When Stephanie and Eddie Adler built a custom home on the North Shore, they installed a sophisticated security system that not only protects all doors and windows, but also includes motion detectors, cameras, a back-up cellular phone, sirens inside and outside, and lights. It is also wired to accept future fiber optic and data transmission technology.
“We like to think people are paying closer attention to securing their homes,” says Mike Brening, executive director of the Burglary Prevention Council in Chicago.
Indeed, burglaries nationwide have declined rather than increased, particularly in urban areas. In 1997, the latest year for which statistics are available, burglaries dropped 3 percent from the prior year, according to the council.
Although the decline bodes well, the staggering numbers connected with burglaries point out that more still needs to be done. More than $3.3 billion is lost annually in residential burglaries, with the average loss at $1,300. That figure does not include all that’s damaged when an entry is forced, such as broken windows and doors. Furthermore, a burglary occurs every few seconds or before you can finish asking, “I think a heard a strange noise, dear. Would you mind running downstairs to check?”
There’s a lot homeowners can do to prevent break-ins, with many steps requiring minimal dollars and effort. Highly sophisticated alarms are more in the reach of the average homeowner because prices continue to drop due to technology and competition.
The average cost of installing an alarm fell to $1,200 from $1,500 five years ago, according to the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association in Bethesda, Md. Sometimes owners pay nothing for installation, but then a monthly monitoring fee of $25 to $40.
At the same time, many businesses have recognized a golden opportunity to protect homes, property and lives with a slew of sophisticated and expensive products, systems and services. Among these are “safe” rooms, many with an outside exit, in which to hide from an intruder. What type of protection you seek should reflect a balance of weighing a company’s guarantees of protection against the cost and your ease of using it on a regular basis.
Two other caveats. If you buy a new home, you may not have to make many choices because today’s new homes so often come outfitted with an alarm, fire and light system. Some come with more than others. Bannockburn builder Orren Pickell’s $1 million-plus homes are sold with a $2,500 “basic” package.
Second, if you design a home from scratch like the Adlers did, avoid placing entrances in locations that are out of sight lines, advises Chicago architect Richard Becker, and don’t leave large elevations without a window. He also recommends paring the number of doorways so access is not too easy.
Here are more suggestions:
- Common sense. The premise holds true, experts say. If your house reflects a lived-in look, burglars are apt to go elsewhere. When home, remember to close and lock your front door if you’re working outdoors in the back or even in a garage. If you’re going away for even a day, have a neighbor take in mail, papers and milk or have deliveries temporarily stopped. Lights and noise can deter, so leave on a few lights and consider leaving on a TV or radio, particularly if you live in an apartment. As with lights, appliances can be put on timers to confuse would-be burglars.
While many dogs are friendly and not likely to scare off most strangers, their barking can deter intruders. Stickers placed on exterior doors that say the premises are protected by an alarm system also may be a deterrent, though if the house has few signs of life, stickers may prove worthless. Depending on the size of your community, you may want to alert your police department if you go away for an extended period.
- Lights. Your goal should be to make your house look lived-in yet not so bright that it appears you’ve recycled all your Christmas lights, which also probably won’t please your neighbors.
Take a stroll around your house at night. Security expert and author Ira A. Lipman says a good guideline in selecting sufficient outdoor light for an area is the ability to read a wristwatch by that light. Specific places to locate lights are along a path to the front door, above the front door, at the corners of the sides of the home, at the rear of the house, and by other doors.
The specific types of lights you choose are a personal decision, says Lloyd Gersdorf of Active Electrical Supply in Chicago. “If the light will burn for a long time and you don’t mind a yellow color, a high-pressure light will last the longest and be the least expensive,” he says. “If color rendering is important and you want the color to appear natural, consider halogen.”
You can make your life more maintenance-free by not having to turn lights on and off. Install photocells that go on and off according to the amount of natural light, as well as some lights on timers, which you set to go on at random so burglars can’t detect a pattern, says Jim Dockstader, director of sales and marketing in the consumer division of Intermatic Inc., in Spring Grove, Ill., which sells timers, wireless alarms and low-voltage outdoor lighting.
There are also motion detectors that trigger electrical devices and illuminate lights when anybody passes through a field, Gersdorf says.
In addition to these traditional solutions, specialty products have become available. The Emergency Beacon, patented by the start-up company Life Technologies Inc. in Minneapolis, features a 60-watt bulb that casts a regular light when a homeowner flips a switch once. When the same switch is flipped twice, it becomes a flashing beacon that can be seen from several hundred yards and in bad weather. The bulb costs $19.95 and lasts up to 2,000 hours.
- Landscaping. Most homeowners plant trees and shrubs to add beauty to their property, and well they should. But in placing the larger materials, they should also consider whether the plants may serve as a hiding place or access point for an intruder. “A large tree can be a way to get into a second-floor window,” notes Joel Albizzo of the National Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. At the same time, certain plants with thorns can be used to discourage burglars from climbing through a window, he adds.
- Locks. Even before you buy locks for doors and windows, be certain that they are of a high quality (solid-core wood or steel) so they can’t be knocked in easily. Secure sliding glass doors by inserting screws into upper tracks of door assemblies to prevent the door, glass and frame from being removed, says Lipman in his book, “How To Protect Yourself From Crime” (Reader’s Digest, $9.95).
The best door locks are pick-proof deadbolts that require a key because they can’t be copied without an owner’s permission, says David Lowell, director of education and certification for the Associated Locksmiths of America in Dallas. Most of the best deadbolts cost under $100 and are sold by locksmiths.
Having one key for all the doors in your home is smart because it will save you time when you come home late at night and want to gain entry fast, Lowell says. Be sure if you also lock your door from inside that you keep the key nearby so you can get out.
Lowell recommends a pair of window locks so it’s harder to pry open a window. Or apply window film to slow down entry.
- Alarms. You have numerous choices for an alarm system, including installing your own wireless, battery-operated alarms or having an independent or large-scale professional firm install a hard-wired system. Sears HomeCentral, in partnership with ADT Security Services Inc., is test-marketing hard-wired alarms.
You probably will make your decision based on cost. The number of bells and whistles should give you peace of mind. “Calibrate your level of security for the crook you’re most nervous about thwarting, but try to avoid living in a jail,” says Keith Fisher, of Keyth Security Systems in Highland Park. Keyth Security charges $299 for arming two doors and installing a motion sensor, then adds each door or window at an additional $70, Fisher says. More sophisticated systems with cameras add $75 to $500. Some owners install these not to just detect burglars but also to check on nannies. Other systems feature voice activation that relays the temperature and announces a fire.
At the very highest end, you can get electronically controlled “intelligent” systems that program different parts of a home for heating and cooling, lighting, security, audio-video and water, with each program able to talk to the others, says Keith Rich, president and chief executive of ISR Inc. in Naperville, which provides such services, typically in estate-size, multimillion-dollar homes.
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- Key questions to ask an installer:
- Will the alarm sound only at my home or also at a central station (usually at the alarm company because few police stations offer this service)?
- Should I have a second phone line because the first may go dead when the alarm sounds or should I have a backup from radio transmission or a cell phone?
- Will there be a panic button on the keypad?
- Should my system include smoke, carbon monoxide and water detectors?
- What are the warranty and life expectancy?
- Will I be charged for false alarms?