Housing...Inside and Out

September 8, 2000
Is Your Home Burglar Proof?

Well-locked doors and windows are the best deterrents to break-ins. The key is not only having good locks, but also using them. About 20 percent of burglaries are "walk-ins" because doors are left unlocked.

Exterior doors should be of solid wood, with double-cylinder bolts that require a key and have a bolt that is a minimum of 1-inch long. Locks should be screwed into door with screws up to 3-inches long, reaching into the solid wood studs behind the door and window frames.

Sliding doors and windows should have interior locks. While a broom handle in the track is helpful in making it hard to slide open the door or window, it's more effective to "pin" the track by putting a screw into the upper track, protruding about a quarter-inch. The door or window will slide for normal use, but can't be lifted out of the track. You can secure conventional windows inexpensively by inserting a nail in a hole drilled through the interior frame and partially into the exterior frame. For casement windows, check to see that the existing lock works properly, then remove the crank handle.

Don't forget your garage door and windows, especially if your garage is attached to the house. Put a keyed padlock on the roller track so that the garage door can't be opened, and consider glass block or burglar bars for any garage (and basement) windows large enough for a person to crawl through.

Make sure your home has a lived-in look, especially when you are out of town. A home with newspapers on the front lawn and mail piled up near an exterior mailbox announces that you are not around.

Mow your lawn (or rake your leaves) before you leave, and arrange for your lawn to be mowed or raked regularly if you will be gone for more than a week.

Adjust curtains and blinds as you would if you were home. Equip lamps with timers (indifferent rooms with varying on/off time settings). Consider putting photo sensors on exterior lights so they'll go on and off automatically at dusk and dawn.

Park your car in the driveway, not in the garage, or arrange for neighbors to park one of their cars on your property.

Leave a house key with a neighbor in case of an emergency. Contact the police department and let them know you will be gone. Inform them as to who to contact if there is a problem.

Trim back hedges and trees so that your windows can be seen easily from the street. Burglars love privacy while they work!


Written by Dr. Francis Graham (Retired)

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