Operation Fort Knox: The Final Installment
To conclude our posts on security, we thought we’d end the week with the five tips we’ve picked up about how to be safer, more aware, homeowners.
Tip No. 1: Lock Your Doors
Sounds simple enough right? Well, a lot of us don’t always do this and may eventually regret not taking the time. This means both home and car doors – when you’re home and when you’re away. Don’t think that someone will be too afraid to rummage through your car right in your driveway. An unlocked car door may be just enough motivation for the criminal that’s not gutsy enough to smash a window. This also means don’t leave valuable items in your car, especially in plain sight – this applies to your driveway too, not just the mall parking lot.
Tip No. 2: If You Have an Alarm Use It
You spend forty bucks each month to have the thing, learn how to use all the features and set it when you leave home. Also make sure that if your local jurisdiction has any rules regarding registration or alarm permitting that you are fully compliant so that there is no delay in receiving services when you need them. Also keep your contact information with everyone involved fully up to date – got a new cell phone? Make sure to tell your alarm company right away.
Another tip we learned during our apartment days is that if you don’t have a home alarm see if you can use your car alarm to your advantage. In our previous duplex dwelling we were on the first floor and our cars were parked just outside the bedroom windows. If you fear that someone may be lurking around the yard or even worse, hear someone trying to break in through a window or door, a set of keys by the bed and that car panic button may be just enough to scare off the offender. Test it out and see if it works for you.
Photo: RoadFly
Tip No. 3: Get to Know Your Neighbors
Knowing your neighbors and keeping in contact with them is a great way to protect your whole neighborhood. Let them know if you’ll be out of town for a week so they know to react if they see a suspicious truck pull up in your driveway. Picking up excess mail and newspapers for one another is a great way to keep from tipping anyone off that you’re away from home.
Also get to know your entire neighborhood, know what streets back up to what areas and who walks around your neighborhood on a regular basis.
One of Amy’s favorite past times is to check out the City of Durham’s Crime Mapper to find out if any of our neighbors have had their homes or cars broken into lately. If you live in Durham check out their website. If you’re shopping for a new home, be sure to check BEFORE you buy to make sure you’re relocating to safe area. Durham’s site will even let you check your specific address for any past incidents so you know if the house you’re about to purchase is a crime magnet.
Photo: City of Durham Crime Mapper
If you’re feeling extra curious check your state’s sexual offender registry and search your address. However, we warn you to do this at your own risk – the results could be shocking! We had zero within a one mile radius, but 35 within 3 miles. Most registries are found on State Attorney General’s websites, in North Carolina visit this site.
Tip No. 4: Head Outside and Think Like a Criminal
More innocently inclined and not sure what to look for? Check out your landscaping first. Make sure there aren’t any over-grown bushes that are creating great places to hide near your walkways, windows, doors, etc. Then make sure all your outdoor lighting is functioning properly, bulbs are replaced and that you have adequate lighting around each of your doors and around dark corners of your home. Basically any area that you frequent should be well lit for security.
Photo: Light A Home
Back to those locks – make sure that anything you would like to protect is locked away in a garage or storage unit of some sort. Tools under the deck or a bike just inside your carport are invitations for a five-finger discount.
Finally, make sure your window locks are all working correctly and also scan the outside of your home and be aware of any possible ways someone could climb either over your fence and into your yard, or even on top of something like your air-conditioning unit and into your home.
Tip No. 5: If All Else Fails, Just Be Prepared
Pick up a fire safe box and hide it in your house – we won ours in a Christmas party raffle and it is by-far the most useful gift we’ve ever won. Take it a step further by installing a safe somewhere in your home. Criminals will usually have a harder time ripping your safe out of the wall than just grabbing a fire proof box and running.
Keep back-up copies of your credit card information, birth certificates, marriage certificates, title, deeds and insurance policies and other documents in a secure location like a bank safety deposit box. Buy a shredder and use it for all other documents you don’t need to keep on hand.
Know your insurance policies. If you have expensive jewelry, furs, or super-sweet golf clubs, make sure they are covered under your current renters or homeowner’s policy. Often these items have to be “scheduled” and require extra payment and appraisal.
Keep records of your stuff. This is where we’ve failed in the past and learned our lesson the hard way. Taking the time to complete a household inventory of your most valuable items will save you hours of time and stress in the event of a break-in or fire. Feel free to use this handy template we made to keep up with your goods. Send a copy to your insurance agent, if you just keep it on your laptop and then the laptop disappears you’ve up the creek.
Take photos of your things. This can be as simple as walking through your house and taking lots of random pictures. Don’t forget to take photos inside cabinets, closets and drawers. Also helpful is to walk through your house once a year or so with a video camera to capture proof of all your goodies on tape. Your insurance agent should be happy to accept a copy of any photos or videos you’ve made and keep them on file should your beloved bongo drums every wander away along with that laptop.
We hope these tips will help make your home a little more secure and your life a little less stressed should you ever find yourself burglarized.
Photo: McDonald’s Corporation
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