I have come to see in my 9000+ moons of working the streets that people make it easy to become a victim of a crime by letting their guard down and excepting "its not going to happen to me" mind set.
Basically they set their selfs up to be hit by failing to recognize what makes them look like a easy target to the scum of the earth.
Home Invasion always has the same theme that residents had cash, drugs or guns inside the home and that the location appeared to be a solf target by lacking adequate lighting, appearance of poorly constructed doors and jams or concealed unsecured windows.
In other cases the scam of gaining entry by impersonation of police, utility workers or customers of a cash business being run inside a home has worked and is mostly targeted against woman and the elderly.
Most times the home owner just obliviously strolls up to the front door and is jacked while entering because they were not aware of persons around them.
If we make it easy they will come and take what we have. So a little corrective action along with being armed goes a long way in preventing Home Invasions and Burglaries at are homes.
My priority list of corrections,
1.Home Alarm,
This is your early warning system!
Non-Contract Wireless Units which you own can be found on the Internet at good prices. I own one that has a built in dialer and battery back up. It has never false alarmed and will call any number programed into its memory and play a pre-recorded message made by you.
2. Lighting,
Simple enough add some light 360 degrees around the home.
3. Entry Points re-enforced,
Don't leave keys in dead bolts if the door has a window.
Install a Fish eye door peep and make sure your front door light has a minimum 150 watt white light bulb.
95% of door frame failures occur at the frame contact point with the dead bolt/knob latch.
If you have a hollow core door/poorly constructed door use a re-enforcing steel clam sleeve a round the knob and dead bolt to prevent door split. I use them on any type of door to increase strength at the lock sets.
Re-enforce the door frame with a steel plate which runs the entire length of the latch side of the frame (Sold ay Home Depot or Lowe's). Don't use the supplied screws (1.inch) and substitute fully threaded four inch wood screws or concrete screws if the frame is encased by brick.
Replace cheap unrated lock sets, I have seen cheap sets blow apart with one hammer hit. Look for impact rated sets made by better known manufacturers.
Add a extra dead bolt lock 1.5 feet below the knob lock and it will distribute impact force over a greater area on the door frame.
Install a cross bar but make sure you have solid anchor points at the bracket sites and the cross bar places slight pressure on the door.
4.Windows,
Trim bushes that block the view of windows from the outside and if possible replace it with a good ornamental thorn type that is allow to grow tight to the bottom of the window frame.
Install half frame window bars on first floor windows or windows which have a low roof access Which Open In (Sold at Home Depot/Lowe's) If installed in a child's room Use a Simple Latch the child can open encase of a emergency.
5.Secure Electric Meter boxes and Phone/Cable lines.
Bad guys like to cut these to place you in the dark and disable alarms and your ability to contact 911.
If possible reroute cable and phone line up high or encase them in pipe or metal flex hose
If legal and safe to do place a protective metal box or bar cage over outside electric meter boxes to prevent the meter head from being pulled cutting power.
Following these suggestions will hopefully make to look less then a soft target and give you some piece of mind when home or away.
Last edited by PA PATRIOT; 12-19-11 at 11:24.
We are all inclined to judge ourselves by our ideals; others, by their acts.
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