Keep Your Home Safe

Many times, we take for granted that our homes are safe. Unfortunately, if a break-in occurs, our feelings of safety are shattered. Here are some tips to help discourage a break-in and to help you and your family feel safe in the new year!

1. Use a Solid Core or Metal Door for all exterior doors or entry doors. Also, make sure that these doors have the following: heavy-duty deadbolts with a one inch throw bolt, heavy-duty knob-in-lock sets with dead latch mechanisms, heavy-duty strike plate with four, 3 inch screws to ensure that it is properly secured into the door-frame, wide angle 160 degree peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches.
2. Ensure that all sliding glass doors have secure locks and a secondary blocking device. Make sure they open properly and are properly secured to the frame.
   
3. Do not leave windows unlocked at any time. Always make sure that your windows are kept down and locked. Since windows don't use locks, use a stick or dowel as a secondary blocking device on your window as well. When keeping a window open for ventilation, keep it open no more than 6 inches and make sure that the blocking device is in place. Don't leave windows open that are close enough to a door for an intruder to unlock using your open window.
4. Don't hide keys outside your home. Find a trusted neighbor to keep a key for you. Be a trusted neighbor as well. Sometimes a watchful or nosy neighbor might just be what keeps burglars away.
5. When on vacation, have someone pick up newspapers, mail and fliers and ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway once or twice. Use light timers inside so that the lights go on and off randomly.
   
6. Use plenty of outdoor lighting on pathways and near doors and windows. Make sure that lights have 100 foot of visibility and are motion activated.
7. Have an alarm system installed and monitored. Use stickers and lawn signs around your home as well.
   
8. In case you do have a burglary, keep your valuable and electronics well inventoried. Take pictures or videos and make sure you write down or show the serial number of these items. Update your inventory regularly and keep a copy of this inventory in location off sight such as a safety deposit box.

For questions on security system installation in the Tulsa, OK area contact Tory Tipp of TNT Security at 918-313-4074 or torytipp@yahoo.com.