ideas to make home safer in seedy neighborhood?

[Sano]

Tanglefoot

I like the pebbles and dried leaves idea. We can probably think of some other noisy medium combined with tanglefoot that could be effective. Gnomes with Xmas lights strung between them over pebbles perhaps.
My wife hates those chrome balls on pedestals but I thought those could be effective mirrors for seeing around corners of property if placed strategically. I usually try to get to know my neighbors but I have had ones that I didn't want to know. Meeting them would just give them an excuse to approach me and my property.
Another thing I used to do was to go out in the front yard and fire twelve gauge blanks into the air on New Years Day and Fourth of July.

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

ideas

-barrier(thorny) shrubs for window areas, hidden corners, dark spots. ($20-40 per planting area)... birds nest in them... and make a racket as well if approached.
-motion lights.($30 bucks at home depot or less)
-audible security alarm. ($200 plus monitoring fee if applicable)
-birdfeeders by large windows.
-lightweight stand up gunsafe loaded with junk(bars, old weights, etc) and loosely bolted in first closet you come too...
-and I always advocate a chimpanzee for a house pet.
-key-only dead bolts... interior and exterior... traps burglars... cant just punch out a window and reach around.

these shrubs are excellent!
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/be_ensis.html

 

[beatcop]

Install a "solid" door on the bedroom and shut/lock it at night.
If you don't have a dog or alarm, this can buy you some time to call the police or load up.

 

[leadcounsel]

Cheap solutions

In addition to the other postings, which have good info, here's some ideas.

Using a common 2x6 or 4x4, you can cut it to length and 'brace' it against the door (just under the door knob) and against another object in the room (for instance the base of your stairwell, a door jam, another wall, etc. or you could even nail a board to the floor a short distance away from the door you intend to brace). This makes the door VERY hard to kick in, and would take significant force and noise to break.

You can also anchor eye-bolts into the studs on either side of your doors and buy 4' lengths of rebar and reinforce the doors from the inside. Again, this would severly slow forced entry and would create a lot of noise.

For $1 each at the dollar store you can buy magnetic alarms that affix to windows and doors.

The idea is that these very cheap measures will deter someone who is attempting to break in, and if you're home you'll have additional warning and time to defend yourself.

Lighting is great and I leave exteriors on 24/7. For about $10 each you can buy daylight sensor screw in light bulb adaptors from a home improvement store. For about $20 each you can buy motion detector sensor screw in light bulb adaptors. That's the poor man or rental persons solution for motion detector lights!

Set up light timers for interior lights in several rooms that come on/turn off at various points in the night. Set up one to a TV so there is audible noise if someone listens at your window, or just leave a radio on all day. I suspect criminals probably listen at the window for noise before a B&E.

 

[Pharmacology]

I agree with you, Pharmacology, but the sticker makes no such statement. Smith and Wesson markets security systems as well as firearms.

D'ohohoho; I see what you did there.


Didn't know that anyway.

 

[cleardiddion]

Everyone says that you should get rid of all shrubbery. I tend to disagree with that to a degree. If it's the soft cushy kinda, get rid of it. What you should put in it's place is something that would deter people, like roses. Looks good, you get some privacy, and it deters anyone from hopping in and chilling out.

 

[wilkersk]

.... Over time, the "dog as member of family" ethos became the norm, but there's still nothing wrong with employing a dog for security.

Professional working dogs are socialized to the point that they are members of a big "professional" family. Its a full time, round the clock job caring for professional dogs. And the handlers/trainers/keepers who do mostly have a passion for that job.

There is nothing more discouraging to me than my neighbor who keeps his dog in the back yard and only interacts with the dog when yelling at the poor beast to "shut up".

I hate that dog, and my neigbor for making him that way!

If you own a domesticated animal, it IS a member of your family!

--------------------------------------------------------Rant Off--------------------------------------------------------------

No matter how "secure" you think your home is. An intruder, at most, is only a 5lb sledge hammer from breaking in. the best thing you can do is to be observant. and if you can't live the way you want to live without sticking out like a sore thumb in a rundown neighborhood, then, its time to either clean up the neighborhood or move out.

 

[LoneCoon]

If you do decide to go the window bars route, I suggest fancy, wrought iron bars on the inside of your windows. Secure them with one way screws, obviously.

 

[wilkersk]

If you do decide to go the window bars route, I suggest fancy, wrought iron bars on the inside of your windows. Secure them with one way screws, obviously.

Better put those bars around the walls and roof also.

Somewhere on the internet is a video of a guy using a sledge hammer to bust out a hole in a wall to reach in and unlock a door. It took him all of about 30 seconds.

Home security is an illusion for all but the rich who can afford perimeter security and around the clock security patrols.

The best you can do is neighborhood watch and some of the obvious things.

Unless you live in the "North and Belair" neighborhood of Maryland, or the "State and Garfield" area on the south side of Chicago, those iron bars are just ugly and expensive. And, if your house catches fire, they can keep you from getting out, even with the "emergency releases" that some city zoning regs require.

When my house was broken into, a skinny 17 year old girl and her boyfriend tossed a rock through the kitchen window and then the girl climbed in and let her bf in the back slider. They drank my beer and carried off my stereo and my wife's jewelry.

They got busted because a couple of roofers on a house under contruction a block over saw them carrying stuff out of my back yard down into a ravine.

I could tell you about how unfair the whole process was for us, the victims. And, how the two delinquents got off scot free. But, it just makes me mad!

 

[MariusDP51]

Don't spend a fortune.

Start with the motion detector lights outside. Make sure they remain on for at least a minute after detection.

Dummy cams as visual deterent outside are worth far more than real cams inside or out, and they are dirt cheap.

Make it as difficult possible for the crim to move around inside your house. Lock all doors inside your house when you go out. This will frustrate the crim and give any reaction officer valuable time to get to your place.

Those cheap DIY magnetic door and window alarms will be of more value than a dog for alerting you of an intruder.

Install additional barriers in your home to create safe zones for when you are home. Having to force his way through security gates will make the intruder, not you, a target. Assuming of course you have some sort of firearm.

Take out insurance, and keep the valuable things in a well hidden safe.

 

[bobby68]

1. motion sensor frogs - they "ribbitt" when they sense motion.

2. Amen to the dry leaves/ pebbles suggestion. Place i used to live had a lot of intruders and i learned to listen for those crunching leaves.

3. Amen to the poster that pointed out you can break through walls with sledge hammer. Israeli (IDF) adopted this to go after terrorist in refugee camps.

4. Guy i knew who was burgling as a minor said they learned to whistle loudly when breaking windows to cover the noise. So... the suggestion is that windows are vulnerable and neigbors might not hear them break.


5. Neighbor's won't always hear - I had some thieving neighbors steal another neighbors swamp cooler, dropping it in the process making noise that i never heard as i was sleeping- i only learned of it because he asked me if he had bothered me with the noise of dropping "his" air conditioner (Later same day police and victims showed up asking if i heard anyone break in, the victims weren't home as they were in process of moving to a new place.) It wasn't till later that i realized they were talking about same incident.

6. Amen on caring for dogs. I hate to see dogs neglected. I'd dare say it is a sin.

 

[Nausea]

Hi everyone, first post. My girlfriend has a brinks (I think) sercurity system that beeps about four times whenever a door or window is opened or closed. I understand this does no good if they are broken open but it is a start. I have heard that cats have a higher hearing threshold (compared to dogs) which could be handy if taking care of dogs isn't convenient. I have also heard of cats saving peoples lives and attacking burglars, although that might require a bit of training...if you can train cats.

 

[uspJ]

plant yucca shrubs around your windows, they have very rigid leaves around a foot long with needle sharp tips. these will deter most from going near your windows.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca

 

[vballdust]

Something I have considered for my next vehicle DD is a Ford Crown Vic interceptor. Alot of the inteceptors do sit at idle at long peroids of time, driven on dirt roads and even driven hard. But most of the cars are keep up well with frequent oil changes and anything else that may go wrong on the car. One of those parked in your drive says "try another house". These car can be bought here locally for far less that what a normal crown vic is worth.

 

[AKElroy]

Deadbolts, motion lights front & back, dogs, safe, alarm w/ instant-on option on all exterior openings, dedicated battery backup for same, DEFENSIVE PLAN FOR WHEN IT GOES OFF, 12 gauge pump w/ low recoil buckshot w/ tack light.

 

[pacerdude]

We had a similar issue at my mom's house late last year. We installed motion detecting lights, as well as several infrared cameras around the outside of the house. The cameras feed into a monitor in the living room and are linked to a digital video recorder.

The lights and cameras have made a huge difference, as far as people messing with the house.

 

[snevel]

I know I'm coming late to this discussion, but you should check out the Practical Defense podcast:

http://www.alexhaddox.com/practicaldefense0.shtml

Especially episodes 11 thru 16.

He discusses lights and landscaping, replacing your wooden door frames w/ steel and a plastic film that can be applied to your windows to make them MUCH harder to break.

There's lots of other good stuff on personal, practical defense as well in the other 100+ episodes.

Simeon

 

[xcgates]

vballdust, my dad has one for his winter car, and if I am home packing/unpacking things out of my car, or motorcycle, that is the car we leave outside.

 

[aggiez28]

-key-only dead bolts... interior and exterior... traps burglars... cant just punch out a window and reach around.

its good for that but its not good for when you want to exit durign a fire.

 

[xcgates]

If possible, don't have the dead bolt where someone could possibly reach it from a window.