Residential Burglary Prevention.
Home Security
The best surveillance camera footage that I had ever seen came from a do-it-yourself system. The system was put together by a apartment building manager. The system was a VHS, yes I said VHS, recorder , one single camera input , all bought from Walmart for under $200.00. I’ve seen numerous footage from systems professionally installed that cost over $100,000.00
The big difference, the apartment building manager took his step ladder, some glass cleaner and cleaned the camera lens every week. How many times have you cleaned the lens on the home surveillance system that you have?
We could could talk for hours on the on how to tighten the security perimeter on your home. Today I’ll just toss in a few tips that are inexpensive and you can do them yourself.
That front door may have a nice Medeco lock on it, but it’s the door frame that the burglar is going to defeat, not your expensive lock. He can do it with a cheap pry-bar,
They are easy to conceal, super tough and can be used as a weapon, should he meet you inside.
Strengthen the door around the lock. Here is probably the cheapest and best little addition to that door lock.
Now that I have you motivated about strengthening that door; be advised that few burglars use the front door as a point of entry. The only unwanted individuals who like to breach the front door are SWAT Teams.
How about that sliding glass door or even better that little bathroom window where you stack the shampoo. Burglars love these two points of entry. If you are able to afford or already have hurricane resistant glass for the sliding glass door, that’s great.
A cheap wooden dowel or PVC pipe in the bottom slide rail is a must. Measure the bottom and cut a piece at Home Depot about 1 ½ inch longer than the bottom measurement. A dowel or pipe can also be place in the bathroom window also.
Take some 409 cleaner out there and clean the windows, door handle area and the rails, if you live on a floor above ground level. Crime scene techs really appreciate a nice clean surface when they lift a subject’s prints. Do this wipe down every couple of weeks.
This house is just asking to be entered. Point of entry would be the second floor, accessed by the climbing the water pipe & electrical conduit pipe on the right side of the house. A burglar would not even bother with the front door. People might be downstairs and he will be headed upstairs to steal the best stuff, which is usually kept in the bedroom.A cheap, loud sensor is a must on all windows.
Lighting is a must; motion activated and bright.
Security cameras can be found in all types.
Stick with a system that has continuous running video to the cloud.
A system that is controlled from your cell.
The best clarity in recording.
Many systems allow you to communicate with the person on camera. You can have your system monitored by the alarm/security company that installed your system for a fee.
“I prefer a cell phone controlled system that allows me to use the same cell phone to call “911” myself, if the person attempts entry or refuses to leave. Cut out the middleman, save valuable time.”
Place cameras so that the sides of your home are clearly visible in the video. Most burglars are headed to the side or the rear of your home.
In the resources page of this blog I mention a few companies that I like in regard to security cameras.
When you have some time during the day, take a slow walk around your home. Look at your home as as though you a a burglar and what you have always wanted is inside, Figure out a way to breach your home.
Burglars are no smarter than we are; they are just desperate and have some on-the-job training experience. Fix any weaknesses that you find.
We will talk more in another post about inside your home security issues.
Thank you for listening,,,,,,