Security Experts Tell You What You're Doing Wrong

By Lori Melton

Protecting your family, home and valuables from unwanted intruders is one key reason to install a home security system. Every household situation is different, so having a unique security plan tailored to meet your specific needs is a good idea. Consulting with a residential security expert to help you construct and implement your security plan can make what may seem like an overwhelming process easier, and also help point out what you may be doing to make your home more vulnerable. Security expert witness Chris E. McGoey offers some great tips in his "Home Invasion Robbery" article, which are detailed below.

Statistics/Are You a Target?

Per FBI statistics, there were 1,729,806 burglaries in the United States in 2014, and burglaries of residential properties accounted for 73.2 percent of all burglaries. Of the 1,121,416 residential burglaries, 312,516 happened during the day and 598,633 happened at night.

McGoey notes that home invaders often target the resident as well as the home. They look for a woman living alone or a wealthy senior citizen, and may even follow someone home based on the kind of car he or she drives. Burglars can also choose houses based on the neighborhood, size of the home or because they see that a particular house is unoccupied. What's even more frightening is the prospect that a potential invader has been in your home before, such as a delivery person.

Burglary Prevention Tips

McGoey gives several great burglary prevention tips. Some of these may seem like common sense, but, it's amazing how we take our home security for granted. Reviewing these suggestions as a sort of checklist can help you identify weak and vulnerable areas within your home and help you take measures to make your environment safer against intrusions.

• Never open your door to strangers or solicitors (The UPS man, or the pizza guy, for example, doesn't need to step into your home to make a delivery.)
• Never rely on a chain-latch as a barrier to partially open the door (the right burglar could use enough force to come in anyway).
• Install and use a peephole in the door to see who is there before opening it.
• Lock all doors, windows and garages at all times. As listed above, a lot of burglaries happen in the middle of the day. Keeping your doors locked at all times keeps unexpected, unwanted intruders from simply walking in through an open door.
• Beef up your doors with heavy duty locks and use four three-inch screws to secure heavy duty lock strike plates in the door frames.
• Always call the police if a stranger acts suspicious and have a family meeting to discuss home security plans.

Alarm Systems

Home security experts can help evaluate your home and make recommendations on what kind of alarm system or security equipment to install. Guardian Alarms offers a wide range of options to fit many different kinds of homes and budgets. Everything from motion detectors, touchscreen keypads and door and window sensors to remote video monitoring can help alert you to an intruder and, more importantly, potentially deter them from trying to break into your home. Any security equipment options you add will be a better, extra layer of protection as opposed to having nothing at all. A quick internet search for security experts and home alarm monitoring companies should give you a comprehensive list of reputable, knowledgeable firms and people to contact.

Be specific, if you can, about the kind of security help you are seeking. Do you want a self-defense instructor? Are you looking for top-rated consumer alarm system? Are you looking for someone to help you prepare a detailed family burglary response plan? Getting proper advice from a security expert can ultimately be one of the wisest investments you can ever make for yourself and your family.