Protecting Your Home From the Inside
By Marlene Gundlach | July 14, 2008
As the saying goes, “A man’s home is his castle.” But, you can’t build a moat around your home or chain up a dragon to protect you. Still, there are plenty of easy steps to take to keep your castle safe from intruders from the inside and the outside. This may all seem like a lot of work for something that may never happen. Trust me, it is worth the time and effort. When your home is broken into, it is such a violation and it instills fear in you for a long time. For weeks, I was sick to my stomach every time I turned onto my street for fear that I would find the door kicked in again. Then there were the nightmares! Do not make your home vulnerable to a break-in, they take more than your belongings.
Lighting
If you are going to be away overnight, invest in at least one timer for a lamp in your home. Set it to come on at dusk and go off just before your regular bedtime. If you have two timers, you may put them in different parts of the house and on slightly different schedules. You may also purchase timers that can hold 7-day and 7-event programming, allowing you to vary the time of day the lights are activated. By altering the time of day when the lighting is used, it gives a more accurate appearance that someone is home, possibly discouraging a would-be intruder.
Windows
Keep your windows locked at all times, intruders will walk around your house and check for any possible opening. If your doors are locked, but windows are not, you are providing easy access to your home. Also, choose strong lock mechanisms that can not be manipulated from the exterior of the house. An intruder is not afraid to break glass to reach in and unlock a window or door. There are glass types that can withstand this type of breakage. Wired glass, laminated glass, and tempered glass are all types of window glass that are more difficult to break and can be more of a deterrent to intruders.
Another safety note when it comes to your windows: windows are an open invitation for a potential burglar to see into your home and take inventory of what may be worth stealing. For example: valuable computers in full view, particularly at night, are especially hot targets for individuals to quickly remove. It is wise to move computers and other “quick take” valuables to areas of the house, not easily visible from the outdoors. At night, keep your blinds or curtains closed to prevent people from seeing inside.
Doors
Be sure entry doors to your home are solid. We learned this lesson the hard way when burglars kicked in a panel of the beautiful, old, wooden front door to our home one afternoon. They then reached through, unlocked the door, and cleaned us out in broad daylight! If choosing a wooden door, it should be at least 1¾” thick. Experts say a metal door is slightly favored over a fiberglass door. We choose a fiberglass door after our break-in because it is less prone to dings and it will not rust. The fiberglass doors are slightly more expensive, but you will not have to replace them due to wear and tear. The door jam will give out before either a metal or fiberglass door would fail. Door hinges should not be accessible from the outside and should be mounted with long screws.
Your door frames should be durable, as they are often the first to give when force is applied to the door. We reinforced our door frames with metal strips down the facing. Be aware also of any decorative glass that may run alongside your doors. This is another opportunity for an intruder to break through the glass and reach in to unlock the door. Ours is a double layer and we installed a fine, metal wire between the two layers. Not as attractive, but once you are victimized, you don’t care a whole lot about appearance anymore.
Deadbolts and a strike plate are important additions to an entry door. The strike plate will give way before the dead bolt, so choosing durable screws for the strike plate is critical. If you have more than one lock on a door, it is recommended that they be placed at least one foot apart. This means the intruder has to strike several areas to break the hold of the locks. This is more time-consuming and time is of the essence to intruders.
Peepholes are also a great safety feature, as they allow you to see who is at your door before opening it. A wide angle peephole is the best choice, as it gives you a wider view of what is outside and someone can not merely hide to one side so as not to be detected. While watching one of those “how to stop a thief” shows, I saw a device that is attached to your door bell that has a small camera in it. When your doorbell rings, it captures live video and you can view it from a receiver in your home.
Sliding glass doors are a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow for intruders. Do not simply rely on the lock that comes with your door. Rather, install a wedge of some sort between the frame and the door. A store purchased brace, or a make-shift brace, such as a piece of wood or handle of a mop will do the trick. Also check that the door can not be easily lifted off its track allowing for easy access.
Garages
If you have an attached garage, it is critical to keep the garage door closed at all times. The door leading from your garage to your home should be treated as an entry door. Follow the suggestions above for making it as secure as possible. This door should also be locked as you would any other exterior door. Using an electric garage door opener is also safer, because it limits access once the door is closed.
There have been news stories lately related to garage doors being left open. Many people keep valuable items in their garages and leaving them open is an invitation for someone to come and steal your belongings. Police recommend closing the garage door when you are at home or even if you are in the back yard. Another related safety tip is to lock the doors to your vehicles once you are home. Someone I know had her purse stolen from her unlocked car. It was in her driveway and she was in the house.
Alarms
Another change we made after our home was broken into was purchasing an alarm. We determined that the burglars who were in our home were scared off prematurely by the battery back up on our computer. When they unplugged the computer the battery back up began to beep. They thought this was an alarm and quickly left, leaving behind valuable items right in front of them. Proof that alarms work even after they gain entry.
When shopping for an alarm, the louder the better. Your alarm needs to serve two purposes. It needs to deter the intruder from breaking in, and if they do get in, it needs to be loud so that they do not spend much time in your home. You should choose a system that includes motion detecters, transmitters for doors and windows, and a sensor that will trigger when glass is broken. Having a batter-powered pack up is important in case you lose power. A re-arming feature will automatically reset the alarm after it has been triggered. Being able to remotely set the alarm is a desirable feature in case you leave on vacation and after your are on the road for two-hours you realize you have not set the alarm.
You must decide on whether you want a system that is monitored by a company. We came across some that were not monitored and you installed them yourself. These systems would deal a preprogrammed number if the alarm was triggered. Determine your comfort level with each, and what monthly fees are involved with a monitored system. If you choose a monitoring company, be sure they are available 24/7/365. Never have the alarm’s control box installed in your garage or anywhere else that it will be easily accessible by an intruder. If an intruder can easily disarm the system, it will do you no good.
Whatever type of system you choose, proudly display the stickers and signs that come with your system. The police told us those are just as much of a deterrent as the alarm itself.
Safes
A fire-proof safe for valuables and important papers is also an important safety feature. Be sure the safe is bolted down so that it can not be carried away, or is so large that is impossible to carry. Keep it well hidden to reduce the risk of it being found.
Man’s Best Friend
Having a dog is another great deterrent to intruders. Their barking is often enough to steer away a would-be burglar. This does not mean you do not need to do any of the above to protect your home. Some friends of ours after our break-in said “Well, we have a dog.”, like that made them completely immune to a break-in. We know of a family with a dog that was burglarized. Their dog was locked in the closet with a nice assortment of dog treats. Even if you do not have a dog, a “Beware of Dog” sign may work as well as the signs announcing that you have a security system installed.
All of these precautions may seem like a lot, especially when you have never had a break-in and maybe feel you live in a safe area. Do not be lulled into a sense of security, because it can happen to anyone and anywhere. Those that live in our small town were shocked to hear our home was burglarized in the middle of the day. Take the steps now to ensure your family’s safety.
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