1st line defense---Home Invasion.

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LASur5r

Moderator
Okay, I had set my first and second line of defense to prevent home invasion. Figure motion detector lights and house alarm on all openings. After that? if the BG's breach the walls, then we shall have to see.

I know that this subject has been beat to death, but I would like to ask the TFL'ers,if you had to extend your line of defense, what would you add?

This weekend, the BG's zapped two people in a home invasion...sad.
 
A dog. A big mean, snarling, large toothed, partially insane dog! I have six Chows now and one pure bred female gray timber wolf that is just beginning to learn at 11 months old.

(The last time I posted this another member immediately responded; A wife. A big mean, snarling, large toothed, partially insane wife! I've had a half a dozen of those to and the dogs are easier to take care of much easier to live with. Terri excepted, of course. ;))

Seriously motion sensors are good and a good dog is, in my opinion, essential in being able to sleep well.

After that common sense cannot be over rated. Be careful whom you open the door to. Be alert. Personally I am a stickler for closing window blinds at night and do not silhouette myself in window or door openings after dark. Peep holes are dangerous in my opinion. If you have one go outside with the lights on in the house and off outside. Now looking at the peep hole have someone place their eye up to it as if to look out. You'll notice how the tiny bit of light that escapes out the hole from the inside is blocked out to the person outside. I actually worked a call once where the bad guy kncoked on the door, waited until the light went out and shot through the door. Worked like a charm....it was a homicide report I was working.

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Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
Solid-core outer doors with good deadbolt locks. Keep the doors locked at all times when at home. And make it part of your routine to check that the doors and windows are locked before you go to bed.

Make sure you have good light on your front stoop. And use caution when answering the front door. Don't open the door if you don't like the looks of the person on the other side -- talk to them through the door instead.

M1911
 
there does exist a difference between home security and home defense....security keeps them out, defense puts them out...two seperate lines...everyone needs to prepare accordingly...

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speak now, or forever hold your peace
 
Good point, twist!

LASur5r,

I never get tired of these kinds of threads. Home safety is always a hot topic for me. I bought my house not too long ago, and despite the fact that the neighborhood is VERY safe (according to crime stats I obtained from my local PD), I've always been very concerned with safety. I was lucky to purchase a house from someone who too was concerned - the house already came with a bevy of outdoor lighting and an alarm system. I changed all the locks to Medeco locks (which are arguably the best in the business). You can't buy them at your local Home Depot - you have to buy them from a locksmith. Very expensive however.

We also have high fences (that of course we keep locked) Very difficult to climb. To an average burglar, it would be too much work to try and climb my fences. Besides, if you do get over, you get to meet my 85 lb. dog (who is VERY territorial!)

Though the house isn't big, it's very twisty and turny inside (i.e. requires a lot of turns to get around). That's why I keep a handgun in every room (in a V-Line lockbox of course) - instant access to firepower wherever I am.


I'm not paranoid. I'm prepared. My home is my castle. The safety of my family is my most important concern. If you attempt to violate either, then I will see you in Hell...
 
voodoo with all due respect I don't think you want to be present in Hell to see anybody, much less some dumb slob who decides to violate your sanctuary. Giving him a one-way ticket to Satan's briquette is enough.

Just playing with words :p Couldn't resist :)
 
voodoo...excellent planning, think i'll steal a few hints from your post...heard of medeco locks, but locks only keep honest people out...my house is very open, but that's fine: i've got the gun, and know all the lines of attack...

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speak now, or forever hold your peace
 
twist:

Yes, Medeco is pricey, but again they are the best. Not only are they available only from a locksmith, you can only get the keys copied at a locksmith!

If Medeco is out of your price range, you might want to look at Schlage. They are widely available, much more affordable, and according to my locksmith, pretty decent. He did, however, tell me to stay away from Kwikset.
 
In my area, one doesn't worry about Medeco locks - They'll just kick the whole dang door outta the frame... (standard MO for a rash of daytime burglaries in my building - then they decided to try it on a holiday, and someone was home - the cops made 'em carry a big screen TV back up three flights of stairs - there is justice).

I live on the first floor - It may not be much, but the windowsills all have decorative glassware and spiky plants growing on 'em... I'm thinking seriously of doing some windowboxes with cactus next summer...
 
voodoo....you're locksmith was right, t an extent...kwikset locks are inexpensive and shiny, but easily circumvented (whole keyed cylinder pulls out with a special tool or readily made lever)....as with all locks, it's not so much the lock as the backset (latch)...wife showed me just how easy it was to open our front door with !driver's license! ...also, a slimjim for door locks is easily made, in most anybody's shop....

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speak now, or forever hold your peace
 
Metallic sensors under the driveway.
Motion sensors on the perimeter.
Solid steel door with good locks attached to the frame of your house.
Bushes with 2 inch stickers near ground level windows.

I'm against sliding glass doors unless someone has a decent solution for them to not be easily broken through.
 
I pulled up the hedge that used to be against the house, and planted rose trees instead. Rose trees stand about three to four feet high and have a basket-ball sized clump of foliage on the top of a thin, thorny stem. Nothing to hide a critter.

If you have to choose between a loud dog and a mean dog, go for the loud one. It's the noise that runs the critters off. (Of course, if you can get a dog that's loud and mean, you get the best of both worlds;) )

All exterior doors should be solid-core, and have dead-bolt locks with at least a one-inch throw.

A lot of people that I know have gone for bars over all the ground floor windows. To my way of thinking, that just eliminates one of your ways out -- therefore being A Bad Thing. With the rose trees planted outside the window anyone inside can easily jump over the thorns. Anyone outside is gonna have to wade through the thorns.

If I ever get a front porch, I'm going to consider having the front porch barred in, with a full-height gate. That way I can open my front door and potential critters will still be several feet away on the other side of a gate while I scope them out.

Be sure your motion-detector lights have battery packs.

If you have a monitored alarm system, I like to have the system trip an exterior siren and flashing light. This scares the critters off, helps the police/sheriff/fire department/ambulance find your house instantly, and let's the neighbors know that something is amiss.

LawDog
 
Kwikset locks : The TYLO series is pretty much trash. The Titan series is decent but still leaves a lot to be desired. Yale locks are even worse unless you have an old one or buy their top line. Schlage and Weiser are both pretty good but not the best. FWIW I've installed over a thousand locks and broken through hundreds.(I'm a remodeling contractor. I also have rental properties.)
On Driver's licence opening a entry lock : If the strike plate is properly installed and the door has the proper clearance to the frame, this cannot be done. However, I would estimate that appx. 40% of doors I've checked have some problem with them.
Given time, ANY lock can be defeated. Luckily, it seems that most BGs are stupid and gain entry through force.
Strengthening the frame and the door itself is usually more effective than spending big bucks on a lock.
 
Well you can also use two deadbolts. One above and one below the doorknob. Add pins to the hinge side and make sure the door and frame are on par with the locks and pins.

Check out some of Cooper's books. Or look at books on castles. When hardening your house you should also seriously ask youself if boarders will be repelled with fire or if you will just hunker down and wait for calvery. Will your SO be able to use fire effectivly if your not there or will you be able to if your home alone with the kids?

Also remember fire [ie burning] is a bigger threat so you should improve your protection against fire when you spend the time and money building saferooms and such.

If you consider real extreme situations think about goblins using Molotov cocktails first and then shooting at you from behind cover as you leave the house.
 
My .02 on home dogs: Akita.

Affectionate, not "evil". But good protection instincts and a bark that could raise the dead.
 
Nothing beats a sexually abused pit bull on crack.:D Seriously though a highly trained dog is the best. Next being a highly trained individual in the correct mindset i.e. condition yellow instead of white. As long as you are armed, alert, and mentally prepared to face life's challenges, then you simply cannot become a victim. Just my opinion, of course. Cordially, Clayton Hufford
 
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