Home Security

[Renault78law]

Home security, not Homeland.

As I start accumulating more and more nice stuff, I've become increasingly paranoid that my home is going to get broken into. What kinds of countermeasures are you guys using? I've gone as far as putting wooden dowels in the window sills and adding security stickers on the windows. We have a tiny dog, but she doesn't bark.

For full disclosure, when I was in law school and living in a questionable neighborhood, my apartment got broken into. They just took a screwdriver to pry open the sliding glass door. The thieves made off with clothes mostly. To be honest, I didn't have much worth stealing. Still, it was a terrible feeling; a feeling that I'd like to avoid if possible.

 

[HomerJ]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...0/ixworld.html

This will get you started.

Shotgun Shell on a Rat Trap:
A shotgun shell is attached to a standard rat trap and painted so as to camouflage the apparatus. It is then positioned on a tree or rock with the shotgun shell pointing to strike the victim's region and rigged to a trip wire. Note that the trip wire for this device has to be aligned with the shotgun shell's blast cone. Even if you do not see the wire, you can avoid it if you are lucky enough to have noticed the trap before triggering it.

 

[JayJay]

An alarm system.

 

[imageWIS]

We have an alarm system. Well, that and living in a closed neighborhood with 24 hour security helps too.

Jon.

 

[whodini]

Alarm system plus 24 security seems to be the norm here down south.

I'm pretty sure Homer's idea of booby traps are 100% illegal in the US.

 

[HomerJ]

Originally Posted by whodini

Alarm system plus 24 security seems to be the norm here down south.

I'm pretty sure Homer's idea of booby traps are 100% illegal in the US.

Hehe, just wanted to post a crazy article..

One commonly suggested idea that I like:

Plant thick rose bushes under the windows. Nice thorny ones. Keep other bushes and hedges trimmed to reduce hiding spots. Bonus is you'll have nice roses.

 

[fkl118]

I went to a Police department seminar on home security a couple months ago. It was very informative and I was surprised at how vulnerable most homes really are. In fact, most of the 100 or so people there already had their homes broken into (fortunately not me).


Some good tips I got:

Get good exterior doors with reinforced frames, and a "high-security" deadbolt lock like: http://www.mul-t-lock.com/198.html
The majority of breakins are done by simply kicking down your front door during the daytime when you're out at work. Don't rely on the cheap $20 Home Depot locks.

Security film or bars on the lower windows, especially basement windows.

Alarm stickers and "Beware of Dog" signs, whether or not you actually have an alarm or dog.

 

[fkl118]

Here are a couple quick articles I found (all are PDFs):

http://www.peelpolice.on.ca/Crime P...p/pdf-files/crime prevention/Home - Doors.pdf
http://www.peelpolice.on.ca/Crime P...pdf-files/crime prevention/Home - Windows.pdf
http://www.peelpolice.on.ca/Crime P...crime prevention/Home - Residential Alarm.pdf

 

[Merckx]

Originally Posted by whodini

Alarm system plus 24 security seems to be the norm here down south.

I'm pretty sure Homer's idea of booby traps are 100% illegal in the US.

They're illegal? Damn, I guess I need to take down my crossbow tripwire.

 

[yachtie]

I'd recommend a large, poorly socialized, dog.

 

[Piobaire]

We have an alarm system with patch in to both the community security desk and my cell phone. We live in a gated community with a 24/7 security guard. We also have a combination of walls and iron fencing around our yard and motion detecting lights.

Good insurance and just trusting to blind luck not to get robbed are our two biggest mitigators though

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Adding onto what others have already mentioned ... get good locks.

Most people don't realize that there are various grades of residential locks. Grade 1 is the best (most secure) but ugly as sin and basically only used in industrial or commercial situations. Grade 2 are slightly less secure but are found in applications that are good for residences. Grade 3 are basically crap.

Schlage and Medeco grade 2 is the typical recommendation for residential purposes. Neither are particularly cheap but the added security is worth it IMO. Obviously you should get both a locking doorknob and a deadbolt on each exterior door. Kwiksets are typically grade 3 and therefore to be avoided at all costs, unless you get the Kwikset Titan, which is grade 2.

Make sure you beef up the strike plate and doorframe. The best lock in the world will not do jack if the thief can punch your lock through your door or break the doorframe. My home has metal doorframes which makes for a sturdy arrangement. Secure your strike plates with long, quality screws (4" minimum length).

Keep your place well-lit at night. Especially around entrances to your home. Light is an effective deterrent.

Last point: remember, it's FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY

 

[globetrotter]

I used to be very paranoid about being broken into. up until I moved to the states, I would say that it was close to impossible to break into places I lived, take my stuff and get away without attracting a lot of attention. I had bars and steel doors on my places of residence.

when I moved to america, we had an old victorian house with floor to ceiling windows. I wanted to get an alarm system, and called somebody in to give me a quote. he said "what are you going to have here, why do you think somebody would break in?" I said "well, nothing more than a regualr house, but it would be very easy to break in" and he, again, said "why would they?". anyway, he basically said something that I found pretty smart
1. burglars have better things to do than break into your house, probrably
2. insurance can cover most of what you have
3. a lot of the stuff that is valuable can't be carried off very easily

anyway - the point is, that influenced my basic philosophy of home security - I have a small lock box, and a safe deposit box, for things that can't be replaced. I have very good insurance. everything I have pretty good locks on my doors, but not insanly good. but, basically, if somebody wants to steal my stuff, let them. why would anybody want to carry a 200 lbs tv down a flight of stair when they can buy it for $500?. why would anybody want my or my wife's clothes?

anyway, I focus any security on keeping my family from getting hurt in the process.


that said, a barking dog is a very good thing.

 

[lee_44106]

An alarm
Large dog
5 handguns, two always ready to go with full clips.


That said, I agree with Globetrotter. Let them steal the things. My insurance will cover. But if I happen to catch you in the act, I'm gonna use all that shooting skills to use.

 

[jeffreyfrog]

They can alert the police, fire, and medical. I know that the alarms in my complex go off all the time and people have become used to the alarm going off. It does help your insurance premium to have one. Check out a consumer reports web page and read reviews about the different company's.


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