How to Avoid a Break-in?
My friend just told him someone broke into her house (without breaking the lock) and she happened to open her apartment door and see when he managed to escape. She was very shaken by this and I am now scared as well, as similarly to her I have a multiple-family brownstone on the edge of…
My friend just told him someone broke into her house (without breaking the lock) and she happened to open her apartment door and see when he managed to escape. She was very shaken by this and I am now scared as well, as similarly to her I have a multiple-family brownstone on the edge of Park Slope.
What scares me the most is that some could easily break in without violent entry just by picking the lock. I want to make sure I do everything to avoid this situation. But I do not know where to start. Anyone has any recommendations? Should I get fake ADT signs? Should order a video camera? Is there a type of lock thats the most secure?
I would appreciate any pointers.
Thank you.
you can go for camera security. By this you can keep an eye on different parts of your house. Just contact nearest security company of your area. you can know more about it from http://www.mcmsecurity.com
lol,ha ha ha
invisible,
while you’re on your moral highhorse there checking out the number of dog related deaths yearly as compiled by the CDC
(it’s approx. 12, I checked), you might try plugging in the number of gun related deaths in the US yearly (it’s approximately 30,000, I checked).
http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_sy.html
so you see, when you lecture me about being irresponsible about recommending a pitbull as a pet,
because of course, in general people are too dumb to know anything about choosing a dog,
it rings kind of hollow when you just recommended that they buy a gun/shotgun which can be turned against the owner, stolen, found by a child or just go off accidently in the room….well maybe I’m just silly and haven’t learned a single thing from my many decades of experience living in this city.
anon552 great suggestion. motion lights also highly recommended- one of my next moves as well. doghouse is right with the whole risk mitigation mindset. if that includes alarm go for it, i’ve had them and unless its an expensive install it is usually not worth it and many false alarms. i just had one of the big commercial outfits out for a quote/survey – its quite expensive an still fallible. imho if you want the deterrence get the stickers.
legion the reasons you list for getting a pit are irresponsible. To suggest someone nonchalantly get a pit because they are free is offensive – it takes a highly responsible and committed person to responsibly own a pit. There are absolutely no room for errors with that bite and muscle. ask any Master Schutzhund trainer or working dog specialist and they will laugh at you if you suggest an am staff. Control and recall are key. The breeding is horrendous today. Im all for rescuing (we just found a home for a rambunctious red nose pulled off the euth list) but if you go to the pound you have no idea what you are going to get. You didn’t mention she will be feared and hated with a pit, heckled by strangers perhaps. You didn’t mention that one bite of the neighbors kid and it will ruin her life forever. Maybe you didn’t know if the CDC study in 2000 where half of all fatal dog bites over 20 years period were from pits and rots. And for those who write it of and say its the owners, maybe it is but guess who is doing all the breeding around here?
Never, never give access to your home to anyone when you’re not there and never, never give keys to anyone, no matter how trustworthy you may think they are.
I’m afraid Invisible has some good advice but quite a bit of bad advice;
-dismissing the alarm system is a big no no,
alarm systems work. period.
how do I know this? Been there. Before. During and after.
They work.
-On dogs, recommending a 100+ pound breed is not practical for an apartment dweller. a 40-60lb pitbull is practical and cheap (they’re free) as opposed to looking up a German Shepard breeder and putting down $1000.
furthermore, pitbulls are the most feared breed, do not underestimate that factor, it’s about perception.
Thieves will hear a fierce growl or see a pitbull through the window and move along. I’ve seen pitbulls tear a tree support log to splinters, they’re no joke. German Shepards and Rottweilers (I had one) are awesome but very big and not practical for a studio in a building.
-Guns are a very real option. But I think the spirit of the post was practical prevention. Building an arsenal in the linen closet might not be for everyone.
Good Luck
Get a live-in nanny. And make sure she’s a ninja.
Every time I have been robbed (sadly, over the years, it’s been more times than I can count. Maybe over 10 times) it’s been because a door or window was left unlocked. All but one time it was because my tenant left a door or window unlocked.
The single time it wasn’t a tenant, my kid left a tiny bathroom window on the fourth floor – incidentally NOT on the fire escape but over the sheer 4 story drop – open. Nothing was stolen that time but there were footprints in the bathtub and all the shampoo bottles were knocked around. The guy either scaled down from the roof or leaped 6 feet diagonal from the fire escape over to the 22 inch windowsill. Ick.
We have had burgler alarms installed and paid thru the nose for installation and maintenance. All we ever gained from that experience was two tickets for an “unnecessary alarm”.
Good locks are good. Good vigilance and careful habits are better.
Invisible has some really good info on this.. I have MEDECO AND they are on of the best.. A good lock is the first step.. Most of the cheap locks can be bumped or picked way too easy.. I also have christmas type bells wrapped around my door knob.. Anytime someone walks in they kind of make a ringing sound..
As earlier posters have said, most anything is pick-able. You can buy a better lock, or a half-broken lock (torsion wrenches will have trouble), but even the “unpickable” ones are quickly and easily picked by professional locksmiths.
What you should really be thinking about is risk mitigation. If you’re really worried about professional locksmiths coming after your stuff, then get something that will discourage them – motion-sensitive lights, alarm systems, chihuahua-activated mastiffs (chihuahuas hate everybody except you and don’t turn off when the power fails).
But while there are scary anecdotes (like the original poster’s friend), the odds are much more likely that a theft occurred because someone left something unlocked. If you yourself (or a close friend, really) got burgled, whatever the actual odds are of course aren’t going to make you feel safer – so figure out what makes you feel safe.
Really, if someone wants in badly enough, they’re getting in. My step-daughter’s house got burgled with a reciprocating saber saw through the front door. No Mul-t-lock is stopping that.