Homefront Living: Enjoying Life in he Middle of a Terrorist War

A Special Section of the Project On Insurgency, Terrorism and Security

Keeping Your Home Safe From Burglars

New terrorist dangers do not mitigate the threat you face from common criminals. In fact, crime is rising in many areas because police and law enforcement have been forced to focus on the terrorist threat. Living well on the "homefront" means that homeowners must be more proactive against the older, more common, threat.

Each year more than 2 1/2 million burglaries are reported to law enforcement agencies. Two out of every three are residential break-ins. Sixty-seven percent of all burglaries involved forcible entry. Over half (52 percent) of burglaries occur during the daylight hours. Valuables of all types attract burglars: TVs, computers, stereos, games, cash, credit cards, appliances - even home furnishings.

Amazingly, 30 to 50 percent of home and apartment burglaries happen because someone didn't lock a door or window. Often, windows are even left open.

Too often burglary is accompanied by violence. A significant percentage of all rapes and aggravated assaults happen during simple break-ins.

Simple changes in attitude, behavior and the home can deter many professional and make the job of breaking in so difficult that the young, skilled, amateurs in crime will give up and go elsewhere. That's called DISPLACEMENT. What it means is that someone who hasn't protected themselves against burglary suffers the consequences rather than you.

Many of the measures designed to deter burglars make it harder for the thief by increasing the time, visibility or noise factors.

Invest in solid doors. Install good quality locks on doors and windows. Pay special attention to all sliding glass doors. Make it both difficult and time consuming for a burglar to gain entry.
Replace doors which have glass within two feet of the lock with solid doors.
Make certain all outside doors are steel-insulated with deadbolts or jimmy-resistant deadlocks.
Several varieties of doors are unsafe because they are easy to smash and open. The best exterior door for a home or apartment is metal or solid-core wood 1 3/4 inch thick. Fragile, hollow-core doors should never be used for the exterior of a home or apartment. There are ways of strengthening less-than-adequate doors at modest expense. For example, add a 1/2 inch plywood plate over the wooden panels. If a door has a large piece of glass in it, you can install a metal grill or a security panel (3/16 inch polycarbonate material).
Consider strengthening the frames around your exterior doors and the hinges that attach the door to the frame. Otherwise, a quick shove could open your door by breaking the hinges or the frame.
Remember that a side or back door, being less visible, may be subjected to a stronger attack than your front door. Good security is important for all exterior doors on every home and apartment.
A 190 degree wide-angle peephole installed in solid doors will help you identify people who come to the door. You also should have adequate lighting at all exterior entrances.
Sliding glass doors offer the burglar several means of entry. These include prying the doors open with a screwdriver or prybar, lifting the door or window out of its track, or breaking the glass. To secure the sliding glass door, each of these means of entry must be dealt with individually.
Little can be done to prevent the intruder from breaking the glass. (Many will not use this means of entry since breaking glass is noisy and dangerous.)
To prevent the door or window from being lifted out of the track, a wood or metal bar of the proper thickness can be screwed inside the upper track. This will permit the door to slide properly but will not allow the door to be lifted out of the track.
Most windows come equipped with latches. Because many window latches do not provide ideal security, it is a good idea to supplement them. Special locks (e.g. barrel bolt locks) are now available to provide extra security for various types of windows. (Note: In case of fire or other emergency which would require quick evacuation from the home, everyone in the family should know how to use the lock. Further, the key for the lock should always remain at a designated place so that everyone in the family knows its location.)
In addition to locks, there are two other inexpensive techniques for securing windows. For windows that slide sideways, use the same method as described above to secure sliding glass doors. For traditional, double-hung windows, window pinning is recommended.
To pin double-hung windows: at each top corner of the inside sash, drill a hole through the inside sash and three quarters of the way through the outside sash at a slight downward angle. Insert two 5/16 inch diameter eyebolts, one on each side of the window. The bolts should fit loosely enough in their holes so that they are easy to insert and remove.
A separate set of holes can be drilled into the outside sash approximately three to four inches above the inside sash so that the window can be left open for ventilation. This prevents the window from being opened further than the three or four inches allowed.
Many homes and apartments, particularly modern ones, have locks which burglars can open relatively easily. The one- inch, deadbolt lock is most effective.
An inside chain guard is not a substitute for a proper lock.
Whenever you leave the house lock the door and take the key with you, even if you are just walking next door or out watering the lawn.
Don't put valuables where they can be seen through the window, especially items that can be carried away easily and those that burglars like most such as TVs, stereos, silver, electronic games.
Keep liquor bottles out of plain sight from the street.
Keep the blinds or drapes closed to discourage "Peeping Toms." Never hang lingerie outdoors to dry.
If your entrance keys are lost or stolen, replace the locks or have a locksmith rekey them immediately.
Never leave mail in your car with the address visible.
Be sure your garage door can be closed and properly secured so that it can't be opened without a key or a garage door opener. Never leave it up when you are away; an empty garage hints that you are not at home.
Failure to close and lock garage doors presents a serious security problem. If an intruder gains entrance to the garage, he or she will be concealed and may find the tools necessary to continue the burglary into the home.
If your garage is attached to your home, the connecting entrance needs to be secured in the same way as your front and back doors. The garage door into the house often is the easiest entry for the burglar. You need a solid door with a one-inch, deadbolt lock.
When you are away in the evening, or for several days, use a timer set to on turn interior lights. They should come on and go off at intervals, just as they would if you were home and moving from room to room.
Leave a radio on so that it is faintly audible through the front and rear door areas.
Don't keep large amounts of cash at home or leave valuable jewelry lying around the house.
If someone asks to use the phone to make a call, offer to make the call yourself. Under no circumstances invite them in.
Verify the identity of all repairpersons. Use the telephone number listed in the phone book when you call, not the phone number shown on their identification.
Do not answer detailed telephone surveys or phone credit applications.
Avoid news coverage where a newspaper/magazine article would:
*Picture the interior of your home;
*Tell of an upcoming trip you will take;
*Tell of any future event, such as an awards ceremony, funeral, sports contest, etc. where you will attend.
Keep your name and home address out of company directories, church directories or other publications.
Vary the time you attend church services, to the extent possible and try to avoid setting a pattern in your comings and goings.
Use an answering machine or voice mail, but make certain the message does not mention that you are out. It should simply ask for messages, as if you may be home and are simply screening calls.
Draft your your answering machine message so that it does not indicate that you are alone.
Where possible, get an unlisted or unpublished phone number.
Do not list your first name in the telephone book. Instead use initials.
Train children about giving out information when answering the phone.
Always listen for background noises when before saying "hello" when you are called.
Install caller ID and caller trace on your phone.
Get to know the people in all adjacent homes an apartments, and make certain they know you and your family by sight.
Do not put your name or address on your keyring.
Do not leave house keys on your key ring when attendants park your car.
Do not leave notes to workmen or friends you expect to stop by, they tip off a would-be burglar that you are not home.
Don't hide spare key under the door mat or a flower pot. Thieves are aware of all the good hiding places and check them. If you must leave a spare key somewhere, keep it at a trusted neighbor's. But do not mark it so that someone stealing it will know what it opens.
Use plantings creatively. Plant bushes or plants with thorns beneath windows. Trim back shrubs or trees ear doors and windows to eliminate hiding places.
A good security system is an investment in safety. It, as well as motion sensor lights, should be installed out of reach
Light all entrances--Brightly.
Don't leave ladders outside. Lock up all tools that could be used to break in your home.
Get a dog with a good bark or install "beware of dog" signs. If you own a dog and go out of town, have someone care for your dog in your home.
Always double check doors at night and lock all windows.
It's extremely important to make your home or apartment look lived in when you're away, even if it's only for a matter of hours, or overnight. The same precautions we take when going on a two-week vacation, for example, should be used for an overnight trip. It's a good idea to ask a trusted neighbor to maintain your day-to-day routine. For example:
*Keep the garage door closed and locked at all times so no one can see when your car is not there.
*Use automatic timers or ask a trusted neighbor to turn your lights on at night and off in the morning and to turn a radio on as well. Vary the lights you leave on (bathroom one night, kitchen the next).
*Ask a neighbor to fill a garbage can and put it in front of your house.
*Ask the neighbor to pick up your newspaper and mail. Do not tell the newsboy that you will be gone. If you are going to be away a long time simply cancel your paper; don't enter a vacation stop order.
*Ask the neighbor to park his or her car in front of your house from time to time to give the appearance that someone is coming and going regularly.
Get a mailbox which is large enough to totally conceal mail, or install a mail slot in your door. Uncollected mail suggests that no one is home.
Engrave all valuables such as stereos, microwaves, videocameras, with your driver's license number. (Engraving tools are usually available through your local law enforcement agency.) Videotape the contents of your home. Keep the video and the list of all valuables in a safe place, such as a safety deposit box.
You should especially mark the types of items which are most commonly stolen: TV's, stereos, cameras, guns, etc.
List all your valuable property as an aid in determining the loss in the event of theft.
Invisible-ink markers available from some agencies and stores can be used to mark items which are not easily engraved, such as fur pieces, paintings, crystal, antiques, etc.

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