Protecting your Home

Protecting Your Home

In many cases of home burglaries, thieves enter the house through a door or window that was left unlocked. The fact is, thieves are “lazy,” and many burglaries can be prevented by using simple strategies to deter them from attempting to enter your home. Keep in mind that there’s more at stake than your possessions — a significant number of violent crimes that occur in the home are committed during household burglaries. Following are some tips on how to protect your home and your family from burglars.

• Lock all doors and windows, including your garage door, when you leave the house and while sleeping.
• Install a dead-bolt and/or a secondary locking system on doors that lead outside. Using a lock that can only be operated from the inside is an extra security measure.
• Remember that patio doors with glass panels can be especially vulnerable. Consider installing double-cylinder locks, where you need a key to unlock both sides, so that a burglar can’t enter your home simply by breaking the glass next to the lock. Also, insert a board at the bottom of the door, to prevent the door from sliding.
• Be suspicious of anyone who asks to enter your home for any type of “maintenance” reason. There are numerous cases of impersonating electricians or gas line inspectors who turn out to be dangerous. Always demand to see an official company ID.
• Install peepholes or wide-angle viewers in your doors.
• Replace burned out light bulbs quickly. Thieves like homes with inadequate lighting. Consider incorporating lighting into your landscaping.
• Keep trees and shrubs around doorways, windows and porches trimmed. The bushes that provide privacy also give burglars a place to hide. Dense shrubs can even make for a makeshift ladder, helping a thief into your home through a window.
• Get involved in a neighborhood watch group. Local police departments can provide you with information on how to establish a watch group in your neighborhood.
• Consider installing an alarm system.

While You’re Away

• Use random access timers that automatically change what time your lights go on and off each night. Lighting patterns that vary appear more natural.
• Ask a neighbor to park his or her car in your driveway.
• Keep expensive items out of view from the yard or the street.
• Have your mail and newspapers picked up by a neighbor or held at the post office.
• Ask your neighbors to call the police if they notice any suspicious activity. Leave a phone number where you can be reached in case of an emergency.

For more information on protecting your home...  contact me at kellywicks@atlas alarms.com

Create the Illusion.

With it being within days for summer vacation to begin now is the best time to remember to create the illusion that someone is occuppying your residence while you are away.  Keep in mind these tips are best followed anytime when you are leaving your home, whether for a long holiday or just a short weekend getaway.

• If you are going on vacation, leave your home in the care of someone you trust and let them know where you can be reached in case of emergency.

• Arrange to have your mail and newspapers picked up, your grass cut, the leaves raked (or the snow removed as necessary).

• Have a neighbour check both inside and outside the house every few days.

• Use timers on interior lights when you are going to be away or just out for the evening. These can be set to turn the lights and radio or television on and off intermittently to give the appearance that someone is home.

• Have a neighbour park their car in your driveway or your designated parking stall. If you have a garage, keep the door closed and locked so no one can see if your car is gone.

• Turn the ringer on your telephone off or set your answering machine or voicemail to pick up on the second ring and do not leave specific information about your absence.

• Install security lights around the perimeter of your house. They are relatively inexpensive and are a great deterrent, especially if they are set with motion detectors. If you already have non-motion lights, battery operated add-on motion sensors exist that simply screw into the existing light socket and mount near the fixture.

• Never leave a note or a voicemail message indicating you are not at home.

• Leave shades, blinds and curtains in normal positions.

• Do not share your vacation plans in social media, like Facebook and Twitter.

For this and more information contact Kelly Lynn Wicks at kellywicks@atlasalarms.com

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10 Tips for Security

1. Don’t open your door to strangers or solicitors. Most home invaders knock on the front door to gain entry. They pose as someone in distress, a person asking for directions, workers, delivery persons, or they may be offering to do work for you.

2. Lock your windows and doors and keep your garage door closed and locked even when you are home.

3. Install solid core doors, heavy duty locks, and window security devices.

4. Check to see who is at your door before opening it by using a peephole, intercom system, or nearby window.

5. Use your front porch light to help you see outside.

6. Don’t rely on chains to keep intruders out, they don’t.

7. If you have an alarm system, use the "stay" mode or "instant" mode while you are home. If someone attempts to gain entry, the alarm will sound and get help to you.

8. Have an escape plan. Train your family on where to go and what to say. If someone can escape, the invaders will have lost their advantage of privacy and time.

9. Consider owning a dog for protection. If this isn’t possible, an empty dog bowl left on the porch gives the impression that there is a dog on the premises.

10. If you live alone, place men’s boots or other clothing laying around or yell “I’ll get it” when answering the door to make it seem like your not alone.

For this and more information please contact Kelly Lynn Wicks at kellywicks@atlasalarms.com

Planning Your Vacation? Plan Your Security NOW!!

As spring and summer approach, many families will be leaving their homes empty for a few weeks to enjoy a little R&R. Don't let your opportunity to enjoy some quality time away with the family become an opportunity for burglars to invade your home.

A well-planned vacation includes a plan for minding the fort while you're away. Some common strategies include: getting a house sitter, having a neighbor bring in mail and newspapers, leaving on some lights or putting some on timers, and possibly getting a security system.
The old standby in this situation seems to be: lights-timers-neighbors. Any plan is better than no plan at all, and ensuring that your papers and mail don't pile up is a good place to start. Having a trusted neighbor take care of these items and possibly even park a car in your driveway can be a great help. Shedding a little light on the subject property can't hurt either. Be careful with the lights though, when overdone it could actually send the message that the lights are on, but no body's home. If your home has a sprinkler system that is on a timer, you may want to set it up to operate intermittently while you're away too. Just be sure to abide by any watering restrictions that might be in place.

While leaving some lights on or utilizing items on timers might give the impression that someone is home. Someone actually being in the home is a much better idea. Try to get a trusted friend or family member to temporarily take up residence in your home while you are away. Your home will truly be more secure and you will be able to enjoy your time away that much more knowing that it is.

If you already have a security system, use it. If you haven't used it in quite some time and cannot remember exactly how, consult your instruction manual or your security company well in advance of your departure date. This will help you to avoid a great deal of last minute frustration. If you plan to have a house or pet sitter, ensure that they know how to operate the security system too. You should also communicate your vacation plans with your monitoring company. Let them know things like: the dates you will be away, your return date, if the house will be vacant or the numbers for your house or pet sitter, if there is to be one. Some companies may also let you request immediate dispatch if the home is to be completely vacant. This may temporarily bypass the need for a verification call to the home, which is required by most police departments and could speed up the dispatch process. You may also want to give them the numbers where you will be staying for ease of contacting you should they need to.
If you don't have a security system and are thinking about getting one, plan ahead. Security companies get a rush of business around vacation time too. The best companies will book up just like the best hotels at the beach. You should do your research and shopping well in advance to ensure that you can get your security system installed in time and that you get to use your alarm company of choice.

With a little planning you can enjoy your dream vacation without the worry of a burglary nightmare.

Contact me at kellywicks@atlasalarms.com for more information.