How Safe is Your Home?

When I think about my home security, my theory is "my home is my castle" I want my home to be like a castle in that castles were constructed to keep enemies out and that's what home security is all about. We want to take measures that will keep criminals from entering our house and stealing our property or harming our family. Today, we have amazing technology that enables us to protect our homes and families like never before.

The first step is for you to conduct a home security survey of your home. Some Police Departments will send out a specially trained Police Officer to conduct a home security evaluation of your home. Call your local Police Dept and see if they offer this service. If not, you will have to do the evaluation yourself and it is easily accomplished.

Take a look at your house from the street in front of your home and see if there are any bushes or trees that would afford a criminal a good hiding spot at night. A bedroom window what is concealed behind an overgrown bush or hedge would be a great place for a burglar to break into your home. Criminals actively wander around neighborhoods looking for homes that are easy targets. Cut down or trim back any bushes, trees, or hedges that are overgrown near doors and windows.

Next you will want to check the exterior lighting around your house. A burglar who operates at night will not want to try and break into your house if every side of your home is illuminated with security lights. You can use motion activated lights or security flood lights that come at dark. I also like to use landscape lighting around the front and rear of my house because it is an attractive way to add extra lighting to your property. Make sure you have some type of lighting on all 4 side of your property.

I truly believe that security video cameras are an awesome crime prevention tool for the average home owner. Security camera systems are inexpensive and can be installed by the home owner very easily. I would place a camera near my front door, garage, rear door and sides of my home. The camera on the front door is ideal because you can use your tv or computer as the security monitor and you can see who is knocking on your door before you open it. There are companies out there that will host your security video feed on the internet so you can check on your home while you are at work or on vacation.

Next you will want to check your exterior doors and replace those that are old and weak. I spent 7 years on a tactical team and often we had to break down doors when executing search warrants and the newer designed doors are hard to break down. A heavy-duty dead bolt is a must and it's not a bad idea to have 2 deadbolts on your doors. Imagine a criminal creeping up to your door with the intent of breaking down the door and he sees that your door is heavy and has 1-2 serious deadbolt locks. That criminal will quickly move onto another house that offers him easier access.

I don't mean to insult your intelligence but lock your doors when you are home and when you are not at home. You would not believe the high number of homes that are broken into during the day and night because of an unlocked door. Many rapes are also committed when the rapist finds a door unlocked. There was a well known rape/murder case in California where the rapist/murderer would follow his female victims home from a local gym and he would enter their homes through unlocked doors. This rapist/murderer killed several women before he was caught and he confessed that he would walk right into the women's homes after he followed them from the gym. Remeber, your home is your castle and you keep your castle fortified by locking your doors.

While we are on the subject of doors I want to hit on the subject of people knocking on your front door when you are home. When you hear a knock on the front door or the door bell is ringing, do you open the door without looking though the peephole? Never open your door without looking through the peephole or window to ascertain who is outside your door. Many home invasion robberies and rapes are committed by criminals who simply knock on a front door and wait for the home owner to open. Look out your peephole and if you don't recognize the person, don't open the door. Doors with very small windows are great because you can crack the window and speak with the person knocking without having to open the door. When I am home and I hear someone knocking on my door I look through the peephole and if I don't recognize the person I watch the person until he/she walks away. I have recently attached a "No Soliciting" sign to my front door and it has cut down on solicitors.

I have a home security alarm system and I you do as well. My home security alarm gives me peace of mind when I am asleep at night and when I am away from my home. I have every window and door alarmed and I do have motion sensors that I disengage due to my frisky cats. My system is newer and I was pleased to learn that it has a cellular phone setup that keeps it working in the event a criminal thinks hs is slick and cuts the phone line. My system also has a battery backup in the event I lose power. I live in Florida where we have hurricanes and fierce storms and I lose power to my home several times a year. The battery backup is important because there are criminals who target areas where there has been a power outage.

Windows are important for obvious reasons. Criminals love to enter a home by simply opening an unlocked window or break the glass of a locked window. If you have an alarm system your windows should be alarmed so that your audible alarm will sound if someone breaks the window glass. Don't sleep with your windows open and don't ever leave your windows unlocked. If you start researching creep in rape cases you will find that many of these criminals found an unlocked window that allowed them to creep inside the victim's home. You have probably read about some high profile child abductions/murders where the suspect entered the house through an unlocked bedroom window. stay safe at night and keep your windows locked and shut.

Dogs make great home security devices but don't get one unless you are prepared to care for the animal as a member of your family. Over the past 19+ years I have been to countless homes where I have found dogs tied up to fences or trees with no food and water. I work closely with Animal Services and we seize dogs that we find in these conditions. I do not have a dog because I know that I do not have the time to properly care for one. If I was to consider adding a dog to my family I would consider a wide variety of small dogs because of their barking abilities. I would want a small dog inside my home while I was away so that he/she would bark if he/she heard someone trying to get into my home. My neighbor has 4 small dogs that are no bigger than a rabbit but they bark and seem to go crazy the minute they hear me making the slightest noise in my backyard. If I was to choose a large dog I would go with a German Shepard because they can be trained so easily and they are loyal.

You must constantly evaluate your home security for weaknesses that could enable a criminal to get into your home. Home break-ins are extremely popular with criminals and home invasion robberies are on the rise. Spare no expense when upgrading the security of your home because you cannot put price tag on the safety of your family.

Author is a current Police Officer with 19 years of experience & webmaster [http://www.personalsafetyheadquarters.com] a blog with articles and information on how to keep you and your family safe.