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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We Never Used to Lock Our Doors!

At least once a day someone says to me, "It wasn't so long ago that nobody even locked their doors. Why is the home security alarm system so popular now?" The answer is that there are actually several reasons people want the protection these systems provide.

1. People don't feel as safe as they used to feel. Crime rates might be rising. But the real reason people don't feel as safe is that the media informs us every evening of all of the crimes occurring in homes in our area. Whether there is or isn't more crime, we are certainly more aware of neighborhood crime.

2. We, as a society, tend to believe that burglaries and other crimes increase during times of economic hardship. This is certainly true in some areas, and the media encourages us to believe it is true in all areas. Convinced of a rising crime rate, people invest in home security alarm systems.

3. When people buy a home or live in a neighborhood where a large number of people have a home security alarm system they tend to believe they also need a system. The assumption is that there is a good reason the neighbors have security systems.

4. Many home builders are including wiring for home security alarm systems as part of the basic construction package on new homes. It is hard to know whether builders are responding to a trend or there is a trend that follows what builders are installing in new homes.

5. Lifestyles encourage many people to want a home security alarm system to protect their families. For those who travel frequently for business, for parents who want to know their children are returning to a secure home, for parents who occasionally leave older children home alone, the security system offers confidence the children are safe.

6. People with disabilities who want to live independently can install home security alarm system equipment that offers monitoring safeguards to keep them safe. They might install a monitor that sends out an alert should they fall. If they could not reach an emergency button, the monitoring company would investigate and send help.

7. People who worry about elderly parents can install a complete home security alarm system that includes pendants or emergency buttons should they fall or require help, the monitoring company will call and then send the appropriate authorities.

If you have concerns about the safety of your family, contact Kelly Wicks at kellywicks@atlasalarms.com to help you assess your risk, analyze your needs, and create a home security alarm system that fits your needs and your budget. 

Back Yard Fun!!!

Well now that summer is here and we are all out enjoying the great weather, please do not become lazy or forgetful in your security.  Thieves do not take vacations, in fact they work even harder in the summer due to the easy pickings!

Keep your house locked up properly when not at home.  I know that we all like the option have leaving a window open for cooler air and that breeze but that open window just beckons the thief!  If you do have an alarm system you can have "venting" contacts added to your windows, this way you can still arm your alarm system and leave the window open for air. 

Back yard fun calls for your attention to your security as well.  While in the back yard this summer please be sure to arm your security system, just bypass the back door to allow access in and out of your house while keeping the remainder of the secure.

Finally - vehicles - keep them locked and be sure to hide or better yet remove any valuables that are in site.  I even recommend opening your glove box and center glove box to display them being empty.  Keep in mind that even spare change could invite a thief.

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

GARAGE REMOTES and B&E's

Just on the Noon News today: Elderly Lady from Abbotsford, BC had been at Church, when she came out to her car she found it had been broken into, to add further pain when she arrived home it had also been broken into. PLEASE people remove your garage remotes from your vehicles and blacken out your address on your insurance papers, and finally do not have your exact home address on your GPS.  For this and more helpful information please contact Kelly 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.