Sounding the alarm

Date: 10/01/2005
Source: USA Weekend
Author: Lou Manfredini

WHEN a friend of mine built a house a few years ago, he spent $2,200 on a fancy security system. It has motion detectors and glass-break sensors, a keypad for punching in codes and a sign out front announcing the place is rigged. Just one problem: The system's so complicated he never turns it on. Even if they're hard to use, burglar alarms are big business. Americans crave security. This year, more than 1 million households will add them, bringing the total to about 17 million. In a recent Ace Hardware survey, 86% of homeowners said they didn't think their homes were safe enough. The knee-jerk reaction, unfortunately, is to buy an expensive alarm system, then pay a monthly fee to have it monitored. While burglar alarms may reduce insurance premiums, and possibly the risk of burglary, they also have a lot of flaws ... chief among them false alarms. It's estimated 95% to 99% of alarms sound for no reason, and all that crying wolf takes a toll. Police respond to real emergencies in about three minutes, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, but that increases to about 15 minutes when responding to a house alarm. That's plenty of time for crooks to pack up your stereo and computer and flee.

The alternative: First, figure out what your risk is. If you're a kidnap target, or if you own something priceless, like that Van Gogh over the mantel, hire a professional to map out a security plan. The truth is, sophisticated cat burglars who know how to rappel down your chimney are rare, so the rest of us can go cheap. Here's how:

- Consider installing perimeter lighting outside your house that uses a motion detector. That way, if someone approaches at night, the lights suddenly switch on, giving would-be intruders a jolt.

- Make a habit of locking doors and closing windows. Otherwise, you're practically inviting burglars.

- Talk to a contractor about ways to make your house more resistant to break-ins: Three-inch screws hold door hinges much more securely than one-inch screws, for instance.

- Keep in mind the best alarm system of all: a barking dog. And remember, it's the size of the bark, not the size of the dog, that matters. In the end, home security is relative. If one house on a street is dark day after day, or has a bunch of old newspapers on the front steps, guess which one will be singled out. You can't turn your house into Fort Knox, nor should you want to. But make sure your place doesn't stick out as a target. This is one area where it really pays to keep up with the Joneses. W

This article may be reproduced as long as the source Footprint Home Security is provided as a link.

Back to Free Expert Advice

Back to Footprint Home Security