What do you do for home security?

[SoCalDukeFan]

There has been an increase in home burglaries in our neighborhood.
My next door neighbor was hit today.

We have an alarm system that is not used every time we go out.
It will be in the future.

Policeman interviewed me and said he thought security cameras worked well to scare them off.

Any suggestions.

Thanks
SoCal

[mattman91]

There has been an increase in home burglaries in our neighborhood.
My next door neighbor was hit today.

We have an alarm system that is not used every time we go out.
It will be in the future.

Policeman interviewed me and said he thought security cameras worked well to scare them off.

Any suggestions.

Thanks
SoCal

Doberman Pinscher.

[bjornolf]

We have an alarm system and a backup... two very noisy bulldogs.

[JBDuke]

We've trained our pug to think Alka-Seltzer tablets are treats. We feed her a couple when we head to bed, and we hang a sign out front that says, "Warning, rabid dog!"

[throatybeard]

I pay Tim Howard to stand out front and Manuel Neuer to stand in the alley.

No seriously. We have Monitronics, which we inherited from the sellers, which we don't bother to pay for, and which probably doesn't cover us. If someone desperately wants my 32" Insignia TV, well have at it.

Just don't play on my air conditioner.

[tommy]

Whether he's actually mean or not, a dog with a big, mean-sounding bark is the best defense there is. Bad folks will just try the next house where they don't have to deal with it.

[budwom]

We have an alarm system, but strongly believe 95% of the value is in displaying the stickers you can put on doors and windows advising
would be thieves that someone else's house might be a better bet.

[Bob Green]

Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson.

[OldPhiKap]

Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson.

Heads on pikes work well, too. Assuming it is not prohibited by your subdivision's restrictive covenants of course.

[Jarhead]

Heads on pikes work well, too. Assuming it is not prohibited by your subdivision's restrictive covenants of course.

Haven't had to use it in over 40 years, but my Louisville Slugger should be pretty effective. It resides between my night stand and bed. Another thing that might help -- Every time I wake up at night to pee, Mrs Jarhead tells me to check the doors, all four of them.

[ArnieMc]

Heads on pikes work well, too. Assuming it is not prohibited by your subdivision's restrictive covenants of course.

I have a man-shaped, carolina blue target with a nice tight cluster of holes taped to my back door.

[NashvilleDevil]

We have a security system but I agree with those that say a dog with a menacing bark. We have a black lab and he has a vicious bark but would do absolutely nothing if someone broke in other than want to be petted.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Evidently the MO of the invaders is to first determine that no one is home.
Young girls went door to door "selling jewelry."
So Smith and Wesson will not work.

Neighbor has 5 dogs who bark but do not bite.
We did hear barking from the dogs but were more disturbed than alarmed.
When you go on vacation then what do you do with the dogs.

Neighbor does not have security system or a sign.

I am thinking of a surveillance camera system. I think they work similar to the security system, ie bad guys or girls see the camera and flee.
Will also make sure that our sign is prominent.

We don't have much cash or jewelry at home. TVs and computers are old. Moving what jewelry we have to a safe deposit box.
Last I heard neighbor also has little valuables at home and nothing was taken, but feels violated.

Thanks
SoCal

SoCal

[budwom]

We have a security system but I agree with those that say a dog with a menacing bark. We have a black lab and he has a vicious bark but would do absolutely nothing if someone broke in other than want to be petted.

Yup, we've got two of them as well. Good deterrent if we're actually at home.

But I thought the question was concerning burglaries, not home invasions...I've got a metal softball bat under the bed, but neither that
nor a Smith and Wesson nor an RPG will do much good if you're not home...that's why I like prominently displayed alarm stickers...

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Evidently the MO of the invaders is to first determine that no one is home.
Young girls went door to door "selling jewelry."
So Smith and Wesson will not work.

Neighbor has 5 dogs who bark but do not bite.
We did hear barking from the dogs but were more disturbed than alarmed.
When you go on vacation then what do you do with the dogs.

Neighbor does not have security system or a sign.

I am thinking of a surveillance camera system. I think they work similar to the security system, ie bad guys or girls see the camera and flee.
Will also make sure that our sign is prominent.

We don't have much cash or jewelry at home. TVs and computers are old. Moving what jewelry we have to a safe deposit box.
Last I heard neighbor also has little valuables at home and nothing was taken, but feels violated.

Thanks
SoCal

SoCal

My experience with a break in a few years ago is that a barking dog of any kind makes no difference to intruders. My next door neighbor can attest to the same thing.

[bjornolf]

I once had an instructor who said the perfect security system was a speaker that said "Who's there?" followed by the sound of a 12 gauge pump action shotgun cycling.

[Newton_14]

There has been an increase in home burglaries in our neighborhood.
My next door neighbor was hit today.

We have an alarm system that is not used every time we go out.
It will be in the future.

Policeman interviewed me and said he thought security cameras worked well to scare them off.

Any suggestions.

Thanks
SoCal

In all seriousness thanks for taking this serious enough to ask. Our home was broken into back in 2008 in May in the middle of the day. I had an alarm system but it was a cheap one (more on that later). They actually made it into the house without setting it off because I did not have my windows wired, just my doors. They went room to room grabbing valuables and bringing them to the foyer, stacking them up to take out the front door when ready. (yes they parked in my front yard at noon). All was good for them until they opened the front door to start taking things out. that set the alarm off and I honestly thing all of them wet their pants at that point. The loudness of that horn inside will scare the crap out of you and hurt your ears. I believe it was at least 3 of them, because they did make it out with my HD Tv which one person could not carry by themselves, and there was a person in my master bedroom when the alarm went off too. I know this because he/she dropped 3 cameras and a camcorder in a pile in the floor and ran leaving them there. They only thing they made it out with was the HD TV from the living room, and a portable dvd player for the car my kids used on trips. Everything else was left piled up in the foyer near the front door. So the alarm saved us from losing laptops, guns, jewelry, etc. Without the alarm I have no doubt they walk away with thousands of dollars of electronics, guns, jewelry, etc.

Right after that happened, I immediately had the alarm guy come out and overhaul the alarm system. All of my windows and doors and are now wired, inclusive of the garage doors and windows, and we also have motion detectors throughout the house that will get you no matter which room you try to get to. I did not have enough cash at the time to install video camera's but I absolutely plan to do that one day soon.
Knock on wood, but we have never been bothered since. I give full credit for that to the alarm system which is now much much better, plus signs outside identifying the house is protected with an alarm system. We pay $24.00 per month for the monitoring system which is also worth every penny. We live in a rural area and it is a hotbed for breakins. One family a mile up the road has been hit 4 different times. We are blessed to have only had the one incident and I fully believe the alarm system is a major reason why.

The MO for these folks is basically the same all the time. Drive up, knock on the door/ring doorbell. If someone answers they make up some reason for being there.. lost, need directions, low on gas, wheres the nearest gas station, etc... but if no one answers, it's game on. they go to the back and either kick a door in or jimmy a window open.

Like my friend Mr Bob Green, we also have Mr, Smith, Mr Wesson, and Mr Glock, plus a dog for night time protection from those thieves brazen enough to make their move at night when they know the family is at home, but thankfully those type robbery attempts are very rare.. at least in these parts anyway.

I would strongly encourage you to invest in a nice alarm system with window & door sensors, motion detectors, video cameras, and 24/7 monitoring service. You can get systems for a reasonable price with either wired or wireless sensors these days. Worth every penny for the peace of mind in my opinion. In our case it took months for our children to recover from the trauma and be able to actually sleep by themselves in their own rooms. I would not wish that on anyone.

My advice is spend the money and do it right.

[duke74]

In all seriousness thanks for taking this serious enough to ask. Our home was broken into back in 2008 in May in the middle of the day. I had an alarm system but it was a cheap one (more on that later). They actually made it into the house without setting it off because I did not have my windows wired, just my doors. They went room to room grabbing valuables and bringing them to the foyer, stacking them up to take out the front door when ready. (yes they parked in my front yard at noon). All was good for them until they opened the front door to start taking things out. that set the alarm off and I honestly thing all of them wet their pants at that point. The loudness of that horn inside will scare the crap out of you and hurt your ears. I believe it was at least 3 of them, because they did make it out with my HD Tv which one person could not carry by themselves, and there was a person in my master bedroom when the alarm went off too. I know this because he/she dropped 3 cameras and a camcorder in a pile in the floor and ran leaving them there. They only thing they made it out with was the HD TV from the living room, and a portable dvd player for the car my kids used on trips. Everything else was left piled up in the foyer near the front door. So the alarm saved us from losing laptops, guns, jewelry, etc. Without the alarm I have no doubt they walk away with thousands of dollars of electronics, guns, jewelry, etc.

Right after that happened, I immediately had the alarm guy come out and overhaul the alarm system. All of my windows and doors and are now wired, inclusive of the garage doors and windows, and we also have motion detectors throughout the house that will get you no matter which room you try to get to. I did not have enough cash at the time to install video camera's but I absolutely plan to do that one day soon.
Knock on wood, but we have never been bothered since. I give full credit for that to the alarm system which is now much much better, plus signs outside identifying the house is protected with an alarm system. We pay $24.00 per month for the monitoring system which is also worth every penny. We live in a rural area and it is a hotbed for breakins. One family a mile up the road has been hit 4 different times. We are blessed to have only had the one incident and I fully believe the alarm system is a major reason why.

The MO for these folks is basically the same all the time. Drive up, knock on the door/ring doorbell. If someone answers they make up some reason for being there.. lost, need directions, low on gas, wheres the nearest gas station, etc... but if no one answers, it's game on. they go to the back and either kick a door in or jimmy a window open.

Like my friend Mr Bob Green, we also have Mr, Smith, Mr Wesson, and Mr Glock, plus a dog for night time protection from those thieves brazen enough to make their move at night when they know the family is at home, but thankfully those type robbery attempts are very rare.. at least in these parts anyway.

I would strongly encourage you to invest in a nice alarm system with window & door sensors, motion detectors, video cameras, and 24/7 monitoring service. You can get systems for a reasonable price with either wired or wireless sensors these days. Worth every penny for the peace of mind in my opinion. In our case it took months for our children to recover from the trauma and be able to actually sleep by themselves in their own rooms. I would not wish that on anyone.

My advice is spend the money and do it right.

Let me add a couple of items...

1. Get a backup radio system to alert the monitoring company if the thieves cut your phone wires. That way, your local police can be alerted. (We use Slomins for both our houses, btw)

2. Install lights around the house (obviously for night time deterrence)

3. Get a sweet Airedale that sounds loud and ferocious (and would actually kiss the crooks into submission). Couldn't resist that one-sorry

[duke74]

I once had an instructor who said the perfect security system was a speaker that said "Who's there?" followed by the sound of a 12 gauge pump action shotgun cycling.

Reads like the scene from "Home Alone" with the VCR tape of the gangster movie.

[bjornolf]

Reads like the scene from "Home Alone" with the VCR tape of the gangster movie.

I actually thought about that after I posted.