Preventing a Break In

[Mainah]

There's a little crime wave going on in my area. I live in a rural/suburban area. There is no police department in my town, we rely on service from State Troopers. I know that help is at least 45 minutes away, so do the bad guys.

So that rules out an alarm system, I don't see the point in one. I've got a ten month old Shepherd/Dobie mix. I think she's helpful, but I've never been willing to put complete faith in a dog's ability to stop a determined thief.

The current pattern of break-ins have all been during the day when no one is home. I'm looking for advice on how to deter criminals when I'm not there. Thanks.

 

[Manson]

You've already hit on two of the basics. A good dog and a good alarm. An alarm connected to a security company may not be practical but an alarm that makes a lot of noise might still help. This would start the dog and probably the neighbors dogs barking. Thieves don't like a lot of noise.

Make certain that all the doors and windows are securely locked. Dead bolts are good. Depending on your budget home improvement stores sell steel security doors. Pricey but effective.

These are some of the basics. There is no limit to what you can do to deter thieves. But the question is how far do you want to go and how much do you want to spend. You could put up cameras and security bars on all the doors and windows. But then most people don't want to live in a home prison.

One other thing. A good heavy safe to keep your valuables in when not at home is a good investment.

 

[Fleabag]

You just have to make your house harder to get into than your neighbors.

 

[Blue Duck]

I live in a rural area, and face the same problems. It's also a half a mile to the nearest neighbor. Why even lock the front door, if someone wants in, you will just end up having to fix the door too. The house is too difficult to harden that much, anyway.

Have a good safe, and good insurance, however hidden motion cameras might be a good idea. Fortunately these days, I usually do have someone home 99% of the time. However, one thing I have always relied on, and I do think it helps, is I own several vehicles, so even if I am gone, I still have 2 or 3 rigs parked in front of the house. This is benificial, if the thieves don't know you, because it hard to determine if everyone is gone. Of course if you live in a town, this might be more difficult, since there are often rules on parking too many vehicles in front of the house.

A dog might help some, if it's one that barks at strangers.

 

[kozak6]

A relative of mine recently had a break in.

The police said that alarm system stickers on the windows are helpful, even if you don't have an alarm system.

They also suggested using game cameras as security cameras. They are easy to set up for the less tech savvy. They can be visible, or tucked up into the eaves. If they see cameras, or if one goes off on them, it will hopefully discourage them and they will move on. Most thieves are looking for a fast and easy break in.

You also don't have to make it easy for them. Locks that have keyholes on both sides, valuables secured in the safe, etc.

 

[sonick808]

layers

I would at least get rid of the cheap kwikset and other cheap lock brands, and go for full accountability with abloy or bilock deadbolts. They can't be bumped/picked unless you are one of a very small number of lock experts. Copies can only be made in certain certified locations, and only if you have the wallet card that came with the lock (or contact the company and verify identity in the case of lost card, etc.)

I also recommend a product called the strikemaster ii, I use them on my external doors. It adds 6 feet of spring steel anchored with 4" wood screws along the entire length, assuring that the screws make it into structural 2x4 studs. It doesn't remove the ability to kick the door, but it slows it WAY WAY WAY down, and turns it into a ridiculous ruckus.

Alarm stickers,definitely.

Alarm, definitely.

Barking dog,definitely.
Trained guard dog, if possible.

Those magnetic cheapie alarms that stick to the door and go off when the internal reed switch loses the magnet; these are great for when you ARE home, especially if you are a heavy sleeper. Not much good for when you're absent though. If you do use these, mount them with screws and a bracket, or use plumbers putty. every other kind of glue fails, including epoxy.

I've went so far as to bar my external windows, but i'm in phoenix, we all have them. Probably not something you'd want on a nice rural house.

Cameras/DVR Definitely. I like the game camera idea also.

If not, at LEAST buy some fake cameras that look real from fry's. They buy the same housings and everything as real cameras, they just don't put any electronics in them.

Vehicles at home of course would be good. A routine that cannot be easily determined would be good.

Trying to brainstorm other stuff.... sorry so long

 

[Crosshair]

A LOUD alarm does wonders. Sure it won't stop them, but a 130 db siren ringing in their ears is certainly distracting to the point that it could be to your benefit

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

About the alarm - even if the police are far:

1. It alerts you!
2. A loud alarm, esp. in the house disrupts the mental processing of BGs entering the house.

3. If connected to a security system and notification - it indicates that you were broken into - aiding in establishing your legal status later. A mistaken entry might not continue in the entry while a BG would

4. If the alarm is loud - you should have a pair of muffs near your HD equipment.

5. Start the police rolling as soon as possible. If you get hurt, you may not get to the phone after the incident resolves. "I've been shot and I can't get up".

 

[Mainah]

Thanks for the advice. A co-worker who lives a few miles away was the victim of a break-in this week. She had a dead bolt on the door that they kicked in.

I'll have to think about the alarm, you've raised some good points.

And I like vehicle idea, and this might be a way to talk my wife into a yard truck.

I spoke with a local town official who told me that our area is popular with drug addicts because they know that one State Trooper covers five rural towns. The bad guys drive around with police band radios, and several homes with alarms have been broken into.

 

[mete]

A friend has that situation complicated by a do nothing police force . Solution ? Game cameras - not just one and hidden. When you show the video of a BG if they still don't do their job notify the media [sometimes they are useful] to get action.
Another way which was done in my area is to catch the BG and permanently neutralize him. Crime rate in the neighborhood immedialtey dropped to ZERO !

 

[mayosligo]

One thing my uncle did after he was too old to handle the dog was keep the big bowl outside the door. Also acts like an alarm sticker. The bigger the better. Let them wonder how badly they want to mess with a dog.

 

[Crosshair]

These are good alarms to have on windows. (Where the cats can't reach them.)

They are available from many sellers. 130db Alarm W/door Alarm PAL-1

These aren't the dinky units powered by button cells, these use a full 9v battery to power them. Like I said before, may not stop them, but a 130db siren pounding in their head will be very distracting.

 

[Edward429451]

I don't have a strikeplate on the front door, so I set up a chair by the window and crack the curtains some so the dog can go to the window and snarl at them while I'm gone.

Cameras..you can get a decent camera setup for 2 or 3 hundred dollars now. You do not have to be tech savvy to run a wire! These camera systems are not complicated and easily installed by first timers. They are easier to install than a phone jack (as far as wiring goes).

Dogs..A dog is always good. Two dogs are better. Some may think about dealing with a seemingly mild tempered dog, but two dogs will egg each other on and be more aggressive than if they were a single dog. Not many people would want to take on two dogs at once. Instead they will go to your cat lover neighbors house.

 

[Mainah]

Another way which was done in my area is to catch the BG and permanently neutralize him.

I don't want to be the next big news story, so no thanks on that one. The cameras are a good idea.

My big dog will bark, she's too young to do much more than that now. I got her from the pound, and don't think she has the temperment for real guard work. And my Boston Terrier will certainly leave a slippery puddle of pee somewhere if someone tries to break in.

One tip I'll share is that when I installed a new motion detector dual floodlight recently I pointed one lens towards a bedroom window. So when it goes off the light wakes me up. Not very useful during the day when I'm not home, and to be honest I get less sleep when the deer come close to the house.

 

[g.willikers]

Keep a radio or tv going, too, as another way to appear to be home.

 

[Dwight55]

I cannot have a large dog (long story), . . . but I can have a large dog dish, . . . a large dog chain, . . . tied to a large dog post, . . . with a large dog collar, . . . that seems to have been slipped.

All this by the front steps.

It won't deter all, . . . but I can say for a fact, that it would definitely deter me.

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[Onward Allusion]

Cameras are always a good deterrent. FTP the footage into the cloud.

 

[kilimanjaro]

Pull a couple or three of the short screws out of the door hinges, replace them with long US-made screws, door and jamb both. Run some more long screws from the jamb into the king studs. Take off the door trim if you want and run a metal strap around the king stud beneath the jamb, then screw through the jamb and metal into the stud. Be sure to have deadbolts, good ones, on each exterior door. I put a deadbolt on the door from inside the garage into the laundry room, and the same from laundry into the main house. That's three stout doors to get through. Get some stout dowels, cut them to length, drop in each window frame so it won't slide open. Put alarm stickers on the windows and an alarm sign out by the street so they'll drive on by, maybe. Do a cellular alarm system, mine cost $453, no fees, it dials me and the sheriff when tripped.

 

[Hook686]

https://www.myvirtualnet.com/

motion sensors, alarms, cameras, monitor via computer, cell phone. It seems the way to go these days.

 

[Casimer]

+1 on cameras. Even dummy cameras can serve as a deterrent. A buddy of mine has a farm and they were having a problem w/ people coming onto their property and going into the out buildings, vandalizing things, drinking, and just making a nuisance of themselves. No one ever tried to get into the house though.

He didn't want to spend a lot on a video system to monitor the entire property, so he set-up a bunch of old security cameras high up on the barns and a few other high positions at critical points. But they aren't even working. He also had a few game cameras mounted at access points where you can't see them.

Apparently that's worked pretty well. They still get trespassers, but they're staying away from the buildings and the central area of his property where the house and main barns are.