Is Your Home a Burglar's Paradise?
I ho ho hope your home is safe this year, but with all the frantic travel plans and gifts to buy, you might just turn your home into a prowler's dream. Home security is not just about locking the windows and doors, it's about thinking like a criminal. Even if you haven't done a stretch at San Quentin for B&E, I'll help you fend off the would-be burglar.

The Stats
The smartest thing to do is to understand the stats. Of course, stats go out the window if the odds of a home in your neighborhood getting robbed is 1,000,000:1 and you are the 1. Nevertheless, you need to know.
 

These stats are not season-specific, so it's pretty reasonable to assume that the Holidays see a spike in at least attempted burglaries.

The Holiday Situation
Here are the two problems: travel and shopping. You might not even be traveling this Holiday season, but you are inevitably going to be out more looking for gifts or decorations, and the like. Combine that with additional gifts in the home...you can see how a burglar might get the idea during this time of the year.

No need to get paranoid, but we just need to be a little more aware.

Pull the blinds a little more often, especially at night. When you come home, make it part of your routine to pull the drapes, blinds, or shades. This makes your home a little more chancy for criminals if they can't see what's inside.

If you have big boxes that computers or TVs or other expensive items came in, make sure that you dispose of them discretely. Fold the boxes down or cut them into sides and put them out the morning of the trash pick up rather than the night before. If you are really worried, take them to a community trash or recycling bin.

Lock all the windows. It is the cold time of the year and you likely don't need to open your windows, so just make sure they are locked. There are also tabs that you can add that prevent a window from being opened beyond a certain height. If nothing else, you are eliminating the chances of being robbed by anyone who is overweight.

Motion detector lights are great because they don't waste energy when nothing is around, but they act as a mini-alarm when they come on. The whole neighborhood takes notice. These are a must if you don't already have one or several.

Tip for the Super Cautious
If you have a working garage, pull into it and shut the door before you begin unloading the car. This keeps anyone from knowing what you are bringing in.

The Intangibles
Depend on your neighbors and let them depend on you. You don't have to take shifts standing guard on the porch with a sawed-off 12-gauge (though, admittedly, this is probably very effective), but just keep an eye on anything out of the ordinary.

And remember to have someone get your mail if you go out of town. Stopping the mail is not always effective because people will put flyers, phonebooks, coupons and neighborhood newspapers on your doorstep and this is not something the post office can control. Is Your Home a Burglar's Paradise?
I ho ho hope your home is safe this year, but with all the frantic travel plans and gifts to buy, you might just turn your home into a prowler's dream. Home security is not just about locking the windows and doors, it's about thinking like a criminal. Even if you haven't done a stretch at San Quentin for B&E, I'll help you fend off the would-be burglar.

The Stats
The smartest thing to do is to understand the stats. Of course, stats go out the window if the odds of a home in your neighborhood getting robbed is 1,000,000:1 and you are the 1. Nevertheless, you need to know.
 

These stats are not season-specific, so it's pretty reasonable to assume that the Holidays see a spike in at least attempted burglaries.

The Holiday Situation
Here are the two problems: travel and shopping. You might not even be traveling this Holiday season, but you are inevitably going to be out more looking for gifts or decorations, and the like. Combine that with additional gifts in the home...you can see how a burglar might get the idea during this time of the year.

No need to get paranoid, but we just need to be a little more aware.

Pull the blinds a little more often, especially at night. When you come home, make it part of your routine to pull the drapes, blinds, or shades. This makes your home a little more chancy for criminals if they can't see what's inside.

If you have big boxes that computers or TVs or other expensive items came in, make sure that you dispose of them discretely. Fold the boxes down or cut them into sides and put them out the morning of the trash pick up rather than the night before. If you are really worried, take them to a community trash or recycling bin.

Lock all the windows. It is the cold time of the year and you likely don't need to open your windows, so just make sure they are locked. There are also tabs that you can add that prevent a window from being opened beyond a certain height. If nothing else, you are eliminating the chances of being robbed by anyone who is overweight.

Motion detector lights are great because they don't waste energy when nothing is around, but they act as a mini-alarm when they come on. The whole neighborhood takes notice. These are a must if you don't already have one or several.

Tip for the Super Cautious
If you have a working garage, pull into it and shut the door before you begin unloading the car. This keeps anyone from knowing what you are bringing in.

The Intangibles
Depend on your neighbors and let them depend on you. You don't have to take shifts standing guard on the porch with a sawed-off 12-gauge (though, admittedly, this is probably very effective), but just keep an eye on anything out of the ordinary.

And remember to have someone get your mail if you go out of town. Stopping the mail is not always effective because people will put flyers, phonebooks, coupons and neighborhood newspapers on your doorstep and this is not something the post office can control.