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Lock Crime OUT of your Home

Drawing of home

Looking for more ways to keep your home safe? Check out our Residential Burglary PowerPoint.

Making your home safer from crime doesn’t always mean having to install expensive alarms – effective home security starts with properly locked doors, windows and highly visible, well-lit entryways.

Exterior Doors

All exterior doors should be either metal or solid wood. For added security, use strong door hinges on the inside of the door, with non-removable or hidden pins. Every entry door should be well lit. Solid core windowless doors should have a wide-angle door viewer so you can see who is outside without opening the door.

Locks

Strong, reliable locks are essential to effective home security. Always keep your doors and windows locked – even a five-minute trip to the store is long enough for a burglar to enter your home.

Use quality keyed door knobs as well as deadbolts. Deadbolts can withstand the twisting, turning, prying, and pounding that regular knobs can’t. When choosing a deadbolt, look for features such as a bolt that extends at least one inch when in a locked position, hardened steel inserts and a reinforced strike plate with extra long mounting screws to anchor the lock into the wall stud.

Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass doors can offer easy entry into your home. To improve sliding door security you can install keyed locking devices that secure the door to the frame; you also can adjust the track clearances on the doors so they can’t be pushed out of their tracks; or you can put a piece of wood or a metal bar in the track of the closed door to prevent the door from opening.

Windows

Most standard double-hung windows have thumb-turn locks between the two window panels. Don’t rely on these because they can be pried open or easily reached through a broken pane.

An easy, inexpensive way to secure your windows is to use the “pin” trick. Drill an angled hole through the top frame of the lower window partially into the frame of the upper window. Then insert a nail or eyebolt. The window then can only be opened when the nail is removed.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most cost-effective deterrents to burglary. Indoor lighting gives the impression the home is occupied. Consider using automatic timers on indoor lights.

Outdoor lighting is important to eliminate possible hiding places. Exterior lights are helpful near porches, rear and side doorways, and all points of entry. Aim some lights away from the house so you can see if someone approaches, or install motion-sensing lights, which turn on automatically when someone approaches.