Home Security News

Neighborhood Watches & Community Crime Prevention More Important Than Ever

While it's important to put in place a home security and safety plan for your house and your property, it's really worth considering your neighborhood as well.  Do you have a neighborhood watch in place and are the majority of homes and yards upkept well?

Various studies have shown that a well-maintained neighborhood and volunteer watch can actually go a lot further toward preventing crime than all the surveillance cameras and pit bulls you can adorn your property with.  And the need for community-involved crime prevention becomes even more important in a down economy when crime tends to go up.

As someone in the CNN article (link below) says, "Nowadays, you have so many people just walking around pretending, leaving fliers, doing marketing surveys or some such baloney. But what they really are doing is looking for opportunities, watching to see who is or isn't in their homes."

Burglars like to do their work when no one is around, so if there's usually someone paying attention to things in your neighborhood (and reporting suspicious activity) the word will get out that this isn't the easiest area to hit.

For more on starting a neighborhood watch or the effectiveness of them, check out the articles below:

CNN: Neighborhood Watches Are on the Front Line in a Bad Economy
How to Start a Neighborhood Watch in Your Community
Neighborhood Watches Can Be Effective Against Crime

How to Install an in-Floor Safe

If you want to store valuables at home, a safe is the best protection.  Even if you have a good home security system, this gives you an extra layer of protection.  What you don't want to do is buy a free-standing safe, which the burglars could simply move out of your house to open on their own time. Instead, get a wall-mounted or in-floor safe. 

These safes are designed to be permanent parts of your home, so no burglar can remove them.  The only way to get in is to know the combination.  This makes them a better security bet than an unsecured safe.

There is a bit of work involved in installing an in-floor safe though.  You may prefer to have a professional assist you, but if you want to do it yourself, here is how:

How to install a floor safe

Procedures differ a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, but most in-floor safes can be installed in an existing concrete floor by following these steps:

1. Take the door off the safe, and tape the dust cover over the safe opening.

2. Draw the shape of the body of the safe on the floor where it's to be installed, allowing four inches extra width on each side.  (If the safe has a square-body, make the drawing square, regardless of the shape of the safe's door.

3. Use an electric jackhammer to break through the concrete to match your markings, using a shovel to make the hole at least three inches deeper than the height of the safe.

4. Line the hole with plastic sheeting or a weatherproof sealant to help fight moisture buildup in the safe.

5. Pour enough concrete in the hole to form a stable base for the safe to sit on.

6. Put the safe in the hole, make sure its flush and level, and fill in the remaining space with concrete mix.  Use a trowel to level the concrete with the floor.

7. When the concrete is dry, trim away the plastic, and remove any excess concrete.

Models such as the Hayman Polyethylene Floor Safe are available online.

*For information on installing an in-floor safe in a new concrete floor or a wood floor, see this pdf.

Residential Garage Door Security

Have you taken a good look at your garage doors lately?  For many folks, the garage can be a vulnerable spot when it comes to burglarly potential.  Residential garage door security is as important to consider as every other aspect of your home's security.

You want to fortify your garage door and entry doors in order to reduce your risk of being burglarized.  Most thieves will move on to another house if they spend a couple minutes checking yours out and find it well secured.  Here's a list of things to do to turn them away from your garage:

• Place deadbolts on all exterior doors.
• Install a deadbolt as well as a lock on doors leading from attached garages and into the house.
• If you have an old garage door opener system, upgrade to a modern unit that uses rolling code technology.
• When you go out of town, stick a padlock through your garage door track above one of the rollers.
• Make sure windows have locks and, if they slide, bars.
• Don't leave ladders or other tools around the house, which thieves could use to gain entry.

More tips on garage security.

Little Things Count When It Comes to Protecting Your Home

Sure, you can spend thousands of dollars on a brand new alarm system, or you can spend hundreds setting up a DIY system you found on the Internet, but an interview with an Indiana police chief reminds us that the little things matter too.  He recommends you:

• Cut down hedges, which are classic hiding spots for burglars.
• Get motion-sensing lights that turn on automatically (thieves prefer to work in the dark).
• Get to be friends with your neighbors, so people are familiar with what's going on (and what shouldn't be going on) on your property when you're not around.
• Get a dog (though it should be as a family friend and not just to bark at strangers).

Other tips are available at the original article: Safe at Home? Burglaries Are down but Homeowners Can Decrease the Odds Even More

Garage Security Tips

How secure is your garage?  Is that the easy way in the house if you've forgotten your key?  According to these garage security tips, that part of the house is the most vulnerable for many people.  Locks on doors are frequently wimpy compared to the deadbolts and such on the front door of the residence, and windows are far enough away from the main living areas that you might not hear if someone broke through the glass.  Either way, this would allow a burglar entry into the house if you have an attached garage.

Even if you have a detached garage, it may house tools such as ladders or axes that a burglar could make use of to get into the main house.

This is why garage security is just as important as security for the rest of your house.  Make sure to incorporate it into the rest of your home safety plan.  More information at:

Is Your Garage Secure?

So, You Want to Start a Neighborhood Watch

A neighborhood watch is always a good idea, and sometimes you are lucky enough to move into a neighborhood where there's a good one in place and you don't have to do much to be a part of it.  Other times, you're less lucky.  Your neighborhood might not have one or it might have an ineffective one where nobody is really doing anything. 

If you feel like it's up to you to get something started, chances are everyone on your block will go along with it.  This is one area where people are willing to put out a little effort, because everyone wants to feel safe in their home, and they want to know their home is being watched if they're out of town.  This article on starting a neighborhood watch offers information on how to go about getting one up and running. 

Fortunately, it's not too tough.  It's usually just a matter of talking to your local police department and setting a few things in motion.

Before You Buy a Burglar Alarm...

Thinking of buying a home security system?  It's a smart choice.  It will protect your home, your family, and your belongings, and you'll just feel safer and more secure when you're at home.  You want to be careful when you go out to buy, however.  There are some dealers who will try to get you to buy more than you need.  You can also get locked into costly contracts that will require you to pay monthly monitoring fees (monitored service isn't a downside, but contracts can be--you want some wiggle room so you can walk away if you're not happy with the service).

Anyway, for more information, I suggest reading the set of articles up at Home Security Systems 101. 

Common Sense Security Tips

Here's a new article up over at Lifehacker with some "Common Sense Home Security Tips."  It's good to see articles that tell you how to make your home safer without necessarily investing in alarm systems that can cost thousands of dollars to install (not to mention monthly monitoring fees).  It's great if you can afford all that, but not all of us can.  This article covers the more basic stuff (keys, locks, windows, monitoring your habits, etc.)  It's definitely worth a read.

10 Mistakes Burglars Love It When You Make

by "An ex-burglar (reformed. really.)"

1. Leave the doors unlocked.  Hello, McFly!  Did you want me to just walk in and swipe your jewelry and that phat new plasma TV?
2. Leave the windows unlocked.  Almost as good.  If you don't think a window is just another door for me, you lack imagination.  And no, second floor heights don't vex me much either.
3. Leave your tool shed unlocked.  Notice a locking theme here?  People are always leaving their tool/garden/potting sheds unlocked because they don't think there's anything valuable inside, so why bother?  Because things like ladders, shovels, and axes help heaps when I need to break a window or get to the second story.  Why would I even bother lugging my own tools around when y'all are always so accomodating?
4. Build a high fence/private yard.  Oh, yeah.  You don't like the neighbors peeping you while you're relaxing in the backyard.  Well, guess what?  Private secluded yards mean I can saunter around, doing my thing, knowing no irritatingly alert neighbor will see me and call the cops.
5. No outdoor lighting. I love dark and shady nooks to hide in.  By failing to put in heat- or motion-sensing lighting around your home, you're just inviting me to creep in some night.
6. No home security system.  What are you?  New?  Without a home security system, there's nothing from keeping me from throwing a rock through your window, letting myself in, and taking off with all your stuff.  Better make sure you have an up-to-date security system that rings the cops or a monitoring company when something happens.  Otherwise, well, I'll see you later.
7. Keys in the car in the driveway/garage.  Some people make it so easy.  You'll never hear me get in and cruise off with your favorite ride.
8. Webcam as "home surveillance system."  You're kidding, right?  First off, I'm wearing a mask, so all that footage you're going to get is some depressing pictures of an anonymous figure swiping all your stuff.  Second, I'm taking your computer when I go, so you better be storing that footage somewhere off site.  Even if you are, I'll be long gone by the time you check it and come running home.
9. Safes that aren't bolted down.  I love it when people have these twenty pound safes sitting on a bookshelf with all their valuables in them.  Like I've got a genetic lifting disorder or something.  Nothing's stopping me from taking the whole safe with me, then having my safe-cracking buddies pry it open at their leisure.
10. "Hidden keys." I especially love homeowners who hide spare keys under doormats, planters, rocks, and other spots in the yard, thinking they're oh-so-clever.  Come on people, I do this for a living.  I know where you're gonna hide that key before you do.

Outdoor Lighting Cheap Way to Fight Off Burglars

Got good outdoor lighting?  Why not?

It's easy to spend thousands on a high-tech home security system, and I'm not going to argue that it isn't money well spent, but you don't want to forget the simple things as you're setting up that expensive 8-camera home surveillance system.  Sturdy doors and locks will keep burglars from gaining access in the first place.  Locks for your windows are likewise important.  According to a recent article called "Ten Steps to Home Security," adding outdoor lighting is a home improvement with a small cost that can make a big difference. 

"Burglars don't like to be seen and are more likely to avoid areas where they risk being spotted, such as well-lighted places. Consider installing an outdoor lighting system, especially if your yard is concealed by a lot of foliage. Some lights work on a timer, engaging when it begins to darken; others are activated through motion. Motion lights near walkways and doorways can provide important visibility of approaching persons."

From ClickOnDetroit.com