Home Security Tips

A burglar can gain entry to your home by kicking in the door. Make sure you have good, solid, strong doors.

• Outside doors should be metal or solid hardwood, and at least 1 3/4 inches thick.
• Frames must be made of equally strong material, and each door must fit its frame securely.
• Even the most efficient lock, if it is placed in a weak door, will not keep out a determined burglar.
• A peephole or a wide-angle viewer in the door is safer for identifying visitors than a door chain.

Sliding glass doors present a special problem because they are easy to open.

• Add sliding glass door locks
• Keep a wooden dowel or stick in the track of sliding glass doors to prevent them from being opened from the outside if the lock is broken.

An intruder can enter your home by breaking low grade locks. Locks are not the place to skimp on home security. If a thief makes it past your lighting, your alarm and your dog without being deterred, you pretty much have one last shot to stop the break-in -- at the point of entry.

• Deadbolt locks are best. They usually are locked with a key from the outside and a thumb turn on the inside. The cylinder (where the key is inserted) should be pick-resistant. Ask us about our High Security Locks.
• Make sure when you move in to your new residence you have the locks re-keyed. There's no telling who the previous residents may have given a spare key to, or whether they kept one themselves.
• Keypads are a good alternative to traditional locks in homes that are occupied or accessed by many people.
• Combination keyless locks are a great way to keep certain rooms off limits to anyone but those with the code!

Windows are another point of entry for burglars. Following a few simple steps can help deter burglars.

• Key locks are available for all types of windows.
• Double-hung windows can be secured simply by "pinning" the upper and lower frames together with a nail, which can be removed from the inside.
• For windows at street level or on fire escapes, consider installing metal accordion gates.
• Keep expensive equipment and items away from your windows.
• Make sure skylights and roof-access areas are properly secured with heavy-duty hardware.

Today's technology has allowed us to protect our homes and families by using cameras, video, the internet & motion sensors whether you are home or not.

• Installing video surveillance cameras around your property — with viewing access through the Internet — will allow you to keep an eye on your home while you're gone.
• If you have video surveillance cameras, get a lockbox to store the central recording device. That way, a thief can't make off with the record of their crime.
• Baby video monitors can double as surveillance monitors for other points on your property.
• Think about installing motion-sensor lights on the rear and sides of your home and position them in out-of-reach places so they can't easily be turned off by a would-be thief.
• Install cameras that operate off a motion sensor to keep from wasting valuable hard-drive space for your video files.
• Intercom systems featuring motion-sensor video that turns on when someone approaches your house. You may also implement a camera-bell so you can see who is approaching.
• Consider buying a wireless annunciator, which will alert you — anywhere in your home — when someone comes up your driveway or otherwise enters your property within 50 feet of its range.

Since the prices of good home safes are falling, having a safe in your home is a wise investment.

• Home safes keep the smash and grab burglar, nosey kids, dishonest babysitter or housekeeper from gaining access to important documents and personal property.
• Use the safe everyday so it becomes routine
• Protect the safe code and change it occasionally
• Install it a place that isn't obvious to an intruder