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10 Wicked Inexpensive Ways to Secure Your Home

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1. Call the cops. Most communities have programs in place where a law enforcement officer will inspect a personal home or apartment and make recommendations based on exiting vulnerabilities. Generally they will make those recommendations within your budget upon request.

2. Install signage. I bought 2 “Beware of Dog” neon signs for $1.98 this week. One for the front door and one for the back door. The same hardware store had “This House is Alarmed” signs for short money.

3. Go to the pet store. Dogs are a great form of home security. A few things I can do without include all the barking, tumbleweeds of fur, financial expense of shots and all the dog doo. Save a few bucks and buy the biggest dog food bowl possible. Get 2, one for the front porch and one for the back. Write “Killer” in permanent marker on it. This gives the impression you have a big dog. You can even buy a barking dog alarm.

4. Get your neighbors to guard your home. Why pay for security guards or lame remote security monitoring when you can have your neighbor Ed keep a keen eye on your property? Start a neighborhood watch program and design it so everyone has a monthly responsibility to work the neighborhood.

5. Make your home seem occupied 24/7/365. When you are away put the stereo or TV on loud enough to hear from the immediate exterior. Buy inexpensive timers and plug all your lamps in.

6. Install motion sensors that make a burglar think they are being watched.

7. Use your existing door locks and LOCK THEM! Or buy better ones and install yourself. Beef up the strike plate, which is the metal plate where the bolt enters the jam. Install 3 inch screws deep into the jam.

8. For short money you can buy a “security bar” that wedges up under your door knob and is also alarmed.

9. Secure your windows so they don’t raise more than 6-10 inches. Install small angle brackets that prevent the windows from going any higher.

10. Get a home alarm system for less than 100 bucks; then a dollar a day. A home alarm is the best protection while you are home and away.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston.

America’s Most Wanted Teen

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Colton Harris Moore stole a bicycle at the age of 8 and never looked back. Now 6 ft. 5 in. and 18 years old, Harris Moore is suspected in over 100 burglaries in the Pacific Northwest. Recently he has been credited with stealing cars, speedboats and now airplanes (at least 3). He is known as the “Barefoot Burglar” because he kicked off his shoes running from the police through the woods.

This 18 year old has never taken a flying lesson and has achieved celebrity like status with over 20,000 Facebook fans. However, Harris-Moore isn’t one to be celebrated. He steals as much from the average hard worker as he does from the dot–com rich.

He breaks into homes to get what he needs to survive in the woods and it is believed he enjoys the high living in the unoccupied rich vacation homes. He’s been known to make himself a bowl of ice cream and take a hot bath.

Generally, he will break in and copy down credit card numbers out of wallets, opposed to stealing the whole card, to avoid detection. He was accused of using a homeowners PC to buy a $6500.00 pair of night vision glasses and bear Mace. He’s also charged thousands of dollars in police scanners, video games and GPS devices.

He’s also accused of stealing an assault rifle out of a cop car. Which means he’s potentially armed and dangerous.

1. Install outdoor lighting on timers and motion sensors.

2. Make sure your home has a “lived in” look.

3. Use indoor timers for lights, TVs and automatic shades.

4. Install security cameras that can be remotely monitored.

5. Install a home alarm system monitored by an alarm company and the police.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover.

Police: Supermarket Owner ‘Specifically Targeted’ in Home Invasion

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Everyday I see dozens of stories on home invasions. And there are unfortunately dozens of ways  and reasons why home invasions occur.  But one thing they all have in common is violence.

Targets of home invasions vary from the homeowner who just happened to be home all the way to the executive and his family who were purposefully targeted.

Moneyed individuals need to take additional precautions due to their stature in society and bank accounts. High profile individuals often have access to secure facilities, keys to the safe, passwords to databases and power that puts them and their families at risk.

“Several law enforcement agencies are pooling resources to solve the murder of a supermarket owner found gunned down at this home after an apparent robbery. According to police reports, family members said two men entered the house late Saturday and took them in the back, keeping them separated. Police have said the family members did not know the suspects. “In my opinion, he was specifically targeted,” police said. “It was pre-planned.”

However, the most vulnerable people are not the executives, but their spouses and kids who are more accessible and often the path of least resistance to “get to” the executive. For most people this isn’t much of a concern, but for all you c-level company officers and heads of corporations, security isn’t an option, it’s a requirement.

Security details in some cases at the executive’s home may be necessary. Evaluations should be made to determine whether family members should receive any personal security training or additional protection of their own.

In the least, all company officers must have a home alarm system that is monitored, surveillance cameras and one of my personal favorites, a trained German Shepherd. Another consideration is a home safe-room also known as a “panic room” where executives and their families can hide out in a relatively bullet proof, well stocked room equipped with wireless communications and wait for law enforcement to show up.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on NBC Boston