Home Security You Can Trust

Brick Security Services 

SHRUBBERY:

We have talked about security hardware, interior and exterior lighting and the last element is outside shrubbery. Having a well-lit home and having the toughest locks to penetrate means nothing if the "bad guy" has time to hide and work on getting around your defenses. Insure that all of your bushes are trimmed below the window sill line. This will make it extremely difficult to by pass the security measures that you have taken to harden the target of your windows (which we will discuss in the next article).

Trees, although quite beautiful, can be a security breach. The obvious is the "perp" (short for perpetrator) can climb the tree and gain access to up-stair windows that in most cases are opened or unlocked. The other concern are the shadows that trees can cast and allow the "perp" to hide in those shadows and gain access. Look at your shrubbery at night. Can you hide behind them and gain access? If the answer is yes...then so can they! Use exterior spot lights on those trees to cast shadows where no access can be gained.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:

Another major component of home security is exterior lighting. Bad guys do not want to be seen. They are like the CIA, work under the cover of darkness! This is more expensive than replacing your locks if you have no exterior lighting. In a perfect world you want to flood the front and rear yards like it's a grand opening. Bring in the search lights that circle the sky during opening events. Very effective but not very practical. I recommend that if there is an eave running the length of the front of your house to place spot lights over the windows recessed in the eave. Use high energy efficient bulbs to save some money. If this is not practical then place a couple of spot lights in the front that wash light up against the windows and the front door. Light up those areas that someone can hide in and gain access through a window or door. Put them on timers so they come on at dusk and go off at dawn.

The rear of the house should also be very well lit. Most bad guys, if thwarted by the front lights, will attempt to gain access thru the rear. Again, strategically placed spot lights will be worth their weight in gold in stopping the bad guys.

All exterior lights should be on a timer. When buying a timer make sure you get one that has space for your interior lights. We will talk about this preventive measure next.

Locks:

You paid thousands of dollars for your home and my guess is that you still have the construction locks on the doors. How many keys do you think are out there that can open your door with little or no effort? Buy  double or single cylinder dead bolt locks with at least a 2" throw and make sure you use 4" screws when you install the latch. You want those screws to get to the king stud. If there is glass within 40" of the lock use double cylinder. If you have a solid wood door use a single cylinder. Why 40 inches? The length of a mans arm.

INTERIOR LIGHTING:

There are numerous products on the market that are available to create interior schemes. When you begin your research on these products, don't get cheap! Don't buy one that turns one light on and no others. A well lit interior suggests that lots of people are in the house and the bad guy will keep cruising your neighborhood or some other neighborhood. Purchase one that can turn 5 or 6 different items on at different times. For example: two downstairs lights go on at dusk, an hour later the T.V. goes on to the news, and an hour after that a light or two go on upstairs.

Most new cars not only have a remote garage door opener inside the car but also the ability to turn on an interior light. Utilize this technology if you are not going to by a product that we just talked about. Do not underestimate the power of interior lighting. I know what you're thinking...If the house is dark he will think I am home but sleeping. Forget about it. We don't want him stopping in front of your house for any reason. Our motto is "get along Meany bad guy".

These products are terrific if you are coming home when it is dark outside, like most of us do in the winter time. If you leave town for a day or two you can rest easy because your lights are on. Note: If you know you will be gone for a couple of days or weeks make sure you stop the mail and your newspapers.