SPY_FiveStepsToAnInvasionProof.pdf
Are you the “soft target” home invaders are searching for?
“Soft target” is simply a military term meaning “unprotected or easy to breach…”
Any given day, you can find a rash of home break-in stories.
Most people believe violence like this happens to someone else. It’s human nature, really, to think that way. But when it happens to you or someone close to you, it’s too late to do anything about it.
And the result can rip a family apart. It’s heartbreaking.
It happens far more often than people think. Yet just a few shockingly simple and inexpensive steps can effectively protect you and your loved ones.
The truth is awareness and preparation are the key to staying out of dangerous situations… and 99% of Americans are oblivious to danger.
Preparing for these kinds of dangerous encounters is incredibly easy and more useful than you can probably imagine.
What I’m going to teach you today is going to transform your home from a “soft target” that silently and unknowingly invites criminals to your home… to a “hard target” that sends a clear message to thugs casing your neighborhood: “You better move on, punk.”
Step #1: Identify Any “Tells” From Your Home That Are Easy for Invaders or Burglars to Spot
Homeowners don’t usually think someone is casing their neighborhood and often leave strong clues that tell thieves and thugs, “This home is an easy target.”
As one convicted burglar said: “If they’re in a [wealthy neighborhood] and the yard is not manicured, I just think they’re on vacation… and I will go to that house.”
So what exactly are the “tells” that a criminal looks for? And how can you avoid them?
There are a few signs that make you and your home a target.
For starters, burglars look for full mailboxes. If you’re going away, I suggest placing a temporary stop on any mail delivery while you’re away. Because believe me… burglars really do notice that mail piled up in the mailbox or newspapers piled up on the driveway. It’s a telltale sign that nobody’s home and the coast is clear. You might even consider doing what I do — use only a UPS Store mailbox for all mail.
Bad weather could provide another “tell” that no one is home is. When it snows, a big signal that no one’s home is virgin snow leading up to the house. So if it snows while you’re out of town, you’ll need to take precautions to protect your home. Simply have a neighbor create car and foot tracks into the house, to give the idea that you’re there… even when you’re not.
Have a dog? While this is a great way to deter any burglars, there is a way your own dog might accidentally reveal that you are not home in just a few seconds, without a criminal even entering your home.
In an empty house, rather than alerting an owner that a potential intruder is present, a dog might just stand by the door waiting for its owner to come home.
A barking dog will bring unwanted attention to a potential burglar, but don’t rely on your dog to attack a criminal unless trained to.
Another “tell” that criminals will be looking for is an alarm system.
Not just any alarm system. A wireless alarm system. The response time is extremely quick, and any home invaders don’t want to risk getting caught.
In fact, one career home invader from Allen, Texas, confessed that a wireless alarm system is particularly scary… if found, he said, “I’m not even going to attempt it.”
There are a lot of alarm companies out there, and the top-name brands are all pretty good. But keep in mind those uncreative criminals are getting smarter these days and will often cut your phone lines. Therefore, make sure the company offers a wireless backup for your alarm system in case the phone lines get damaged during an attempted break-in (most of them do).
Step #2: Know Your Neighborhood
In a horrific home invasion triple murder in Connecticut back in 2007, one of the killers said he stalked two of the family members from a grocery store to their home, noting they had a “very nice house” and a “very nice car” that made their home stick out as a good target. He also believed the possibility that they had money in the house was “very decent.”
There’s nothing wrong with having a decent home and doing well for yourself. But there are certain ways people display their success that makes them targets.
Most homeowners never think about their home in the context of their neighborhood or other surroundings, but did you know that most criminals usually go for corner homes, since they tend to have fewer immediate neighbors?
This makes it easier for criminals to assess the surrounding area and occupancy, making corner houses an easier target for burglary.
Another factor for criminals when choosing a particular neighborhood is a certain kind of street sign.
Believe it or not, having a neighborhood watch sign is extremely effective. Criminals strenuously avoid neighborhoods that display these signs.
“A 2008 study conducted by the U.S. Justice Department revealed an average 16% reduction of crime in neighborhoods with active Neighborhood Watch programs,” reports the Dornbos Sign and Safety blog.
Neighborhood Watch presents an intimidation factor for criminals, as the community works together to recognize criminal action and prevent it from occurring.
The key is to know what kind of weaknesses a criminal is going to look for, and the best way to make your home the least attractive one on the block.
Step #3: Invest in Security Cameras or Adequate Lighting
These days, it’s so simple to make your home less appealing to a potential intruder.
Having an obvious security camera on a front or back door can be a quick deterrent to any thief, because no one wants to be recorded doing something illegal.
Alarm systems are affordable, and there are DIY alarm systems you can install yourself if you don’t want to go with a major company. The same goes with camera systems. You can get a wireless camera system and install it yourself. The only real knowledge you need is how to use a screwdriver and how to log on to a company’s website to set everything up.
Personally, I recommend Hikvision cameras for top-notch security that won’t break the bank. You can get more information on their website, here.
If you can’t afford or don’t want a security camera setup, there are work-arounds that can provide just as much deterrence.
A fake security camera is an inexpensive and easy way to “decoy” your house to make crooks move on to the next house.
Now you can deter robbery, theft and vandalism without the high cost of a real security camera.
Whether you have a real security camera or a fake one, make sure you turn it on. This is the biggest mistake homeowners who DO have a security camera make that ends up costing them.
While I definitely recommend everyone have an alarm system and video cameras, one of the most overlooked security measures is having motion-sensor lights around your home. Maybe this is because motion-sensor lights aren’t a “super sexy” topic, but it’s critical that you don’t have dark areas around your house where a criminal can hide as they try to break into your house through a door or window.
Even though you’ve got a front porch light and a back porch light, there are likely still areas around your home that don’t receive any light and are pitch-black. Most people focus their lights, locks and security systems on the front of their homes, but many home invasions occur somewhere else.
To discover where these “blind spots” are, take a walk around your house when the sun goes down today. Identify these areas and then purchase a motion sensor light or two. Since these lights have no wires, you can install them in unconventional places, such as on a tree, fence or shed. It doesn’t have to be attached to your house to light up your yard.
You can go to Home Depot and most hardware stores and get motion-sensor lights. I prefer a motion-sensor light that simply runs on batteries and is about as easy to install as it gets. All you need is a Phillips-head screwdriver and the ability to screw in three screws. With those tools and just a few minutes, you can install these motion-sensor lights all around your home.
My choice is the Mr. Beams 300-lumen spotlight. If you go to Amazon.com and do a search for that phrase, it will be the first item that comes up on your screen.
As mentioned in the name of the product, this light puts out 300 lumens, which is bright enough to light up any lawn. The advertised coverage area of the light is 400 square feet, and I’d be willing to say it’s a bit more.
The 300 lumens are powered by four D batteries, and the batteries seem to last forever. That’s because whenever someone crosses in front of the light and sets off the motion sensor, the light stays on for only about 10 seconds, which prevents the batteries from getting drained too quickly.
The best part of this light, besides it doing exactly what it’s supposed to, is the easy installation I mentioned earlier. You just install the four D batteries and then mount the light with the three screws to whatever location you wish.
By the way, these lights aren’t too expensive. You can purchase three of them for $80, which means they cost only about $27 a piece. And depending on the size of your home and how many areas you need to cover, three of these lights may be all you need.
Step #4: Don’t Be Too Trusting of Strangers at the Door
Before a burglar plans on breaking into a house, they will often knock first to see if anyone’s home.
A recent Houston, Texas, home invasion began as a knock at the door. What appeared to be a UPS driver with a package, however, turned out to be an armed robber in disguise.
Criminals will often try to get you to open a door to them by pretending to be someone nonthreatening.
That could mean they impersonate a car crash victim, a neighbor, a police officer, a maintenance person, a mailman or anyone else you might open your door for.
Too often, people are trusting and get fooled. The results can be deadly.
So exactly how do you sniff out these liars and get them off your property before they can do any damage?
If there is a deliveryman at the door, one question you can ask him is where the distribution center is. There’s no way a real driver doesn’t know this.
Is there a person who says they’ve been in a car crash and needs assistance? There might be accomplices hiding somewhere. So before these thugs try to gain access to your home, make sure you scan the area for any accomplices hiding off to the side of the door.
Whatever the excuse, be very cautious if you answer the door.
Step #5: Remove Cheap Locks or Other Vulnerabilities
Home invaders know cheap security makes a break-in very easy.
In a recent home invasion in Atlanta, Georgia, two perps kicked the front door in with ease, pistol whipped the homeowner and stole $80 in cash.
Do you still have the same regular old locks your home came with?
Most locks are easily picked in as little as 30 seconds. They can also make a door easy to kick in. Which is why having reliable locks for the doors and windows in your home is a simple, vital step in home defense.
Let’s start with the locks. One of the most common brands of locks used in the U.S. is Kwikset. They’re a go-to brand for contractors and builders, and there’s a pretty good chance you use them in your own home.
If you do, go to the nearest Home Depot and buy new locks immediately.
Kwikset locks are poorly made and easily compromised. I myself can pick one easily, and so can most criminals.
Instead, I recommend buying Schlage or Medeco locks. You can get Schlage locks at Home Depot or any other major hardware store. Medeco locks are a little harder to find. I’d recommend searching for a local dealer using their website, www.medeco.com. Simply select “Dealer Locator” from their home page and type in your ZIP code to find out where you can purchase Medeco locks near you.
I also recommend having a reliable solid deadbolt from either Schlage or Medeco.
Getting a solid-core door is a good idea, too. One that’s made out of sturdy, solid materials, like wood, steel or iron.
It’s a sad fact that several types of doors can be kicked in with minimal effort. In fact, as I’m sure you’re aware, most doors are hollow, and if you have a teenage son, you may know how easily these can be kicked through. Purchasing a high-quality solid-core door, particularly for your front door, is very important.
Many of us also have glass sliding doors in the rear of our homes. Hopefully, if someone breaks these doors to try to get in, you will hear the glass shatter and be prepared to meet the intruder. If you really want to ensure you’ll hear them, I recommend putting a glass break detector on your glass doors. If someone jostles these doors at all, a loud alarm is set off. One example is the Doberman Security SE-0106-4PK Ultra-Slim Window Alarm, available on Amazon for only $29.99.
It’s important that you reinforce the locks on these doors too. You can do so easily and cheaply by getting a wooden bar to put along the floor track. This costs about $2.00 at any home goods store. Just cut it half an inch shorter than the total track distance.
Now if an intruder wants to come in that way, they’ll have to break the door. As I mentioned, the noise that creates will give you time to spring into action, especially if you use a glass break detector.
I’d also recommend locking and reinforcing your windows. Smaller wooden pieces similar to the bars for sliding doors can go in the bottom of window tracks or along the inside of the frames.
Criminals aren’t usually the brightest bunch, which is why the majority of home invasions occur through the front or back door. To ensure that your door isn’t easily kicked in and to give yourself extra time to get to safety, you may want to consider using a door barricade.
While it might sound like a big piece of equipment, a door barricade is actually quite small and you’ll barely notice it. It’s simply a metal plate that is secured to the floor directly in front of your door. This metal plate has a groove down the middle that allows you to insert a second metal plate, which goes perpendicular and blocks the door from opening. The door barricade that I like is called the Nightlock, available on Amazon. If you install one of these at home, it will be nearly impossible for someone to kick in your door.
Better Safe Than Sorry
As dangerous as America is becoming these days, you must take action to protect you and your family.
Most believe the police, their home security systems and their communities will keep them “safe”… and that taking even simple steps to prepare for violence is unnecessary.
That is a dangerous assumption that makes it easy for criminals to get what they want. Many victims of home invasion have realized this the hard way.
By utilizing the five essential strategies described above, you’ll be able to sleep well every night knowing your family is protected.
Stay safe,
Jason Hason
