Insurance Companies Have Specific Expectations

Your insurance company may require that you have deadbolts on all your doors and windows, reinforcement on the entry points into your home and a burglar alarm system. Some even give you credit for participating in a Neighborhood Watch Program.

Having a security company that actively monitors your premises is a huge plus. For the insurance company it means your risk of being robbed is greatly reduces. Most burglars shy away from homes with alarms because they don’t like to be detected when they are stealing your valuables. They also know the sound of an alarm means the local authorities will be on the scene momentarily. Your entire family is less at risk because of fire and smoke detectors and motion sensors that come with the home security system.

You can end up saving up so much money on your insurance that your protective services are covered. Some companies offer a premium discount as high as 20%. It means that you may only pay $5 – $15 a month for insurance that is normally $30 – $40 a month. Imagine if you could insure your family and the contents of your home for only $5 a month.

Are You Eligible for Home Insurance Premium Discounts?

Ask your insurance agent about the discounts available for using security services. You deserve to have the benefit of lower insurance premiums and security equipment that scares off potential intruders from targeting your home. Your family is definitely worth it!

Be Aware of Your Surroundings When Holiday Shopping

The entire break and enter criminal element that resides in your city is well aware that you are spending a lot of money on expensive items you intend to give as gifts. When you are out shopping be sure to park your car in a well-lit public parking facility away from shadows and trees or bushes where thieves can hide. Remember to lock your car when you leave it. Never stacks boxes and bags with your purchases in the back seat where they can be seen by passersby. This is too much of a temptation so keep them hidden in your locked trunk.

When you get home with your purchases put them away in a hidden location. It’s not so much about keeping them a surprise as making it more of a challenge for unwanted intruders looking for free gifts. Do not leave them sitting out in the open or in front of windows. Beware of unloading your vehicle, especially if you get home after dark. Make sure the exterior of your home is well-lit and keep your eyes open for suspicious characters lurking around the neighborhood.

Give Yourself the Gift of Peace of Mind

If you plan to be out for any length of time at a holiday gathering lock all your windows and doors. Arm your home security system as you leave. If you don’t have a security system, this is a perfect time to purchase one. Place your order before the gift opening happens – this is another high risk time for neighborhoods. Burglars can’t wait to break in at the peak of the holidays because they know your home is filled with items they can exchange for cash.

• Young people with violent, abusive parents can develop the same character traits.
• Teens involved in street gangs are very likely to be violent.
• Youth with drug problems can demonstrate violent behavior.
• Young people suffering from emotional problems and depression can become violent.

How Do I Know What to Watch For?

It makes no difference if you are going out on a first date with someone you just met or if you are spending time with a person you have known for a long time, you could be at risk. If the person you are with starts treating you with disrespect, putting you down or humiliating you, these are signs violence may be just around the corner. If they threaten you, make you feel afraid, attempt to control your activities, force you to do things you don’t want to do, control who your friends are, shove or hit you, then you need to pay attention. You may find yourself trying to draw back from the relationship with that person but they threaten you and refuse to accept a break up. Get help. Ask a parent or a trusted adult to intervene.

Parents Can Help Prevent Teen Violence

Parents – be proactive by getting an education about teen violence and talking to your children about the problem. Monitoring your own behavior and refraining from violence in your home sends a strong message to your children that it is not acceptable. Paying attention to your teen’s activities and establishing rules with consequences makes a difference. Teach your children how to recognize the danger signs and how to take charge of the situation. Family safety is the most crucial element in home security systems.

You will be surprised at the number of household appliances and other items you own or use that produce CO. Propane stoves and heaters, gas water heaters, charcoal grills, cigarette smoke, kerosene space heaters, solvents, spray paints, paint remover, degreasers and your car engine are just a few. Operating any of these in an enclosed space without sufficient ventilation will cause problems.

At first when you are being affected by CO you will not realize it and may attribute it to other causes. It gives you the same symptoms as the flu – nausea, headaches and fatigue. Eventually it progresses to dizziness, shortness of breath and chest pain. When it gets really bad you will experience depression, confusion, impaired judgment, changes in your vision, hallucinations, vomiting, abdominal pain, fainting, seizures, agitation, memory loss and trouble standing and walking.

If you suspect you have carbon monoxide poisoning you should head right to an emergency room. You will need to have a blood test to know for certain. It can affect your pets too. If CO poisoning is confirmed you will need medical attention – there are no home remedied that can resolve the symptoms. You need to be treated with pure oxygen. The hospital staff will monitor your blood for the level of CO it contains until it is reduced enough for you to be released. You may need to be treated with very high levels of oxygen inside a hyperbaric chamber.

Make sure you remove the source of the CO inside your home and get plenty of fresh air moving through your rooms. If you are unsure of the source contact your local fire department and request assistance. The best prevention is having your home security company install carbon monoxide sensors on every floor of your home, including the garage. If the alarm goes off, you and your family need to evacuate immediately.

• If you are out in public and think you are being followed, don’t run home. Go into a public place such as a store or restaurant and call the police. Do not let a potential assailant know where you live.
• If you must go out early in the morning or late at night to walk or jog, take someone with you and stay along populated and well-lit pathways. Arm your security system before you leave.
• Do not flash money, credit cards or any expensive electronics or jewelry in public, even if you are at a private party. Be discreet – you never know who is watching you.
• If you must withdraw cash from an ATM, keep your car parked nearby with the doors locked. Return to your car immediately after getting the cash and lock the door when you get in. Don’t open the windows until you are safely out of the parking lot.
• Do not ever allow a stranger to get inside your car with you. If they force their way into your car, get out immediately and leave the area to call the police. Endangering your life to save your vehicle is not worth the risk.
• Keep your car locked at all times, even at home in your driveway. When you are in public, park in well-lighted areas close to people and activities with good visibility. Have you car keys out in advance when returning to the car.
• Upon returning home, have your house keys out as you approach your door. Do not worry about triggering your home security system if you must enter quickly because you suspect you are being followed. This is not a false alarm. Call the police.
• If you are attacked, hand over your valuables no matter how frightened or angry you are. Nothing you own is worth risking your life. Note the details of your assailant so you can give the police an accurate description.

If you discover your home has been decorated with graffiti the best action you can take is to remove it as quickly as possible. Graffiti artists get a kick from the publicity that can follow an attack so don’t draw media attention to it. Call the local police department and let them know about it. Removing it right away typically results in a zero rate of recurrence.

Do your part to keep your neighborhood looking good. Organize the people on the street where you live to pick up trash, mend broken structures and fences and maintain the landscaping even on vacant properties. The LA police say vandals most frequently target areas that are unkempt and where it appears nobody cares about it. Keeping your own home in good repair, mowing your grass and trimming your trees shows that you care about the appearance of your property and you will not tolerate graffiti vandalism.

Ask your local police department if there are existing anti-graffiti laws you can help to enforce. Doing your part to ensure vandals are apprehended is a strong deterrent to the graffiti culture as a whole. The top reason given by these vandals after being arrested when asked what would get them to stop committing the crime was their fear of getting caught. Installing home security video surveillance cameras is another highly effective deterrent. Although graffiti artists enjoy the publicity from the destruction they create, they are threatened by the idea of being identified and charged with the crime.

In current times acts of vandalism describe any sort of criminally inflicted damages, defacement of respected property such as through graffiti and the erection of strongly distasteful eyesores. There is an element of contempt on the part of the perpetrators for society and members of such. Home security systems have been developed in the effort to support the authorities in thwarting the angry efforts of vandals to wreak havoc and destruction. Although certain sectors of the population view acts of vandalism as artistic expressions it is hurtful to others when done illegally and without permission.

Vandals can be motivated by any number of reasons:

• Anger or disgruntlement with a targeted victim
• General anger with their culture
• Jealousy or desire to retaliate
• Revenge
• Spontaneous acts of rage
• Peer acceptance as is common in gang cultures

If a vandal trespasses on your property or forces entry into your home you may discover nothing has been stolen but that your property has been severely damaged or destroyed. You could return home or wake up to find your walls and works of art have been spray painted, your furniture has been slashed with a knife, rooms have been flooded, appliances have been smashed, your home has been set on fire and so on.

There is no real way to know if a vandal or gang of vandals will decide they want to target your home, so the best thing you can do to protect your home and property is to be proactive about it. A home security system is the ultimate method to discourage unwanted intruders like this, since they have no desire to get caught in the act.

A few years ago the Hawkins County 911 dispatchers received a telephone call from a cell phone and got a big surprise. They happened to overhear what was supposed to be a private conversation between two men making plans for a burglary they were about to commit. The discussion went on for so long – 40 minutes – that the deputies were able to discreetly arrive at the scene of the crime that about to take place and observe the pair of suspects. One was reported to tell the other they would make their move just as soon as “that cop moves.”

The sheriff’s sat on their hands and waited while the culprits broke into a trailer home and came out with a refrigerator. They hung around for a while waiting to be picked up by their accomplice in the getaway vehicle. The police apprehended them after a short chase on foot.

The cell phone in question was discovered in a nearby creek and is apparently the type of mobile device that automatically dials 911 when the number “9” is held down. It seems that one of the burglars was carrying the phone in the pocket of his jean packet and pressed the number by accident on the device that ended up foiling his best laid plans.

Of course we all know this is a fluke incident and it is a very good idea to take all the precautions available to prevent your home from being targeted for burglary. Intruders look for easy and quick access with no home security equipment that could give away their identity or draw attention to their actions. The best kept secret is not really a secret – burglar proofing your home is wise for preventing your valuable possessions from being stolen.

Apparently the suspect may have not set out to commit a crime but after drinking a few beers and then swallowing some pain medication not prescribed for his own use, he lost control. The man was caught on surveillance camera outside the home in a well-kept community in Slidell, La. The footage shows him taking a bath naked with a garden hose in the driveway. He then smashed a number of windows in the home, entered and ransacked the house. He cooked himself a snack in the victim’s kitchen, took another bath and left wearing only a bed sheet.

The suspect says he does not recall how he got there in the first place and has very little memory of the ensuing events. Despite his alleged memory lapses he was lucid enough to disable the alarm system in the home, although he missed out on the video camera. There is a possibility that he was suffering from a medical condition at the time. Regardless of the man’s condition it was not pleasant for the family that lived in the home to learn of the events of the evening.

This may not be a description of an average home intrusion. Most burglars have the mindset to get in and out of your home as quickly as possible without being detected. They plan to take no more than a few minutes to grab your purse, credit cards, wallet, cash, cell phone and easily accessible jewelry. They will take a few seconds to scope out your home for a potential return visit to grab the items they don’t have time to take now. This can all take less than 10 minutes. Using a home security is frequently the only barrier between a criminal and your valuable possessions.

What about the average individual that perhaps does not think he or she owns anything of real value to an intruder intent on robbing someone? The truth is burglars look for anything they can quickly convert to cash if they cannot instantly get their hands on your credit or debit card, and they will especially target you if your residence is easily broken into. Do not think the items in your home are of lesser value than those belonging to folks in more upscale communities. Here are a few facts that should get your attention:

• There are close to half a billion burglaries that affect residents of the U.S. each year
• Property stolen amounts to more than $3 billion
• Residents that have no means of security for protection are targeted three times more than those with security technology and/or monitoring
• On average someone’s home is broken into every 12 seconds and that person loses around $2,000 in personal property, including items that can never be replaced
• All it takes for an unwanted intruder to enter your home is about a minute and you could easily be the one in six homes where it happens
• Over half those burglaries take place in the daytime without the cover of darkness for protection

To protect your home and your family it’s really important that you begin by using common sense. Don’t be as trusting as you would like to be. Lock your place up when you are not home and keep it well lit at night. Don’t leave spare keys in obvious places – seasoned burglars are all too familiar with how we think. The best thing you can do is take preventative measures such as using home security equipment to discourage criminals from targeting you as a victim.