safes. 9. Shred all confidential information, especially credit card offers, bank or credit card statements or lock in a file cabinet that is bolted to the ground. Make sure mailbox is locked. 10. Mark all possessions. If police do catch the thief or recover items, you will need to prove the items are yours. Driver's license number is easily identifiable and most crooked shop owners won't take items with the number clearly visible. 11. Be sure to remember the adage that anything you have can be used against you in combat. Don't leave sharp objects, weapons, or anything that can be obtained easily to be used against you. If a burglar does carry in a weapon, he or she is looking at a harsher prison sentence or attempted robbery, not just misdemeanor burglary or trespass. Most thieves know this and know where to look for weapons, ex. kitchen, garage, etc. 12. Set up a safe room or closet. Should be able to withstand an intruder's attempt to get to you (reinforced door frame or door bar), for you to wait him or her out with rations of water or food, should be easily accessible by you from your bedroom where you sleep. 13. Have an escape route. For fires or intruders, you need a way to vacate the premise without necessarily using the front door. Second floor bedrooms need some sort of rope ladder to exit if necessary. 14. Secure all. This means don't leave garage door openers in your car outside where a criminal can break into your car to get to. Don't leave extra set of keys underneath the door mat, flower pot, etc. that a person with enough determination will search and find. - 02/10/2011

S F. I have my security.....my GLOCK. - 02/09/2011

Frank R. Get a gun ,,, You get more security with Lights , alarm system , dog with a gun then you do with lights, alarm system and dog alone - 02/08/2011

Russ C. Look at crimedoctor.com. Great stuff. Mike M: Law Enforcement is under-budgeted, under-staffed, and overwhelmed. As cliche as it sounds, we can't be everywhere at once. We simply don't have the manpower. Guns: Make sure to know the local laws in your sleep. Avoid signs that say "Trespassers Will Be Shot", "Insured by Smith and Wesson/Glock/etc", etc. While some of us understand the humor and intent, others (juries) will take that as evidence that you have violent tendencies, trigger-happy, 'homicidal tendencies", etc. Shooting is always the last thing you want to do. These signs also tell burglars to "stake out my house, wait until I'm away, them break in and steal my guns." These signs are asking for trouble. ALL bullets will pass through drywall, hollow doors, kitchen and bath cabinets, etc and can hit the wrong people if they go stray. I'm an instructor and I've seen it all. Dogs: Small dogs are like furry alarm systems. Big dogs are like bigger furry alarm systems. Dogs can present liability insurance problems. Check with your insurance company first. There have been cases where a dog has been shot, beaten, enticed away from the point of entry, etc. Surveillance cameras: Good idea. I have even seen them at Home Depot, Sam's Club, WalMart (I think), and Ace Hardware. I don't think much of the quality. Better systems can be expensive. Some smart phones have apps where you can remotely monitor the cameras from your phone or computer. Home security systems: Great idea. Make sure you do your research. Also, they, too, can be defeated, but better than nothing. Locks: Buy good ones, double-cylinder, with a good deadbolt, and 3" screws (or larger) into the door frame. Also, I have locks on my interior bedroom doors to make it that much harder for bad guys to get in. Always use longer screws than the junk the locks come with. They're useless. Lights: More is better. Bushes: fewer is better. Keep them minimal. Valuables: Keep them out of sight, blinds closed. Record serial numbers and keep the records somewhere safe. Keep junk jewelry in your jewelry box, the good stuff well hidden. Again, look at http://www.crimedoctor.com/- it's free advice from a very experienced security consultant. - 02/08/2011

Rick C. Go to the store and buy the BIGGEST sized pair of boots you can find, preferably size 16 or bigger. Get them a bit muddy and them put them on the porch by the door. - 02/08/2011

Connie W. You may or may not believe this, but I swear on my life it is the truth. I live in KY and a guy tried to pry open my back door with a tire iron but upon discovering someone was home (no car in driveway and no one answered the door), he fled. The deputy sheriff that responded told me I can shoot someone who tries to break in, but if I shoot them on the porch or in the yard, to drag them inside the house before I call the police. hahaha! - 02/05/2011

K C. I break into houses for a living. I own a locksmith business here in San Francisco and often have to get people in who are locked out, go with the sheriff on evictions, and see the aftermath of break-ins. Many people kindly make my job of getting in to the house much easier by having ultra cheap locks and/or glaring security lapses. If the lock on your door cost less than the dinner you ate last night, it is not going to be hard to get past it. That's not to say that more expensive necessarily equals better, but a 12 dollar lock is usually defeated quickly. The Schlage B560 is a really nice deadbolt (better than the model sold at Home Depot) that lasts and is good value. It's important to always use deadbolts on exterior doors. Alot of people just use knob locks and don't bother locking the bolt. Thieves can spread the door enough to get at the latch. In addition to using a good quality deadbolt, make sure that the strike is a heavy duty one, preferably a steel box that is anchored down with 3 inch screws into the door jamb. It won't entirely prevent kick-ins, but if you have solid wood doors it will buy you time and generally make it harder to get past. Thieves mostly like easy, that's why they chose that line of work. The rest of the advice here is good. Well lighted areas and a lack of hiding places help deter thieves. - 01/28/2011

Penny W. @PG: when I was in Virginia the only two neighbors that were burgularized were both gun guys with nice gun collections. Your NRA ad will only alert thieves that the house is likely to contain a valuable stash of weapons that are easily fenced. - 01/28/2011

Hy W. Please remember most homes that are robbed are robbed by people who know them personally. Just because you have a sign and stickers doesnt mean you are free from thieves and burglary. I run installation operations for a nationwide alarm company, and hear the same thing everyday about people who have guns, dogs, or pseudo alarms signs and stickers. It will not replace peace of mind security for you or your family. There are things you can do to reduce the threat though. Dont leave your windows or garage door open for people to view inside your house. Tear apart boxes of new appliances or tv's you get so you dont advertise your new purchase. Get security doors and window gates if needs be, but also be aware of fire codes in your area, because sometimes this creates fire code issues. Last but not least, be nice to your neighbors. Seriously, being the jerk on the block will ensure you being robbed. Seldom will a good neighbor stand up for the idiot next door. He will want you to move, so if you get broken into continuously, it may be your own fault. - 01/28/2011

Zab D. Everything you guys suggested are just bullshit Security sign is not going to scare them a bit, even if you have alarm, they will just cut it off. Most criminals are smarter than what you think. If someone wanted to steal something from you they will monitor you a long time and know exactly when you are not home and where to break in. They will come to knock on your door just pretending to be a contractors and or thsose mormons that goes from door to door. The police will not care for you, your life or your properties, all they care is wasting our taxes money smoking and drinking at starbuck coffee. Even if they catched the crook, they will release in a couple day. The best way to prevent thieves from stealing from you is to install motion detectors inside the house and all doors and window and wired to a flashing light outside and louder speaker so when someone break in, it will alert the whole neigborhoods and everyone that drive by it will scare the thief away too. amen - 01/27/2011

Diva R. Hey Nice & Great Feedback..But do note that they do posion your dogs as well...Lets not 4get 2 get burglar bars on all the windows as well. Lets keep it safe People & ending wit do what u have to do to keep you, your family, your house, your dog, & your belongings SAFE! - 01/25/2011

Kevin B. where do you get security signs and stickers as suggested in step two - 01/25/2011