by Emily Van Cleve
security systems add a layer of protection from intruders
IMAGINE ENJOYING a lovely summer dinner with friends and returning home just before dusk, only to find broken glass and items strewn throughout your home—a burglary in progress. While you’re entering your home through the front door, an intruder escapes out the back. The following morning, you’re on the phone arranging to have a home security system installed. “Through the years, I’ve gotten quite a few calls from homeowners who have had some kind of home intrusion experience and feel an urgency to get a home security system,” says Brandon Brooks, president of Southwest Security in Albuquerque.
Unlike security systems of the past, which required wiring rooms of the house, today’s wireless systems are easy to install and much more affordable. Homeowners can keep it simple by only setting up motion sensors for entry doors, or they can go all out and monitor every window in the house. When the system detects an intrusion, it immediately notifies a monitoring center that contacts the homeowner before contacting the police in case it’s a false alarm. If there is a false alarm, the system can be disarmed and rearmed from a cell phone.
Although video surveillance may not be included in a basic security system package, Brooks says most customers opt to add it. “You can keep an eye on the rooms in your home and the outside of your home from an app on your phone,” he says.
Another valuable home security option is putting what Brooks calls “a digital box” around storage sheds and vehicles on the property. The homeowner is immediately notified if there’s any unwanted activity around these items. And like security systems have been doing for years, loud internal and external sirens go off if the system tracks any intrusion on the property.
There are effective ways of preventing home intrusions without installing a security system, says Albuquerque Police Department’s senior crime prevention specialist Laura Kuehn. One simple tip is to trim bushes and trees around the home, leaving entry doors and windows visually unobstructed. Another is to install solar motion sensors and solar lights around the outside of the home.
Kuehn also suggests making a slight modification to entry doors. “Door striker plates and hinges usually come with half-inch screws that secure the door to the framing. If these short screws are replaced with three-inch screws, it becomes more difficult for intruders to kick a door in, and they’ll make more noise trying to do it,” she says.
One of the best home security measures is establishing good relationships with neighbors who will watch your house and let you know if they see anything suspicious. “A feeling of community is really important,” Kuehn adds. So, reach out and adopt an attitude of looking out for one another.
