How secure is your home?

Your home is your castle, but how safe is your family and all of your prep supplies? Maybe you have a deadbolt lock on the front door which makes you feel good. Is it bobby pin proof?

Ever heard of lock bumping? So easy a kid could do it.

Maybe you feel better about your security because you have a home alarm.  Child’s play.

It’s true, you are not as safe as you thought. Locks and alarms do not present much of a hindrance to an amateur intruder, much less a trained one. So what are you to do about it, hire a security guard or buy an attack dog? While there is no foolproof solution there are some common sense ones that can greatly decrease your probability of becoming a victim.

1- Signs: Beware of dog signs, protected by ADT, what’s in here is not worth your life etc. Criminals searching for the low hanging fruit might choose to bypass your home just because of the potential inconvenience that exists in dealing with a big dog or an alarm system.

2- Lighting: Make sure you have adequate lighting near all entrances of your home. I prefer motion detector spotlights that are mounted in high locations, which would make it difficult for someone on the ground to simply knock out the bulb.

3- Situational Awareness: Don’t leave your garage door open, not only does it provide easy daytime access for anyone who would want to barge in, it also advertises all of the “toys” you might have parked in here. Keep an eye out for contractors or vehicles that should not be in the area. You know your neighborhood well enough and should be able to spot something that looks out of place.

4- Be Suspicious: Don’t trust everyone that comes to the front door. Instruct children never to open the door for anyone. Be very cautious when more than one person is at the door, especially after dark.

5- Patio Doors: Patio doors can be lifted out of their tracks quite easily, use good locks and place a bar in the track to keep the door from sliding when not in use.

6- Security Bar: If your locks fail, this thing will not  (in most instances). I put one of these on the door and attempted to shoulder my way in, no way it was happening without employing a sledge hammer.

7- Dogs: You don’t have to have a Pit Bull or GSD in order to get the job done, watch dogs are great too. Small dogs which can alert you to danger by barking are a great asset when considering home security.

8- EDC: If you are truly concerned about your safety, why not carry in the house?

9- Get to know your neighbors:  I have a neighbor who lives across the street who has been a cop for many years.  Sometimes I think the guy has surveillance set up on my home, but I know he is just being careful and looking out for everyone.  We’ll talk in the street sometimes after doing yard work, as a matter of fact he walked into his garage and found someone in there trying to steal tools once.  Not a good day for the criminal.

10- No perfect plan.  Remember there is no perfect plan.  You could set up triple strand concertina wire around your home and dig fighting positions, but there would still be people who were capable enough to get past those defenses.  Simply by utilizing common sense techniques you should be able to thwart many of the criminals who are looking for soft targets.