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Smart Home Security Tips

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It’s well-worth your time and money to make a burglar’s job very difficult. Employ the following home security tips:

5HLock up! How many times have you read about a home intruder who “entered through an unlocked window”? Keep your windows and doors locked as much as possible.

Deadbolts. A deadbolt makes an incredible difference. Even a “determined” thief wants a quick, easy job. A decent deadbolt is about $25; you’ll get what you pay for. Lock it when you’re at home, too.

Home security. You can even do this yourself. A cheap system will sound an alarm that no burglar will want to stick around for. You can install a basic system including a keypad and door sensors for $25 online. Add on features like wireless keyfobs, motion detectors, etc. However, if the money is there, invest in a monitored system. The monthly fee is cheaper than you think.

Use curtains/blinds. A potential burglar won’t be interested in your home if he can’t see in. When you’re gone during the day, close the curtains/blinds unless your plants need the light to survive. If you’re home and want to admire the view, at least close the curtains on windows through which you’re not admiring any view. Never leave them open once dusk hits.

Shrubbery. If you absolutely must have shrubs near entry points to your home, then make sure they’re thorny so that a burglar doesn’t hide in them. If what’s already there isn’t thorny, have it trimmed down so that a burglar can’t hide there.

Sliding door security. Place a wooden rod in the door track frame.

Be safe. With a safe, that is. A fireproof safe is less than $40. Until you get a safe, put your jewelry in a place a burglar would never look: like a covered Styrofoam cup next to the mouthwash bottle.

Don’t forget the garage. Keep the garage door closed at all times, even if you have an in-and-out lifestyle. You can buy a garage door timer for under $40 that automatically shuts the door after a predetermined time period. But if you want to keep it open, the device has a manual override.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

6 Survival Tips for Being Lost in the Woods

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Some may remember the James Kim case out of Oregon in December 2006. Kim inadvertently chose an old logging road while driving home, getting lost in the woods. He left his wife and two young kids in the vehicle while he sought help, promising to return by early afternoon. He never did and his body was found in a creek. Based on snow tracks it was determined he walked practically in the same loop over and over for 16 miles. Awful.

1MHere are no-nonsense, easy tips for surviving mentally and physically if you ever become lost.

  1. Once you realize you’re lost, assess for injuries or situations that interfere with life sustenance. This assessment is ongoing because it includes avoiding doing anything that could interfere with breathing, blood flow, consciousness, you know, life.
  1. Next is think and observe. Where are you? What landmarks did you spot prior? How did you get here? Assess the environment: Hot? Cold soon? Darkness soon?
  1. Get logical, not emotional. Admit you’re truly lost. If you have an idea from where you came, backtrack mentally for clues, e.g., if you see wet mud on the trail where you think you came, check if your shoes are muddy. Think before you wander.
  1. Inspect your inventory. Maybe you have something that could help like a sharp tool, whistle, cellphone. And, how much water do you have? Sip in small amounts when thirsty, and limit exertion.
  1. It’s time to plan. Once you decide to find your way back, leave trail markers. But don’t budge unless you’re 100 percent sure you know the way out. It’s safer to stay put in your lost spot and wait for rescue than do what James Kim did (rescuers eventually found his vehicle and his unharmed family).
  1. What about food? Don’t panic (cavemen certainly didn’t; long fasts were a way of life). The body can go up to three weeks without food (but only two or three days without water; less in scorching heat).

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Invasion Task Force on high Alert

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Florida’s Collier County residents have a new fear on the block: masked home invaders. But really, they’re more like home walker-inners, because in the five reported cases, they got in via an unlocked door.

1BA task force was assembled on April 7 to figure out anything about these home invasions that began mid-February in which residents are held at gunpoint and bound. It’s not clear if these crimes are related.

But apparently, the intruders prefer occupied homes, figuring they can get a lot more this way (e.g., being directed to the safe and given the combination). And they’re quite adept at evading authorities; no details on the masked intruders are out, even though investigators are really hammering away at figuring this out, meeting every morning.

Residents are being urged to contact the sheriff’s office about suspicious activity, such as an idling car in a street, and just to trust their gut instincts about something seeming out of place.

As long as people continue leaving their doors unlocked, these invaders will continue having a field day with their crimes. Police are adamant that residents keep their doors locked, and keeping their alarms on (if they have one) even when they’re home.

Residents should consider putting valuables in a safe-deposit box located at their bank, and put up security cameras, a proven deterrent to home invasions and burglaries.

Thus far, compliant occupants of the invaded homes have not been harmed, but one who tried to escape was injured enough to require hospitalization. The task force won’t give up until the perpetrators are stopped.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Burglar seen on Video hovering over Baby

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What was going through the head of a burglar as he was hovering over a baby after breaking into a house? Did he momentarily pause to take a breather and find a sense of peace and calm at the sight of an innocent baby? Or…was he contemplating harming the toddler or kidnapping?2B

One thing we know for sure: The 19-year-old actually hovered over the sleeping baby, as this was caught on tape. The man admitted to involvement in two other Houston burglaries, and in one of those he had stolen a gun.

The latest crime occurred on April 5 and the video went viral. The burglar’s name is Christopher Gomez; he confessed to being the star of the video.

His arrest record includes breaking into a car and marijuana possession.

Gomez committed the April 5 crime while the baby’s family was asleep. Nobody heard him enter (makes you wonder what kind of home security the homeowner had, but that’s a whole new article). A laptop computer and briefcase, property of the homeowner, were found later in a neighbor’s yard.

Gomez’s lawyer stated that he’s not sure that the man in the video is his client (even though Gomez confessed). Furthermore, the lawyer, Ralph Gonzalez, pointed out that even if his client is the intruder, he didn’t harm the baby or anyone else. Gonzales added that the video makes the crime seem worse than it actually was.

Gomez is in jail meanwhile, but if he gets out, he’s ordered to remain within a thousand feet of his home and wear an ankle monitor.

Interestingly, as bailiffs escorted Gomez from the courtroom, he mouthed “Hi Mom,” to his family members. It’s safe to assume that his mother then thought, “Where did I go wrong?”

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Using Technology to Secure Your Home when Traveling

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Whom better than a burglar knows what a great way to find a victim is? Edith Cowan University in Australia interviewed 69 burglars. One of their favorite methods of finding a target is to search social media for vacation updates.

3BYou can extrapolate that it wouldn’t be a bright idea to reveal travel plans on your voicemail. Only close family and friends should know; this excludes casual neighbors. Here are more tips:

Don’t buy the biggest house on the block. The biggest, fanciest house on the block really gets a burglar’s attention. Skip it when home shopping.

Home security systems

The vast majority of burglars will not bother with a home that has an alarm. Put the alarm company’s stickers on your windows and their sign in your yard.

Home automation

Use services like Total Connect by Honeywell to control your home from wherever you are. Get video updates of any activity on your front door or cars. You can unlock and disarm your system all from your phone.

Hide valuables

Use a safe for pricey items. Put jewelry in a plastic bag from Walmart, then put it on your vanity. What thief will look inside, thinking it’s new hairspray or a pack of bobby pins?

Close your curtains

It’s a myth that closed curtains in broad daylight are an invitation to burglars. Thieves don’t just break into any home. They want to make sure their efforts are worth it. How can they know this if they can’t see into your house?

But if you want the curtains/shades open for light to come in or to expose a nice view, at least close them when it begins getting dusky. A burglar cases possible targets by looking inside, and it’s very easy for them to see through a bare window at night when your lights are on. Not only can they see what’s worth breaking in for, but they’ll be able to see if the residents can be easily overpowered.

Looks are everything

Accumulations of mail and newspapers will get a burglar’s attention. So will unmowed lawns and a perpetually barren driveway. Put a delivery stop on mail and newspapers, and ask neighbors to park their cars in your lot. Use automatic timers for indoors that set off lights and TVs. Mute the ringer volume on your phone.

Lock your front door!

A 2008 State Farm Insurance study revealed that under 50 percent of 1,000 respondents locked their front doors. It takes the average thief 60 seconds to break in, but only a few seconds for you to lock each portal to your home. Burglars don’t like hard work. Add extra security with a deadbolt.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, interestingly, says that 40 percent of home burgles are not forced entries. Burglars are literally waltzing right into homes via an unlocked door or window. Lock up, even when you’re home, even during the day. Many burglaries occur during the day.

Keep the garage door closed

Even when you’re home. Install a device that will automatically close the garage door after a specific amount of time open. Prior to traveling, disable the door’s opener or lock the door if it rolls up.

Trash

Don’t leave the boxes that expensive items came in, visible on your curb for trash pickup. Disassemble as much as possible and conceal.

Don’t aid burglars

Keep plant growth away from entry points so that burglars can’t conceal themselves when they’re trying to break in. If you absolutely must have shrubbery near entry points due to aesthetic appeal, then choose thorny plants to repel a thief.

Know your neighbors

Not many burglars will get past a Mrs. Kravitz-type neighbor. A stranger will stand out to neighbors who know each other. Get a Neighborhood Watch program going.

Get a dog

A dog’s incessant barking will drive many burglars away.

Robert Siciliano is a personal security expert to SecurityOptions.com discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.

Man beheaded in break-in, missing Wife’s Body found

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In Putnam County, Georgia, a crazed killer may be on the loose (if he’s not already in another state by now). He (and maybe he had an accomplice) beheaded Russell Dermond, 88. Nobody knows why. At the time his decapitated body was found, his wife, Shirley, 87, was missing. But two weeks later her body was found near a dam, dead from blunt force trauma.5H

Dermond’s head has not been located.

Dennis Higgs is the fisherman who discovered Shirley’s body in the water. He first believed it was a buoy, but as he approached, he realized it was something to back away from, and called 9-1-1.

The body was five to six miles from the Dermond home. Gary McElhenney, the Putnam coroner, announced that the completion of a toxicology report on the body will take two or three weeks, possibly three months. Meanwhile, dental records will verify the identity of the woman’s body. Until then, the sheriff and McElhenney are “pretty certain” that the body is that of Shirley’s, due to the general appearance and some tell-tale surgical scars.

It is believed that the murder of Russell Dermond occurred between 4:30 p.m. on May 2 and 4 p.m. on May 3. Oddly, there are no signs of any forced entry or even a struggle inside the house. Authorities are vexed over who could have done this. It may have been the work of one person, maybe a group, maybe even involving a female accomplice.

No clues have been turned up in the area or at the lake vicinity. No leads exist.

If this act was random, just for some psychopath’s kicks, the killer will likely strike again. A crime like this can’t be a singular event—someone with this kind of evil will surely develop another fix to satisfy.

On the other hand, if this was a personal attack, this still shows a derangement that indicates that the killer will strike again anyways—either choosing a victim he knows or a random victim. When one gets this savage, anything goes.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

How to protect your Home from Zombies

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There’s all sorts of threats out there—including zombies—just waiting to get you. Today’s zombies look like the ones on TV and in the movies but the ones who walk amongst us are often addicted to hardcore drugs like meth amphetamines and other mind/body destroying chemicals. But you can fight the walking dead off with preparedness.

7HPortals

Zombies can swoop in with hurricane force, and they love windows. Board them up. But not before you install an alarm system that will detect busted windows and doors. Add bars to the windows for extra protection. If you have money left over, add steel shutters.

Perimeter

You can always surround your home with a moat full of crocodiles, but motion sensors will do just fine. A big dog will enhance protection. Complete everything with a metal fence and maybe even with barbed wire.

Lookout Point

You need to be at your house’s highest point so that you can observe what’s coming from the distance. The ideal observation location is the roof like a widows walk.

Essentials

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, you must have a stock of water, nonperishable food, bedding, indoor clothes, towels, toilet paper and outdoor clothes. And don’t forget enough medications for emergency pain and pre-existing conditions.

Essentials also include tools like an all-everything knife, duct tape, a battery powered radio, a first-aid kit, map and compass, battery powered lights and an ear horn.

Weapons

Zombies can come in the hundreds so it’s best to run the entire gamut with weapons: firearms, explosives, knives and bludgeons. Then practice using them: from grenades to swords to axes to golf clubs to pepper spray (although I’m not sure zombies are affected by pepper spray?). Make sure your weapons are strategically placed in your home so that you’re always within 10 feet of one.

Physical Condition

Finally, make sure you’re in tip-top physical condition so that when holing up in your house is no longer an option, you can make a mad dash for the hills without falling to the ground in exhaustion. You’ll need to be fit enough to leap over obstacles and keep on running. Or just run faster than the zombies and you’ll be fine.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Invasion ends in Death

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A man died at the hands of two intruders who invaded his home in Sacramento County recently. The 30-year-old victim had been shot. According to witnesses, two intruders barged into the apartment, then shot the man, but not before stealing some of his belongings.

1BCan something like this be prevented? Most likely, even though we don’t have the details. How were the intruders able to force their way into the apartment in the first place? Did the man open the door, and that’s how they got in? Was the door unlocked, and the intruders simply walked in?

Tips to help prevent a home invasion:

  • Instruct your kids or any children visiting that they are never to answer a knock at the door or the doorbell ringing, even if pizza or some other delivery is expected. Your kids must know that they are forbidden from responding to the door even if you’re momentarily indisposed ( in the shower, on a ladder painting the ceiling, etc.).
  • Have an alarm system installed, and always keep it on, and yes, that means making it a habit to turn it off before you step outside to let the dog out, water the garden, retrieve the mail, take out the trash, etc. Kids, too, must learn this habit, since they are often in and out of a house many times in one day.
  • To make it easier to embrace the idea of keeping the alarm on at all times, realize that often, a burglar or rapist won’t even ring your doorbell or knock. They’ll just make their way in and creep up on you.
  • Install a 24-hour video surveillance system. If a burglar or rapist spots that camera, or even the system’s company’s warning decals, this will be a great deterrent. All doors and entry points should have a camera.
  • If a stranger is at your door, speak to that person with the main door closed, never through just the screen door.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Hidden Covert Cameras found in Woman’s Home

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Nicole Muscara’s alarm clock acquired an alarming feature: a hidden camera placed by a stalker. She discovered something odd when she one day set the alarm; it wasn’t her clock.

CAMStories like this are happening more commonly. Recently a Kansas City, Missouri woman discovered 11 hidden cameras in her apartment—placed there by her landlord.

As for Muscara, turns out a good friend of hers (whom she had initially refused to suspect) had put in the camera clock.

It’s common to not know you’re being stalked, or if you do, not know whom the stalker is. The stalker is an unhealthy person who feeds on the energy of their victim to get through the day.

It’s tough to keep track of the prevalence of stalking, especially with today’s technology, with predators spying via webcams and other schemes.

Consider the following recommendations for protection:

Take note of unwanted attention. Does anyone keep texting you, for instance, even though you don’t like this? Is someone continuing to make unwarranted comments or advances even though you’ve told them to stop? Who has access to your home even though you don’t trust them?

Set up a home security system. They’re now wireless, cheap and portable. Wireless IP cameras can connect to your Internet and you can watch your home via smartphone.

Shield your hotel room’s peep hole with paper. A creep can get a “reverse peep hole” and watch you from the outside in.

Get a wired/wireless camera detector. Cameras that creeps use are tiny and hard to spot visually. A reliable camera detector (costs at least $100) will scan your home/hotel room.

Call the police. If you “feel” someone is watching you, your sixth sense may very well be correct.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Invasion prompts Neighbors to invest in Security

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The Lincoln-Highlands Association is a resident organization devoted to fighting crime in Oakland, California’s Dimond District.

2BA hundred residents are needed for the program, which would require $30 a month to fund a security guard to patrol the area five days per week.

Other neighborhoods have had success with private patrols, and the push for the Association’s private guard was spurred by an armed intruder who shot and wounded an elderly woman in her house.

However, not all residents are gung-ho on paying for the patrol. One resident says that keeping ahead of crime is the city’s responsibility, and one security guard isn’t omnipotent. On the other hand, how else can crime be deterred, wonder the supporters. The supporters say they’ve gotten a very warm response to the plan and will continue seeking out more supporters.

Home Alarm Systems: Can Do Everything but Handcuff the Intruder

Security systems these days can do just about everything save for apprehending your home’s brazen intruder. Modern-day systems come with all sorts of features that will either deter break-ins or make break-ins more difficult, plus also keep the homeowner aware of everything that’s going on with their property: inside and out.

Features include wireless cameras that have full web access to them, remote controlled and timed lighting, iPhone and Android apps to control and monitor video surveillance from anywhere, remote controlled thermostats, among others. A web dashboard allows the user to control all aspects of each feature, which includes programming in a reaction to a specified incident.

Despite all these features, it’s easy to program such alarm systems, which yield to the user significant awareness of their home’s internal and external environment.

Guard or no guard, don’t keep putting off getting a modern home security system. No intruder wants to wait for you.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.