Category: security

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Another look at home security

With a new year comes new challenges as well as renewed concerns. One of the biggest concerns is home invasions. Although it’s something most people would agree they worry about, not a lot of people actually take the necessary steps to make their home less attractive to potential burglars. Below are just a few of the options you can take that can help decrease the likelihood of someone breaking in.

First, if you have an alarm, SET IT! It sounds simple but the number of people I talk to that don’t set it blows my mind. The biggest 2 reasons are because of pets and just forgetting. Most alarm companies have motion sensors that can exclude animals automatically, so their motion doesn’t set off the alarm. But for those with Great Danes or other bears that are so monstrous that they could trip it, look at alarm system that don’t have motion sensors. Glass break, door, and tamper sensors are all better than nothing. For those who forget to activate the alarms when they leave or at night, technology can help here. Use your phone to set alarms in the evening and morning for setting it. Some of the more sophisticated systems can also detect that linked phones have left the property and automatically set the alarm for you.

Another simpler step is to make sure your doors and windows have adequate and working locks. With doors, we should be looking at the strike plates of the doors to ensure the length of screws in them are long enough to go through the door frame and into the stud beyond, if possible. If you have a deadbolt make sure to use it, and lock storm and screen doors. Sliding doors should have locking bars to prevent them from easily being opened from the outside. This is as simple as getting a 2×2 piece of lumber cut to length. All the first-floor windows should be locked, and blocked if possible. Its also important to look at the windows that tip in/out to make cleaning easier. Ensure they are locked into their track and can’t easily be pushed out.

There are countless home security checklist out there for free that delve into more details. The biggest thing you can do is look at your home the same way an intruder would. What is the easiest way for them to get in. What would slow them down or stop them at the spot?

As always you should always take additional training, such as the USCCA Home Defense Fundamentals class. The course offers lots of additional ideas on interior and exterior security, as well as developing and refining your own home defense plan.

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Recognizing potential violence

I’ve seen several stories lately in the news of random attacks on unexpecting victims.  The one I just read today, was about a deranged homeless man walking up a driveway and body-slamming a young boy onto his head.  As of the writing of this post, the boy is still in critical condition.  

This kind of attack highlights how infrequently we discuss the possibility of being attacked or how to recognize the signs beforehand.  These unprovoked attacks are generally horrific and traumatic for the recipient.  I want to explain some of early signs that you can look for before a physical assault.  In this post, I’m ignoring shootings and sexual assault and focusing on the blitz attack. A blitz attack is a sudden, overwhelming attack that can be vicious, focusing mainly use of the hands or a knife.  

Before I go on, I am not the end-all expert, and I don’t intend this to be a complete list of possible behaviors. These behaviors are specific to physical assaults.  Each person is different some will exhibit all of these and some may not.  The intent of me sharing these early warning signs is to educate you on identifying a possibile attack.  How you respond will be directly related to your training and awareness at the time. 

One of the first things I notice is the physical position of the individual.  To me, this means two things: their position in relevance to you and their position relative to other threats or escape routes.  Often someone who is planning to attack you will get inside your comfort zone, closing the gap they must overcome to physically hurt you.  The closer someone gets to you, the less room you have to respond to an attack and the fewer options you have to retreat.  Aggressors can also try to isolate you from friends or escape routes to ensure that they have a dominant position.  They may also position themselves closer to an exit to ensure a rapid escape after a blitz attack. The physical responses of a person are the next best indicators of intent. These are often subconscious, which can help give away their intentions. Things like changes in breathing, hands concealed or searching in a bag.   I specifically focus on their eyes, shoulders, and hands.  

Eyes can be tricky but very telling if you can learn to read them. Aside from the physiological response of pupil dilation before the confrontation, you will have someone who will usually stare through you.  Instead of being attentive and glancing from you to an object that you are talking about or to prevent uncomfortably long eye-contact, the person may almost be looking through you.  This distant stare is often associated with someone who isn’t paying attention because they are thinking about their next move, which may be against you. 

Their shoulders will mimic their stance. Most individuals will stand with their feet and shoulders square to the person they are talking to.  However, when someone is contemplating violence, they may stand with their feet slightly staggered to maintain balance during their initial attack.  So too the shoulders will angle with one closer to you and the other slightly farther away.  This is most common with someone who is going to sucker-punch or blitz attack. 

Open hands are usually a sign of peace or calmness.  If you see someone clenching their fists, this could be a sign of aggression.  Other aggressive tendencies may be shoving their hands far into their pockets, not just resting them. Their elbows will almost fully lock trying to push their hands further down.  A third thing to watch for is hands that go behind the body and the chest comes out and rocks forward.  This could be another precursor to them preparing to balance for an outgoing blow. 

The blitz attack is one that is usually the most vicious, happening in the blink of an eye.  These attacks are often so quick and violent that bystanders don’t even realize the severity of the situation for several seconds or minutes.  During this moment of confusion, the aggressor will casually walk away and melt into the crowd and disappear.  These are the attacks that are the most scary and can have little time or buildup to the attack. 

There are many different techniques, behaviors, and postures you can look for to identify possible aggression.  There is no overarching sign that will make everything instantly clear that someone is about to cause you or your family harm, which is why you should always be aware of your surroundings.  Talk to your children about ways to recognize when someone is acting erratic or what they should do if they are being approached by someone they don’t know.  I caution you to practice vigilance. Never let someone inside your personal bubble, know your escape routes, and train to respond instinctively to threats.  Without awareness and training, the precious half a second it takes for you to see the attack, recognize it, and respond may be too slow.

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Securing your home

Home security is a billion dollar booming business that’s built off your fears.  And rightfully so, the world is an unpredictable and sometimes volatile place depending on where you live.  Previously, we talked about things to look at when buying a home. In this post I want to focus on some simple upgrades you can do to your new or current home to better secure it from intruders.  I’m going to ignore the common things like getting a security system, dog, and a gun and focus on some lesser known options you can look at for improved security.  That said, never underestimate a good dog and security system, they are often enough to dissuade most would-be thieves. 

Replace the door lock hardware.  I don’t just mean replacing the locks when you buy a new house, but the striker plate on the locks.  Most will come with ¼” screws which will in fact secure the strike plates to the door frame, but it doesn’t offer a lot of protection when someone goes to kick in your door.  I would opt for a longer wood screw, at least 1” long to fully grab the frame. 

When we talk about door locks I have to stress the importance of deadbolts.  If your door only has a knob entry it really isn’t secure.  Burglars can get past that style of lock with ease.  Deadbolts are a much sturdier way to secure a door when properly installed.    

If you have a sliding door you should add security pin or some other blocking technique to keep the door closed if the lock fails. An easy and cheap option is a length of wood cut to fit the distance from the frame to the door while its closed.  This only costs a couple bucks and most stores can cut it for you there.  Throw a little stain or paint on it and they blend right in while giving you some added security.  You can also implement the same techniques on ground floor windows making them harder to open. 

Locks and blocking mechanisms are terrific tools of the trade, but they are only as good as the door they are in. If you have hollow exterior doors they can be overcome fairly easily with brute force.  I would suggest a solid core door, they cost more but offer a much better level of protection.  I would also add a solid door to wherever in your house you would want to setup as a safe room in the event intruders penetrate your home. 

You can buy security system signs to post outside your house or on the windows, these are fairly cheap and can dissuade people from breaking in.

If you do get a dog to help alert you to unwanted guests, and EVERY door bell on the tv, avoid doggy doors.  Doggy doors can make a great way in for the slender thief as well as degrade the overall strength of the door.

These are just a couple of ideas I’d recommend that many people overlook.  The possibilities are endless on different ways to secure your castle.  However, they can all be defeated if you don’t actually lock your doors, arm the system, etc. Take the time to get into the routine.  When in doubt, most local police stations or several security companies will also do free security assessments for your home to help you better secure your home.