Home Security Resources - 09

Detailed Home Security Tips from Louisville Metro Police
The Louisville Metro Police Department provides a detailed list of tips on how homeowners can protect their homes from burglars. First, the article gives advices on how to make sure that house alarms will work properly. Dog owners are also reminded on how to use dogs for home security. The post includes recommendations on how the crucial parts of a home (such as doors, windows, and fences) should be kept secured, especially if no one is at home. Finally, there are tips on how homeowners can help the police catch house robbers before they can escape.

Home Security Checklist from ACPO
This two-page pdf file was created by Secured by Design, a non-profit organization owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). It contains a home security checklist that homeowners can use to avoid house robbery. The article emphasizes some tips on door locks, windows, and other security measures that can be done inside and around the house. ACPO strongly recommends using door locks and windows that are certified by designated bodies. The post also has 8 useful tips on how to secure the house whether the family is present or far away. This includes using automatic timer-switches and joining a neighborhood watch group.

San Diego News 8 CrimeFighters
The website for San Diego's New 8 maintains a section called CrimeFighters, dedicated to Helping to Make San Diego a Safer Place to Live. The site provides a wealth of information. Many of the stories are of value and interest for people outside of San Diego. For example, stories cover making "mobile blogging" safer for kids, an online sex offender website, carjacking, the high cost of DUI arrest,and more. The site includes special features, such as consumer alerts (e.g., Internet phones, glass tables), an identity theft tip sheet, safety tips for senior citizes, how to protect yourself against domestic violence, how to protect yourself against violent crime, and a lot of information for protecting your child (covering fingerprint cards, do-it-yourself DNA sampling kits, making kits stranger savvy, keeping kids safe at school and play and at home alone). Finally, there is a resource section of information from other sites.

Home Security Source
This site, Home Security Source by ADT, has a lot of tips concerning home safety. There are sections for the home, for parenting and the child (e.g., is your teen ready to baby sit?), concerning personal safety (e.g., avoid sexual assault, prevent medical errors in the emergency room, avoid mortgage and tax scams), and concerning burglary. You'll find advice for where to NEVER stash valuables, for keeping an inventory of your home, for protecting your residential keys, and for practical steps to take boefore instruders enter and how to prevent them from entering. Keep doors and windows locked, even if you only plan to be away for a few minutes. Most burglars can be in and out of your home in less than five minutes. Have new locks installed whenever you move into a new apartment or house; otherwise, there's no way of knowing who might have a key to your home. Remember to have dead bolts installed. Never hide a key under a flowerpot or anywhere else outside; crooks can find a hidden key in a matter of moments. Use a peephole in a door rather than open the door, even during the day, if you're not certain who is on the other side. Never tell a wrong number what your phone number is. Instead, ask them what number they intended to dial. Don't leave you house key with parking attendants, it is too easy for them to make a duplicate. These are just a few of the many tips this site has to keep your home or your apartment safe from crooks.