In the last year that the Bureau of Justice released Crime Statistics (2004)

–77% of all crime was property related

–On average nearly 17 % of all crime domiciles were violated by a burglar

–In 85% of burglaries, the offender gained entry into the house or other building.

Ask any expert in the field and they will tell you that 90% of all burglaries are preventable. So if the odds are so good that it will happen to you and it is such a preventable event-what is it you have to do to stop the burglars? I am so glad you asked.
Sometimes the best home security is implemented when you are the one making the assessment and any corrective action- a do it yourself home security plan.

Here are home security tips to think about that will definitely discourage or flat out stop a potential intruder from entering your house. It is not an all inclusive list but one that if followed will certainly go a long way toward making your home more secure.

1. Take a critical look at your house from the outside. Is your house well lit? Are there hiding places near doors and windows? If you can spot a potential weakness in your home’s “look” you can bet a professional burglar can exploit it. Remember that light is a burglars’ enemy-darkness a friend.

2. What could slow down a burglar from entering your home? Simple home security devices such as locks on doors(deadbolts are best) and windows, bars, grates-items that are visible from the exterior of the house will not only act as a deterrent but slow down an intruder should he decide to try to enter. The more time it takes to break into a home, the more discouraged a burglar will become. Time is the enemy of the burglar.

3. How noisy can you make it if someone gains entry? Noise is also the enemy of the burglar. There are many home security alarms activated by doors or windows opening or by motion. The sound of a barking dog, real or recorded, are very effective and will scare most burglars away.

Lights, noise and time-they are the three biggest enemies of an intruder. If you implement these home security tips to fortify your house you may well avoid a lot of potential break-ins. But there are some other things that will help as well.

–Move valuables away from outside view. Don’t risk tempting someone. Consider putting small valuables in Diversion Safes.

–Start or join a neighborhood watch. Strangers usually stick out in a neighborhood and should be reported immediately to police.

–Make your house look occupied when you are gone. Burglars are much less likely to consider a house they feel is occupied.

–Lock your doors and windows Even when you are gone for a short period of time. Summertime presents a huge temptation to leave doors or windows open. Don’t give in to the temptation. I have seen so many garage doors open only one or two feet to let the heat out-just enough to let a burglar in.

Many police departments as a public service will offer advice on how to make your home more secure. Call for availability in your area.

There are several simple things you can do to make your home less prone to intrusion by a burglar. Start with an assessment on how to make your home well lit, more secure, and in the event of an entry-how to make it very noisy. Light, time, and noise are the enemies of the professional burglar.

Jack Krohn started Security Solutions to help people prevent crime. His websites
http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/cybereye.htm,

http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/keepi.htm,

and http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/electronicwatchdog.htm
offer unique, hard to find products for self defense, home security and professional high tech surveillance equipment for homes and business.

In this day and age, sad as it seems, more and more homeowners are choosing to install home security alarm systems. While choosing a home security alarm system may seem like a straightforward task, there are actually many considerations involved in choosing the correct alarm system for your home.

Your home alarm system can be as simple as a few relatively inexpensive devices placed at each door and window, or as complicated and as expensive as you wish to go. You can choose monitored services and unmonitored. You can choose to have security cameras, not have security cameras, or put up fake security cameras. You can choose home security systems which alert you in case of fire or carbon monoxide, or again, you can have a monitored system where someone on duty is alerted to your danger before you even become aware and calls emergency personnel for you.

As you can see, one factor which WILL have to be considered is cost.

HOME SECURITY SYSTEM COSTS

Obviously, it is difficult to place a price on the peace that comes with knowing that you have adequately protected your home and your family. However, in the real world, we often have to evaluate the costs of things we desire or need, and this extends to home security systems. Parts and pieces for a home built security system are available from such sources as Radio Shack, which you would expect, and Wal-Mart, which you might not! Even do-it-yourself systems such as these can cost a few hundred dollars and, while providing basic home security, usually will not provide monitoring in the event of your absence. Some do-it-yourself components can be found which will notify emergency response activities without you having to take action yourself, but with every bell and whistle (literally) which you add, the cost will go up.

Now, when I was talking about a do-it-yourself home security system, you probably thought I was giving the good news first. As you read about how expensive this can get, you probably thought that was either the bad news, or the good news going sour.

Wrong. I started off with the BAD news.

The two major advantages I see to do-it-yourself security systems is that you can buy one unit at a time for a relatively low cost, and, if you are the handyman type, you can have the joy of installing the stuff yourself.

Here’s the good news.

There are many good quality home security companies out there. You may or may not have heard of ADT, Brinks, and Great Alarms, but you may NOT be familiar with their services and costs. While offers change from time to time and vary from company to company, prices are actually quite reasonable considering services provided. At the time of writing this article, a quick survey of just a few companies found installation costs ranging from free to a little over $300.00. Since these generally are monitored systems, you can expect to pay a monthly fee for the monitoring service, but it usually is only about $30.00 per month. Again, this may vary from company to company, so by all means, shop around.

I personally believe that when you consider what you get with a professionally installed and monitored home security system, you will probably skip the trip to Radio Shack or Wal-Mart and hire one of these companies to install your system.

COMPONENTS AND SERVICES OF A MONITORED HOME SECURITY SYSTEM

Actual components and services will vary from company to company, but here is an overview of the components and services you might expect to get from a home security system.

Home Security System Components

*Command Stations: This may be referred to by various names depending on the service provider. Great Alarms calls it a “command station”, ADT a “touchpad”, and Brinks a “keypad”. From this command point, the system can be armed or disarmed, help can be summoned, warnings can be given to others in the house by means of a device such as a horn, whistle, chime or similar item. It is often possible to get more than one station or keypad installed, such as one in the living area and one in the bedroom.

*Door And Window Sensors: These are generally simple devices, but when you buy them one by one yourself, their cost can really add up. Many professional companies expect to make their money off the monthly monitoring. Home security companies can acquire these items in bulk at much lower prices than you or I would pay, and that is why installation as a package, is often much less than what you would have to pay just for the items, if you bought them individually yourself.

*Motion Detectors: Should an intruder approach your home or by some means gain entry, motion detectors can be used to sense their presence and activate alarms or summon help.

*Remote Controls: In addition to the command station, touchpad, or keypad, many systems include a remote device which you may carry with you. These range from small units suitable to be carried on a keychain to larger units intended to be carried from room to room within your house.

*Sensors: There are sensors available to detect fire, carbon monoxide, heat, moisture, breaking glass and flex.

*Alarms And Other Warning Devices: The old familiar “alarm” is almost passé. You can get sirens, chimes, and even strobe lights to warn you of break-ins or other emergencies.

*Security Cameras: While most home security systems that the average family can afford will not use security cameras, this is still an additional option.

Home Security System Services

Once you have seen the short list of components above, you will have a pretty good idea of what services can be provided. Most commonly, intrusion or activation of a sensor by other means, by fire or carbon monoxide, for example, is the cue for the monitoring team to go into action. Primarily, they can summon police, fire, or emergency medical personnel for you if you are incapacitated or away from home. Since this service is around the clock, it provides you and your family with a sense of security and buffer of safety that may well be worth the cost. Some companies also provide security review services to help you judge your particular home security situation and options for defense. Again, these services, and their costs, vary from company to company, so shop around.

HOME SECURITY ON THE CHEAP

If you honestly feel that a home security system is out of your price range at the moment, there are a few inexpensive steps you can take to possibly improve your situation.

First, make sure that all your doors and windows lock. If several people may have had access to keys previously, go ahead and change the locks and make sure that only the people that need them have keys. This trip to Wal-Mart or Home Depot will be nowhere near as expensive as the cost of a break-in. Make sure all your windows can be locked and ARE locked, except when YOU want them to be unlocked.

Second, light the areas around your home at night where someone could get close and break in. There are solar powered lights which can be used to cut down on your electric bill. Lighting can be attached to inexpensive motion detectors.

Third, put all emergency services on speed dial, and make sure numbers are prominently posted near all phones anyway. Don’t assume that 911 will always do the job. Sometimes a call directly to a fire department may get faster response.

Fourth, make a plan for an emergency and make sure that everyone realizes their job and where to meet up if people get separated.

Fifth, buy an air horn and don’t be afraid to use it. You can apologize to the neighbors later.

Sixth, there are places where you can buy signs for your yard and decals for your windows. Nobody has to know you never got around to buying the system, do they?

Seventh, get your hands on some fake security cameras. I don’t exactly place a lot of personal faith in this one, but there are some reasonably realistic looking fake security cameras around, and just “not knowing” may be enough to deter an inexperienced burglar looking for an easy score. The cameras I have seen move, and have a pulsing red light which makes it look official.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has blogs on the subjects of weight loss and health, hybrid cars and alternative fuels, and an online electronics store where home security systems and other electronic and telecommunications items may be purchased.

Steps to Keep Your Kids Safe – What Can and Can’t Be Done

Home security is about protecting your family, and the most overlooked means of entry is sitting in your living room…your computer…this article discusses the Commission for the Online Protection of Children’s recommended steps to keeping your children safe online…home security system, alarm, camera

There are many steps we could take to protect our children from unsuitable materials we see in everyday life. We could hide the newspaper from them so that they won’t see any articles or advertisements, throw away the television, trash the VCR, etc. Obviously, these are not the types of steps we want, nor should take. The Internet is a vast resource of good information for our children to use and to grow by. However, those sites and publishers of adult material know this also, and have a very powerful weapon at there disposal to use when the screws are tightened for them to clean up their act. That tool is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The First Amendment, for those of you who have been out of 8th grade Civics class for a while, gives Americans the right of free speech. This amendment does not state that we have the right to free, and suitable, speech; the right to speech suitable to all Americans, the right of speech that does not include pornography. This is what the adult entertainment industry uses as their defense to all encroachments on their ability to market and sell their materials. Government has been effective in a couple areas of entertainment in at least providing consumers with information that content may not be suitable for children as in movie ratings and parental advisory stickers on music. However, this does not prevent young children from purchasing or viewing this type of material. It also does not provide recourse back to the seller for this material being available for use to children.

The COPC has reviewed how other industries handle this problem, and have incorporated these same processes into their recommendations. There is currently software available to consumers that may be installed on your computer to block specific content from the Internet. This software will also provide reports that show attempts made to access sites. Some software will also allow access to sites to the point where explicit material is accessed, kicking the user off the Internet when that area is reached. This process is effective to a point. That point is where it interferes with the ability for a young user to gain valuable and useful information on a topic the software may see as offensive, including research on breast cancer (breast is a “lockout” word), other forms of reproductive cancers, etc. This type of material we want our children to be able to access. The software does not make it easy to add/remove words such as this, so it becomes a complex issue. The recommendation has also been made to add rating designations to websites. This presents basically the same issues experienced in the entertainment industry, with one exception. It is hard to verify that the person actually sitting at the computer is under 18 years of age. With the knowledge most of our children have today, it is not difficult to circumvent the system.

The COPC has also made recommendations to add domain names that reflect the content being marketed or distributed by the sites. This would include domains such as .XXX or .SEX for adult entertainment sites. Again, the First Amendment argument arises in that these domain names make it easier to filter out this material which they are free to distribute. It would also provide an unwanted designation on the site that would make it more recognizable as an adult entertainment site and drop the number of hits to the page. Recently this was rejected by the ICANN board in a 9 to 5 vote. The adult entertainment industry opposed it as “increased state control” &, oddly enough, anti-pornography advocates also opposed, believing it “legitimizes an illegitimate industry…”

In the last article in this series, I’ll state what the commission’s final recommendation is, as well as what other advocacy groups have to say on this issue.

©Walter Stone
Home Security Online
Security Systems, alarms, motion detectors
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