Sunriver Neighborhood Association

HOUSEHOLD SECURITY TIPS

Dec 06, 2000

Here are a few security tips to help keep your home safe and warm.

?• Bushes and shrubs should be trimmed so that they are not any higher than window sills. Plants should not create places to hide, particularly next to entrances or at bedroom windows. If plants are overgrown, have them trimmed.

?• If you have an alarm installed in your home, ensure that your alarm company window stickers and yard signs are displayed prominently on your home and property. Yard signs and stickers act as a deterrent to burglars....start your security at the front door!

?• Use a timer or photo electric cell to turn your lights on at dusk and off at dawn. This ensures the exterior of your home is illuminated during hours of darkness and makes it more difficult for an observer to tell when you are gone.

?• The most secure locks for your home are double-cylinder deadbolts, which require a key to operate from either side. The bolt (the part that extends from the door) should be at least one inch long, and should be hardened steel. The strike (the plate which the bolt sticks into) should be installed with screws long enough to engage the structural stud behind the doorframe (and not just the door frame or trim like many are currently installed). A box strike (one which surrounds the bolt, not just a "plate") is best.

?• Sliding doors are vulnerable points of entry for burglars. Obtain a security device such as a "Charley-Bar", which is a solid bar that latches in place between the sliding panel and the frame. Also install a pin-lock (drill a hole completely through the sliding panel so that a solid metal pin can be inserted and secure the sliding to the fixed panel). Most locks on sliding doors are of poor quality; any device which latches to the frame can often be jostled out of the locked position from the outside. Look instead for a plunger-type lock which operates in the same manner as the pin-lock described above but incorporates a keyed plunger.

?• Garage door openers are vulnerable to manipulation with electronic devices. When on vacation, unplug your garage door opener.

Look for more security tips in upcoming issues of the Sunriver Sentinel.