Loads of recent break-ins...Need security door advice

[Nickelless]

I found out last week that another person on my street was broken into during the middle of the day. This is the second time this has happened in less than a year :mad:. Although I have plans of owning a place in the middle of no-where in a few years, for the moment I have to get by living in my cookie cutter neighborhood. I just ordered ADT signs, but I realize those are only going to convince the average crackhead to pass over my house.

At the risk of being obvious, did you just order ADT signs, or do you actually have ADT service? I have ADT, and when the alarm goes off, you can kiss your hearing goodbye. That IMO is a pretty darn good deterrent.

[Bx3]

The lock bypass method mentioned earlier is called lock bumping. About 80-90% of household locks are susceptible to it. Think of layers when dealing with home security. Clear any shrubbery around windows and doors (except maybe the prickly kind around windows). Re enforce your your door hardware with larger plates and longer wood screws (4 in minimum). Door Jam Armor and StrikeMaster come to mind. There are deadbolts available now that are less vulnerable to bumping. The double key deadbolt is good, especially if there is is any glass near the door (which there shouldn't be). A solid locking safety latch (not the chain kind) is good to have in conjunction with a deadbolt. Safety film on windows and re enforced frames are available. Dogs are great to have and barking dogs are even better. Keep windows and shades closed as much as possible, especially when no one is home. Keep the garage door closed as much as possible. Motion sensor lights are good. Friendly neighbors who are willing to look out for each other is a plus. A quality gun safe that is bolted to the floor is good for all of your valuables. Properly secured firearms throughout the house is good. Home security alarms won't hurt but also won't keep the bad guys out either. Situational awareness and a family plan to cap it all off. As a recipient of an armed home invasion, I can tell you that if somebody really wants to get into your house, they will get in. The key is to buy yourself enough time to properly greet them. If you are not home but most of your prized possessions are properly secured then so much the better. Bx3

[newmisty]

Wow, may I ask how you handles the armed intruder? Were you well prepared at the time or was it the impetus needed to get educated and committed to becoming serious?

[Book]

Book... you got a good laugh out of me with your ghetto maze door lock.



:wavey: thank you for your kind words Ishkabibble.

[~BS]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7qT3isdfko/TplMbC0W1wI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/brRCDWxdHdw/s400/Ghetto-Way-to-Lock-Your-Car.jpg

http://www.ghettoredhot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/door-chain-lock-maze.jpg


just imagine what happens when you forget to unchain your tires one day and try to drive off.

[~BS]

. Also, put a double deadbolt on your front door--the kind that is keyed on both sides.

Make sure you have a copy of the key hidden close by and where everyone knows the location to. In the event of a fire or other emergency, you don't want to be locked in the house youerself.

[namwalker]

You're going to want a substantial lock too. I'm a fan of this style (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=double+barrel+lock&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&client=seamonkey-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11292400193973757853&sa=X&ei=gFS4Tu69BYfU2AWnm_XODQ&ved=0CFQQ8gIwBg) Although the picture shown has the plate on backwards. A standard deadbolt can be defeated by jacking the door frame apart. This bad boy doesn't let go that easily.

I looked at the double barrel lock that you showed. I may be mistaked but we used to have that same lock on the back doors of the houses in my neighborhood when I was a kid was defeated by kicking the door right where the lock attaches. To my way of thinking the setup is correct as shown. If the plate was reversed the lock couldn't attached to the plate because the lock is surface mounted on the inside of the door. I may be mistaken but I don't think so.

On the other hand most cookie cutter neighborhoods really don't have a lot of security.

First most homes in Florida have their backyards protected by a stockade fence that provides good privacy for a thief breaking into the rear of the house. Get rid of the fence if you can.

Second, to increase the stability or integrity of a front door switch out the screws on both the front door and the door from the house to the garage to 3 1/2" or better screws.

Third, install a dead bolt on the door from the house to the garage. Fourth, if you don't use the garage to park you car in, put a "C" clamp on the running rails of the overhead door. Someone trying to defeat the door would have to lift up the whole house.

Fourth: Install a locking screen door on the front of the house, and lock it when you're not home. You can give a key to you kids. Replace the glass with tempered plastic that doesn't shatter. Slows a thief down.

Fifth: As you replace your windows, go to plastic. Again slows thieves down.

Sixth, become friends with you local retirees. I'm retired and when I'm home and working in my garage, the door is up and my dogs are right there with me. They will let me know if there is a problem.

Seventh, get a dog. A thief willl just go on further down the road to a house that has no dog. Not a small dog but something that barks and carrys on and is of a medium or large size.

Eighth, go ahead and put up an ADT sign. A thief doesn't know for sure that you do or don't have the service. However, if you decide to get a protection service you should be advised that if in the event that someone does enter your premises the service will call you to ensure that there is a problem before they call the police.

Finally, and I'm sure you do this already, don't advertise what you have and make sure that you wife and kids do the same.

I have a garage access service door that I have secured by and a steel bar.

Most of these suggestions don't cost a lot of money and little work on your part. You may think the local retiree is a busy body but they can help you out in a jamb. Also, most of us in today's climate don't take the time to get to know our neighbors. That can be a mistake. You don't have to be best buds but if you know someone you tend to look out after them moreso than someone you don't know.

I almost forgot, there is a front door security feature that may help also, install three deadbolts away from the jamb part of the door. One in the middle in the usual position and one on top and on the bottom that goes into the door sills. It really beefs up you security.

Good luck..................

PS: In the event that there is a fire in your house, the fireman will get in no matter what. In some departments they come equipped with a chain saw. However, burglar bars on windows have resulted in numerous deaths accross the country. So I don't recommend that unless you live in a real high crime neighborhood.

[namwalker]

I actually subscribe to the Buddist theory of home or building security. I have two male mastiffs and a small skittish and neurotic female dog of undetermined origins. The duty of the female is to alert the mastiffs that there is a problem and that they really need to come and check it out. Upon arriving on scene they will either scare the intruder away or take care of business and alert me to the fact that they are doing some good in return for their keep.

Believe it or not, the Buddist temples were protected by a system like this before China took over Tibet. It worked real well. They used a combination of a Llasha Apso and Tibetan mastiffs. They worked for their food.

The UPS driver, mailman, and pizza delivery man do not like coming to my house. The UPS driver actually used the phrase "That's ridiculous" when referring to my security system. But hey it works. I also believe in multi-tiered security.

[Alric]

Almost every house in my block as been robbed over the last few years as well, and I actually live in a pretty nice neighborhood. I think the main reason we never got robbed is because I live with another person and one of us is usually home, and we have pretty erratic schedules for the most part. There really isn't any time period where they could know ahead of time that we would both be gone for a long period of time.

I also had two dogs for several years living here, though they both died about a year ago, and I think that helped as well. I didn't really need to go with the Buddhist theory like namwalker suggested though. I had one neurotic labrador dalmatian mix. She is big enough to scare people off herself, and she was always alert. In fact, she barked any time someone walked by the house. Luckily my neighbors didn't hangout in their yards much, and we live at the top of a hill so there isn't to many people walking by.

[rad]

Just for price info - I recently had 7 Schlage commercial door knobs (or whatever you call them) with Medeco locks put on the house and outbuilding. It was 2400$

[newmisty]

I actually subscribe to the Buddist theory of home or building security. I have two male mastiffs and a small skittish and neurotic female dog of undetermined origins. The duty of the female is to alert the mastiffs that there is a problem and that they really need to come and check it out. Upon arriving on scene they will either scare the intruder away or take care of business and alert me to the fact that they are doing some good in return for their keep.

Believe it or not, the Buddist temples were protected by a system like this before China took over Tibet. It worked real well. They used a combination of a Llasha Apso and Tibetan mastiffs. They worked for their food.

The UPS driver, mailman, and pizza delivery man do not like coming to my house. The UPS driver actually used the phrase "That's ridiculous" when referring to my security system. But hey it works. I also believe in multi-tiered security.

Thanks for reminding me of that fact. BTW It's Buddhist.

[CiscoKid]

I have two male mastiffs and a small skittish and neurotic female dog of undetermined origins. The duty of the female is to alert the mastiffs that there is a problem and that they really need to come and check it out. Upon arriving on scene they will either scare the intruder away or take care of business and alert me to the fact that they are doing some good in return for their keep.



Clever fellow. Apparently I subscribe to that theory as well and wasn't aware that it was Buddhist.

[AceNZ]

For those of you who have updgraded your front door, what brand/style did you buy and why? I have a block home so with the right metal framing a good door should make my place a bit safer than the house next to me. I realize if someone wants to get in they could always bust a window, but considering both places had their door kicked in I'm thinking I need to upgrade my door sooner than later. Any advice would be appreciated.

The weak spot in most doors is the frame, so I'd start with a strong metal frame, securely anchored to the house framing.

A steel door is best, although good ones can be insanely expensive. Avoid having glass in the door, and avoid hollow-core wood doors.

For the hardware, you want both a deadbolt that sinks deeply into the frame, and a lock and latch mechanism that does the same. There are a number of good brands out there; a competent locksmith should be able to help.

You can also get secondary / backup security mechanisms, such on OnGuard (I think they have videos on YouTube). They can be a hassle to remember to use, but they work well when they're in-place.

Although most of my neighbors where I live in NZ don't bother locking their front doors, after living in the US for most of her life, my wife still insists we lock ours. We also have two very loud (though tiny) dogs with great hearing, who start howling the minute a car pulls up in the driveway. As others have said, I think the dogs are a better deterrent than the door.

[cpthnsolo]

Thanks for the excellent responses thus far guys, I truly appreciate it. It's bizarre that my neighborhood seems to be turning into high crime location. It's not a gated neighborhood, but most homes are 2400' two story homes so it's what most Americans shot for. My plan was to continue saving for some acreage over the next few years and eventually turn this into a rental, but I'm really not so sure now. I've been wanting to fence in the yard too, but at this point I doubt I'll go through with that until after I put multiple security cameras on each and every corner. Sure that may signal to some, "hey that house must have something to guard," but I honestly believe it will make people skip my house for the next. The wife drives a small $10,000 car and I drive a $1,000 truck so it certainly doesn't look like rich people live in my house from the outside. Heck if anything most of the neighborhood thinks I'm the poor one as I always have scrap in the back of my truck :p.

The main problem I have at the moment is that I don't have the funds to move now. Besides, who's to say the neighborhood 10 miles away isn't experiencing the same thing? Central Florida's unemployment rate is much higher than the national average due to all the lost construction jobs so it's definitely been an eye opener. If things are this bad now, how safe would I be if things got much worse? Anyway thanks again for the advice and comments.

Of course if anyone has 10 acres in Central Florida with a trailer on it and wants to trade for a few ounces of gold, let me know :p.

[SilverJeep]

The first thing I would find out is how all the other homes in your neighborhood were broken into. The front door? The windows? If you find that ALL the break-ins were through a back window, then leave your front door alone.

If it varies, sart with your weakest spot and improve accordingly. I seem to remember a thread like this (maybe on the old board) where TnAndy said he could remove the entire window from the house in less than 5 minutes. I imagine he coudl put it back to where they would never know how he got in.


OK HOW BIZARRE IS THIS! As I'm typing this, I get an email from a guy that's filling in for a guy that's a regular supplier of mine. Said my friend left work frantically yesterday because someone kicked his front door in. Stole TV's stereos, computers. This guy had all top notch stuff. No guns were taken, but I'm sure the lowlifes now know he has 3 large gun safes. ...and will be back. He lives in Charlotte, and always gives me updates to the ridiculous crime there. I always respond with "Dude, you need to move." So much so that I've shortened it to an acronym "DYNTM". Has always been kinda funny. Not so much now.

[cpthnsolo]

The first thing I would find out is how all the other homes in your neighborhood were broken into. The front door? The windows? If you find that ALL the break-ins were through a back window, then leave your front door alone.

Well I just found out the details from last week's break-in last night. Here's what I know:

1) House behind me was hit roughly 8 months ago. I live on a corner that turns into a culdesac and the house behind me is one of three houses with driveways on the culdesac. The guy who lived there (they moved out last month) was home as he works nights. His car was in the garage so it looked like no one was home at the time. He was sleeping on his couch when his very large black lab started barking at the door. The guy got up and as he was approaching the door he heard something, and then a split second later the door swung/busted open and there was a black male with a crow bar staring at him. Thankfully for my neighbor he's a HUGE dude so the crook saw him and the lab and immediately turned tail. Someone was waiting in a pickup outside so the crook literally jumped in through the window as the truck floored it in reverse to get out of there. Stupid ****ers spun around in front of my house and damaged a really sweet Yucca palm that I had planted months earlier. Homeowner never clearly saw their plate so they got away with it.

2) Guy five houses down on my other side has a brick wall for his back fence. It's roughly 6' and the type of brink wall used to segregate a neighborhood from the busy road 100' on the other side. Apparently the crooks hoped the wall, and then smashed one of his back windows to get in (without every actually opening the window). They got in and swiped jewelry and then spent a few minutes trying to rip his TV off the wall. Upon opening his door leading to the garage the alarm went off so the crooks went back out the same window and apparently carried a small stool from inside to help them hop back over the brick wall.

Obviously if someone wants to get into a house they're going to, but I'm looking for ways to at least improve my odds. The most surprising thing about all this is how calm my wife is. She acts like it's simply no big deal and I'm quite puzzled by it. She agreed to go to the range this week, but I haven't told her yet that I plan on buying more guns and keeping them loaded and accessible. We don't have kids, unfortunately, so at least I don't have to worry about keeping loaded weapons around (other than a bad guy finding them of course).

[Bx3]

Wow, may I ask how you handles the armed intruder? Were you well prepared at the time or was it the impetus needed to get educated and committed to becoming serious?

Happened about twenty years ago while I was visiting friends up at Lake Tahoe. I had a pistol in my bag in the guest bedroom. We were all in the living room when two armed men kicked in the front door. They were inside in under a second. My pistol might as well have been on the moon. We had to accept the fact that we had no real options. I didn't sleep for two days afterwards. I love it when people who have never been in a situation boast that they would have done this or done that. The reality is that when you are confronted by two armed professionals and you have no real options, you pretty much take it on their terms. I have been studying martial arts since I was ten years old and am no stranger to fighting. My biggest concern was that if I tried something that one of my friends would get injured or killed. I was never in a position to control both perps. I have a multitude of options now and never in another room. BTW, statistics show that front or rear/side doors are the primary entrance points to home dwellings. Hardening them first should be the priority. Simple 4in + wood screws in all the hardware at a minimum will at least buy you critical time. Bx3

[hernancortes]

Door jamb armor is great but it might be overkill if you can't afford it. Upon hearing of kick-down-the-door break ins in our area I bought a 6" strike plate that mounts to the frame w/ six 3" screws. Couple months later some 'youths' were unsuccesful in kicking it down and they had some big feets, I saw the footprints they left. My elderly neighbor saw it all happen, it was over in seconds and they moved onto the next house. The criminals in my area are dumb and unsophisticated and live an existance akin to animals.

[cpthnsolo]

Fifth: As you replace your windows, go to plastic. Again slows thieves down.

Forgive my ignorance, but how do vinyl windows slow thieves down? Ironically enough I had a guy from Home Depot come out last week for an estimate and plan on having a couple of smaller local companies give me estimates in the next week or two. Ultimately a big piece of glass is simple enough to defeat with a rock, but I'm all ears if anyone has suggestions on windows as the cheap 'builder's special' windows in my home are garbage (only a few open). D@mn home was built in '97 and has needed new windows since I moved in back in '08.


Sixth, become friends with you local retirees. I'm retired and when I'm home and working in my garage, the door is up and my dogs are right there with me.

Unfortunately for me there are no retirees in my neighborhood. That's definitely a reason why thieves would be drawn to it as they know most folks are at work. I'm very good friends with all my neighbors though, but if they're not home during the day either what good does that do :\?

[cpthnsolo]

Get a couple pits or rotties.

I have a mutt female that appears to be mostly lab, but with a bit of pit. She's over ten though and was never aggressive in the first place so she's not the most effective deterrent. If someone knocks on the door her bark is intimidating, but if someone climbs in they could easily throw her a piece of steak or simply take care of her...


Get the hell out...

That was always the goal, but clearly I need to re-evaluate the timeline I was originally considering.


did you just order ADT signs, or do you actually have ADT service?

I just ordered the signs for now. I'm not going to worry about security at the moment as I plan on going all out and spending a couple thousand or more next year on cameras. I'm computer/network savvy, but I have a lot of research to do before I go cutting holes in the soffits on every corner. That's potentially a subject for another thread I suppose...


Happened about twenty years ago while I was visiting friends up at Lake Tahoe

Thanks for sharing your story Bx3. It certainly gives me more to think about as I work on arming the place.


Door jamb armor is great but it might be overkill if you can't afford it. Upon hearing of kick-down-the-door break ins in our area I bought a 6" strike plate that mounts to the frame w/ six 3" screws. Couple months later some 'youths' were unsuccesful in kicking it down and they had some big feets, I saw the footprints they left. My elderly neighbor saw it all happen, it was over in seconds and they moved onto the next house. The criminals in my area are dumb and unsophisticated and live an existance akin to animals.

Wow HC! Talk about good timing... Sounds like you averted disaster by just a few months!

[AceNZ]

Speaking of break-in stories -- a white female friend of mine in Palo Alto, California, with a nice house less than a mile away from a poor, black and drug-ravaged neighborhood, was working in her kitchen one day, when a large black guy opened the front door (no break-down needed), quietly walked into the kitchen, right in front of my friend, started going through cabinets looking for food, found some snacks, and then promptly left. My friend stood motionless and open-mouthed the whole time, scared for her life, but he just ignored her and did his thing.

I imagine brazenness will only increase as people get more desperate.

[hoarder]

Speaking of break-in stories -- a white female friend of mine in Palo Alto, California, with a nice house less than a mile away from a poor, black and drug-ravaged neighborhood, was working in her kitchen one day, when a large black guy opened the front door (no break-down needed), quietly walked into the kitchen, right in front of my friend, started going through cabinets looking for food, found some snacks, and then promptly left. My friend stood motionless and open-mouthed the whole time, scared for her life, but he just ignored her and did his thing.

I imagine brazenness will only increase as people get more desperate.Wow! that's almost as bombastic as international bankers coming in and siezing 2/3 of the nation's wealth while the teevee addled masses just stand there in awe, watching then take it.

[Sampson]

I had a door kicked in in the middle of the night about 15 years ago. I was sleeping at the time and that was before i had any guns in the house. The criminal was about 6'6" and over 300 lbs and only took one kick for the door to come down. I woke immediatly and pulled the hanger rod right out of my closet before i headed out into the hall and had one of my room-mates come out of his room with a barbell bar at about the same time. The large drunken intruder was promptly beaten out the door and pushed/thrown over the second story deck rail and landed quite hard at the bottom. He was lucky he wasn't dead when it was all over and the police report said he was injured trying to flee down the stairs when confronted by us (Probably the coolest cops i have ever dealt with) .

With that being said it very easily could have ended much differently and i now take measuers to ensure it never happens again. My friends think im nuts when we stay at a hotel when skiing and i block the door with a chair, tv, dresser or whatever when we sleep but i don't care what they think as long as it buys me extra time to react, in that kind of a situation every second counts. I commend you on thinking ahead before it happens to you and every little bit you do now will help if it ever does happen to you. As well, every bit you do, helps make your place that much harder to get into than anyone elses, and sometimes that is all it will take to convince the burglar that it just isn't worth it to get into your place.

I have also broken in through a deadbolted door into my own house when i had lost my keys and caught out in a -40 blinding snow storm and i just didn't care what damage i did as long as i got into the warm house. I was amazed at what a hard shoulder block from a 200lb guy could do and how quick i got in once i decided i didn't care about the damage. If done properly it could almost look like a person just walked into an unlocked house but if your door was fortified properly it would take numerous blows and that may just be enough to deter them and stop them from getting in.

I guess i don't really have any specific ideas that you could use in your situation but i just wanted to share my two cents that everything you do do helps make you less of an easy mark, and in the big picture that is more than most people attempt which may just be enough to save your life or the lives of your loved ones.


Sampson

[Book]

He lives in Charlotte, and always gives me updates to the ridiculous crime there. I always respond with "Dude, you need to move." So much so that I've shortened it to an acronym "DYNTM". Has always been kinda funny. Not so much now.



http://blog.oregonlive.com/o_impact/2009/07/large_ugo_9.JPG

Hoarder already wrote that in this thread. My immediate thought also. I don't get this thread being posted in our SURVIVAL PREP section. Hardening the front door of a family home located in a crime-infested ghetto (when your front door is being kicked in it really is a ghetto) is NOT SURVIVAL PREP. SURVIVAL PREP at the very least is first moving out of that crime-infested ghetto.

If the neighbors are KICKING IN YOUR FRONT DOOR now today what will this same neighborhood be like when they actually stop food stamps and unemployment benefits?

:hmmmm2:

[Ishkabibble]

We rednecks keep the furniture on the front lawn. Goes great next to my three (yeah I'm rich) washing machines, dryer, two fridges, and those sporty parts cars.

Okay maybe not, but there is a lesson in this. Perhaps there are things you can do to make your place look a little less like a prime target. You mentioned the vehicles being older, which is good. I would look around outside and ask yourself, if I was a thief, what would I see here that's attractive. Dressing down a bit may be another very easy defense.

[Book]

Get the hell out of that neighborhood.



http://www.jrsa.org/ibrrc/using-data/mapping/usa_vc.jpg

:wavey: Get the hell out of that STATE

[namwalker]

Forgive my ignorance, but how do vinyl windows slow thieves down? Ironically enough I had a guy from Home Depot come out last week for an estimate and plan on having a couple of smaller local companies give me estimates in the next week or two. Ultimately a big piece of glass is simple enough to defeat with a rock, but I'm all ears if anyone has suggestions on windows as the cheap 'builder's special' windows in my home are garbage (only a few open). D@mn home was built in '97 and has needed new windows since I moved in back in '08.

Unfortunately for me there are no retirees in my neighborhood. That's definitely a reason why thieves would be drawn to it as they know most folks are at work. I'm very good friends with all my neighbors though, but if they're not home during the day either what good does that do :\?

Forgive my poor choice of wording, but at the time that I wrote that piece I couldn't think of the correct term. In lieu of the word plastic I should have used plexiglass. I replaced the glass in my storm door with 3/8" plexiglass. It's hard a nails and real hard to break, even with a baseball bat. However, I'm not to sure about longevity at its been in hot Florida sun for quite awhile. A real drawback to this approach, as I have found out today, is that it can be scratched by a dog's nails and in time will have to be replaced. So maybe this isn't a real good idea. Some plans are good until proven otherwise. Sorry.

I talked to a friend and mentioned a product is something like the film that people use to stop the harmful effects of the sun on the inside of a house. However, this stuff is also strong. WFLA, in Tampa, used to run ads for it a few years ago claiming that it saved some persons live by stopping a .45ACP round. But the window was shattered but the person could not get in even with it shattered. The bullet did penetrate the window of the sliding glass door as I recall them saying. Don't know if that advertising claim is true or not. But anyway, my friend had put it on his house after the saleman showed that a window that was protected by it could not be broken using a bat. He just told me after I had already swapped out some of my glass windows for plexiglass. He can't remember the name of the product. Some friends come through for you after the fact. Isn't that a fact.

[budfox]

Sawed off shotgun, pully, rope, door handle

[Nickelless]

Sawed off shotgun, pully, rope, door handle

Is this legal in all states?

[Irons]

Is this legal in all states?

No, but a mouse trap - string - and shotgun shell in a piece of pipe is.