What To Do After A Home Burglary

As we have mentioned in other home security articles in this forum, a burglary happens every 14.6 seconds in the United States.  Unfortunately you and your family may become a victim of a home burglary and become one of these statistics.  Once this happens, it can be one of the most difficult emotional experiences you will face in life.  You will experience a sense of anger, frustration and of being violated, knowing that your home is no longer considered a “safe place” from the rest of the world.  Here is what NEXUS Home Security recommends that you do if this happens to you.

1. Personal Safety Is Top Priority – If you determine that your home has been burglarized (door or window forced, possessions scattered, etc.) don´t investigate. You should leave immediately to a safe distance (your locked car or a neighbor´s house).  There will be a natural desire to either confront the burglar or search the house to determine what is missing.  Remember, your emotions will be running on high alert, but it is your personal safety and that of your family that is of most importance.  Also you should not assume that the house is now empty.  Remember all those movies where the victim walks through the house saying “hello, is anybody there?”

2. Contact The Authorities – Now that you are out of harms way, call the police (911) and tell them that someone has broken into your home and whether the burglar might still be on the premises. Many burglaries are not reported because the victims think it is pointless to contact the authorities (and unfortunately less than 15% of home burglars are arrested and convicted).  But there is a point to reporting the burglary.  You may be able to recover your stolen possessions and without a police report you can not file an insurance claim.   If you are alone, call a family member, friend or neighbor to wait with you until the police arrive.  Their presence will provide you with emotional support and will help you remain calm for when the police arrive.

3. Preserve the Evidence – As mentioned, wait for the police to arrive. If you had entered your home and then discovered the burglary, minimize touching items and areas that may have the burglar’s fingerprints on them. These include door handles, jewelry box drawers, and safes.  The police upon arriving will do an inspection of the premises and will be taking notes (possessions stolen, damage, means of entry, etc.) for a police report.  If you had previously made a list of valuable possessions (photos and serial numbers greatly improve the chance of recovery) you should provide one to the police and a copy for your insurance company.  Once the police have finished and left, it is time to begin putting things and your life back in order.

4. Contact Your Insurance Company – If you have insurance coverage for home burglary and want to pursue an insurance claim, you will need to file a police report within 24 hours of discovering the crime. That means that you will need to visit the police the next day.  Call your insurance agent to explain what happened and determine what are the next steps on your part.  You will need to provide at a minimum a list of everything that was stolen and how much these items are worth as well as what damage was sustained during the burglary.   If you have photos and receipts of high value possessions this will also be helpful to substantiate your insurance claim.  For jewelry, given that it will normally appreciate in value, it should be appraised with some regularity so that in the event of an insurance claim you get reimbursed at current market value, rather than initial purchase price.

5. Move On With Your Life – It happened. Its over.  You and your family are safe.  Now it is time to move on and begin the healing process.  Start by cleaning up right after the police investigation. It will not be easy.  But it is a necessary step for you confront what has happened and to move on, especially if your home has been trashed. You will feel that you have been violated and anger of this happening to you and you have a longer term sense of being unsettled and alarmed in your home.  Talk to family and friends; talking is important in the healing process.  Cover any damaged part of the house and remove any unusable furniture or appliances.  These will be a reminder of the burglary so get them out of sight.  You should consider rearranging furniture and repainting where there was damage.  The simple act of changing the look of your home will help in moving on.  You should assume that the burglars also stole personal financial information, whether bank accounts, checks, credit cards, etc. Even if these items are not missing the burglar could easily have taken photos with a smart-phone.  You will need to contact and cancel everything the next day.  If you want try and track down your stolen possessions (your personal pursuit of justice), you can contact the local pawn shops if you have a list with photos and receipts.  They will return the items to you if you have a police report of the burglary on file.

6. Prepare For The Next Time – Unfortunately lightning does strike twice. Once you have experienced a home burglary, you are at greater risk in the future of it happening again.  Whatever attracted the burglar in the first place (house appearance, location, isolation, inside information, etc.) likely still exists after the crime.  Worse still, the burglar now knows the layout of your home and will simply wait until you have replace things for another “visit”.  It is time for you to do a security assessment of your home.  There are some basic everyday tips to protect your home, as well as do-it-yourself  (DIY) home security tips and you should invest in a home security system to reduce chances of a burglary in the future.

For more information, please visit:  http://www.NexusHomeSecurity24.com/

Tips To Burglar-Proof Your Home Doors

It happens every 14.6 seconds in the US – a home burglary.  According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 2010 more than two million home break-ins were reported with more than 30% gaining access without using any force.  Homeowners often make it too easy for burglars to gain entry to their homes.
Surprisingly most house burglaries (70%) occur through a door (front, back or garage) as opposed to a window.  If the door entry is left opened or unlocked, the burglar simply walks in.  Otherwise it is just a swift kick that breaks an old or weakly secure door.  In the past we have offered tips on home security, the behavior of home burglars, how to burglar-proof your home windows, and other related home security topics.  We now offer suggestions on how a little time and investment in your doors will significantly help you avoid being a statistic and protect your home and family.

1. It Starts With A Solid Door – Like the entrance to a castle, the entrance to your home begins with the strength of its doors to withstand a frontal burglar attack. All exterior doors need to be constructed of solid materials:  wood, wood core, fiberglass or metal.  If the exterior doors are hollow (sheets of veneer over a cardboard core) they need to be replaced since they offer no protection from forced entry.  For metal doors, they require an interior reinforcement and a lock block to prevent them from being pried open.

2. No Window In Door – Having a window in an exterior door, while aesthetically pleasing, simply compromises your home security. If you are installing new exterior doors, avoid them.  For existing doors with windows, they should be of reinforced glass or use decorative metal reinforcement or bars.  If the door´s interior lock is within arms reach of the window, consider adding a secondary door lock away from reach of a potential burglar.

3. Lock Your Doors – As previously mentioned, 30% of burglaries are due to exterior doors not being locked. It doesn’t make any difference of what type of exterior door or locks you have if they are not being used.  It´s simple, lock all exterior doors (including the garage door) when you go out or are alone inside.

4. Install Deadbolt Locks – All exterior doors should have a deadbolt lock to complement the keyed lock built into the doorknob. Choose a high quality, solid metal deadbolt lock with a throw bolt (the bolt that comes out of the door) of at least one inch long.  Quality of construction is important here and you should not compromise.  Additionally you can also consider adding a one-sided deadbolt that does not have a keyed exterior access, which you can use while you are inside your home.  Remember you want to make it difficult for a burglar to enter through the door, so that they go elsewhere.

5. Strengthen Your Exterior Door Locks – To prevent burglars from removing or damaging door lock cylinders (the part where you insert your key) by hammering, wrenching or prying, you can install cylinder guards around them. These are metal guard plates or protective rings on both sides of the door will make life harder for a determined burglar.

6. Reinforce the Exterior Door Frame – Your door and locks are secured to the door frame. Even if you have a high quality door and locks, a burglar may gain entry by breaking or prying the door frame.  Many door frames (jambs) are simply tacked to the wall and can be easily separated and broken.   To prevent this secure your door frames directly to the wall studs by installing 3-inch screws.  Also, you will need to ensure that the strike plates (the metal that surrounds the lock-set) are heavy duty grade and are secured by 3-inch screws directly into the wall studs and not simply the door jamb.

 

7. Reinforce Exterior Sliding Doors – Make sure that your sliding doors are made from reinforced glass or polycarbonate to prevent breakage from a burglar. Review the type and quality of the door lock as mentioned before.  Place a metal rod or wooden dowel in the track to prevent movement of the doors being forced open.  Install flathead screws on the upper part of the frame so that they graze the tops of the doors to prevent them from being pried upwards out of the frame track.  The metal frame should to be mounted to the interior studs via 3-inch screws.  If you own a home security system, you should have glass breakage and motion detectors installed.  Finally, have curtains installed on the inside to maintain privacy and limit visibility of your home from the outside.

For more information, please visit:  http://www.NexusHomeSecurity24.com/

Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day Gift – A Senior Medical Alert Security System

As life progresses, the roles between children and parents evolve and change.  As some point in time your Mother or Dad, due to age or medical circumstances, will require more from you and your siblings.  It´s all part of getting older.  For this Mother´s Day, instead of flowers or dinner out, consider giving her a long lasting gift that will help her stay active, independent and secure with a Senior Medical Alert Security System.
Whether your Mother is a senior living alone, with medical or mobility issues, the Senior Medical Alert Security System will provide the both of you the peace of mind knowing that in the case of an emergency, whether burglary, fire or medical, there is immediate assistance 24 hours per day, every day.
Senior Medical Alert Security System Features

• Burglary detection (doors, windows, motion detection)
• Fire detection (Smoke and CO option)
• Medical alert emergency assistance
• Severe weather alert advisory
• Easy to use and hand free communication (cellular intercom)
• Emergency push-button control (waterproof pendent or wrist-band)
• Five Diamond Certified Alarm Response Center, 24/7
• Remote event alerts via text to smart-phone, tablet and PC
• Remote system programming
• Optional video monitoring
• Optional home control automation (door locks, lighting, appliances)
• Professional installation and training
• Lifetime warranty on equipment

The Senior Medical Alert Security System will help you protect your Mom’s vulnerability while respecting her independence.  It will help keep her safe not only from bad people, but in the event of medical emergencies, assistance is available just a button away with the water-proof medical pendant control.  You can monitor remotely not only medical assistance but, break-ins and fire and carbon monoxide, wherever you are, at any time, via your smart-phone, tablet or PC.  And you help protect your Mom’s home more effectively than a trained watchdog, according to law enforcement and security professionals.
Give your Mother and yourself the gift of peace of mind this Mother’s Day, and for many more in the future.

For more information, please visit:  http://www.NexusHomeSecurity24.com/