HOME SECURITY TEST
HOME SECURITY TEST
No home can be totally immune to
the threat of crime. But, prior planning and common sense precautions can
significantly reduce the risk.
Use this test to survey your home.
Every "No" answer indicates a weakness that could help a criminal.
As you eliminate the "No" answers, you reduce the risk that you
will become a victim of crime.
Go through the test carefully and
systematically. Look over the situation at night as well as in the daytime.
Remember, this test points out weaknesses in your personal security program.
You cannot be adequately protected until these are corrected. Of course,
there is no such thing as total security.
Taking this test and following it's
suggestions can't guarantee that you won't become a crime victim. It will
however, greatly reduce your odds of becoming a victim by helping you take
the reasonable precautions needed to deter all but the most determined
criminals.
.........................Did You
Know?
1. Most crimes happen because someone
gave a criminal an opportunity to act.
2. Little planning goes into most
burglaries.
3. No neighborhood (rich or poor)
is safe from crime.
4. Professional burglars are very
rare.
5. Most burglars are neighborhood
juveniles.
6. Most burglars are never caught.
7. Most stolen property is never
recovered.
8. Most home burglaries occur in
the daytime.
9. Most burglars enter through
unlocked doors or windows.
10. It takes less that two minutes
for the average burglar to get into your home.
11. If you can delay his entry
for just three minutes, most burglars will give up and leave.
12. Just the risk of being seen
or heard will deter most burglars.
13. If you shoot a burglar you
may be arrested and/or sued.
14. A cooperative program such
as Neighborhood Watch is a strong deterrent to crime.
15. Most burglars will not enter
an occupied home.
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Your Lifestyle:
...........
1. Do you consider security an
important factor in family life?
2. Is your family constantly aware
of the risk of crime?
3. Have you held a family meeting
to discuss crime and the things that can be done to prevent it?
4. Do you avoid telling strangers
your daily routines?
5. Have children been told not
to discuss family business with strangers?
6. Do you try to make your home
look occupied, even when you are away.
7. Do you stop all deliveries when
you're away?
8. Do you always leave a radio
or TV on when you're away?
9. Do you leave lights on and use
timers when you're away?
10. Do you avoid leaving notes
for friends, services, etc. on your front door when you're away?
11. Do you avoid displaying valuable
items is plain sight?
12. Do neighbors routinely look
out for each other and report suspicious strangers to police?
13. Have you become involved in
your local police department's crime prevention program?
14. Have you made your local officials
aware of your feelings about crime in your community?
15. When approached by solicitors,
either in person or by telephone, do you verify that the charity or group
they represent is legitimate before you contribute?
.........
............................. Building
Exterior and Yard:
........
1. Are all vulnerable points well
lit at night?
2. Is shrubbery trimmed away from
all doors and windows?
3. Is the yard neat and well cared
for?
4. If a fence would increase your
protection, do you have one?
5. Are all gates in good repair
and properly locked?
6. Are driveways, walkways and
entrances brightly lit?
7. Is shrubbery beside driveways,
walkways and entrances trimmed to prevent attackers from hiding in wait?
8. Is all security lighting protected
by vandal-proof housings?
9. If appropriate, do you use "thorny"
shrubs and plants to deter access to your yard and vulnerable entry points?
10. Have you trimmed all trees
that could provide access to an upper window or the roof?
.........
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Doors:
.........
1. Are all exterior doors of solid
core construction?
2. Are all doors equipped with
good locks?
3. Are all doors protected so that
the locks cannot be reached and operated by breaking out glass panes or
lightweight panels?
4. Do exposed hinges have non-removable
pins?
5. If hinge pins are removable,
are doors "pinned" to prevent removal?
6. Is a good quality deadbolt lock
with at leasts a 1" throw used on all exterior doors?
7. Is the lock designed or the
door frame constructed to prevent opening the door by spreading the frame?
8. Is the bolt on all deadbolt
locks made of case-hardened steel?
9. Are all outside lock cylinders
designed to prevent twisting or prying?
10. Are all double doors equipped
with deadbolts and flushbolts?
11. Are all locks cylinder type
with five pin tumblers?
12. Are all keys accounted for?
13. Are locks changed when a key
is lost?
14. When you move into a new home,
do you automatically change the locks
15. Do you avoid giving keys to
service people?
16. Are garage and out building
doors kept closed and locked when not in use?
17. Are garage doors equipped with
an automatic opener or secured with a hasp and padlock at each end?
18. Are padlocks locked in place
when not in use?
19. Are hasps made of case hardened
steel and equipped with non-removable screws?
20. Are padlocks equipped with
heel and toe locking, five pin tumbler and a minimum of a 9/32" shackle
made of case hardened steel?
21. Have you eliminated or secured
all pet doors?
22. Have you eliminated all outside
"hidden keys"?
23. Have you removed the key codes
from the bottom of all padlocks?
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Sliding Glass Doors:
........
1. Have all sliding glass doors
been equipped with a secondary lock to prevent them from being pried open
or lifted out of the track?
2. Is safety glass installed in
all sliding glass doors?
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Windows:
........
1. Have all sliding glass windows
been equipped with a secondary lock to prevent them from being pried open
or lifted out of the track?
2. Do double hung windows have
a secondary locking device?
3. Have louvered windows been replaced
or have the panes of glass been glued in place permanently
4. Are all accessible second story
windows protected in the same manner as ground floor windows
5. Have you removed the cranks
from casement windows?
6. Have all unused windows been
sealed shut permanently?
7. Have you considered using a
burglar resistant glazing in windows which are particularly vulnerable?
8. Are window locks installed in
such a way that a burglar must break the glass to reach them?
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Interior Protection:
..........
1. Do you store small valuables
in a safe deposit box at a bank?
2. If valuables must be kept at
home, are they stored in a safe or security closet?
3. If a home safe is used, does
it weigh more than 750 lbs.?
4. If not, is it anchored in place
so that it cannot be carried off?
5. Do you know the difference between
a fire safe and a money safe?
6. Have you equipped an interior
closet with reinforced interior walls, solid door, deadbolt lock and non-removable
hinge pins for use in storing valuables?
7. Do you limit cash on hand to
small amounts?
8. Do you have smoke detectors
installed and fire extinguishers available ?
9. Do you carry sufficient insurance
to cover the loss of valuables?
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Property Identification:
..........
1. Where possible, have you engraved
your driver's license number on valuable property?
2. Have you avoided using secret,
coded or hidden identification as the only method of marking valuable property?
3. Have you made an inventory of
your property, recorded descriptions and serial numbers and filed the information
away in a safe, fireproof place?
4. Have you made a photographic
record of the entire contents of your home with emphasis on items that
cannot be easily marked such as jewelry and art works?
.........
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Personal Protection:
........
1. Do you have an unlisted telephone
number?
2. If you live alone, do you avoid
advertising the fact?
3. Do you require positive identification
before you permit strangers to enter your home?
4. If you are in doubt about a
person's identification, do you verify it by contacting the organization
they represent before admitting them?
5. Do you supervise strangers who
are legitimately in your home?
6. Have you instructed children
to avoid talking to strangers about your home, lifestyle, personal business,
etc.?
7. Have children be instructed
to never go anywhere with a stranger or allow a stranger into the house
when you are away?
8. Do you and your children avoid
giving out personal information or family schedules over the phone
9. If suspicious about callers
or strangers at your door, do you call the police?
10. Do you use a door viewer before
you answer the door?
11. Do you verify the honesty and
dependability of domestic help and baby-sitters?
12. Have you removed all identifying
information (name, address, etc.) from your key ring
13. Do you avoid giving your house
keys to along with your car keys when the car is parked or serviced? 14.
Have you instructed employers, co-workers and employees to avoid giving
anyone information of any kind about you without your knowledge and permission?
15. Are you especially cautious
about bringing sensitive or valuable business information or work home
with you?
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Other Precautions:
..........
1. Have you considered getting
a small dog with a loud bark to guard the house when you're away?
2. Have you considered installing
a burglar and fire alarm system?
3. If you have decided to buy or
lease and alarm system have you talked to you local police crime prevention
officer and gotten at least three estimates from alarm companies?
4. Do you really understand what
type of alarm system you require and how it works, its limitations, how
it will be monitored, etc?
5. If, because of your employment
or position in life, you or your family members face a high risk of kidnapping
or personal violence, have you consulted a security specialist to develop
a protection program?
............
Remember, the Home Security Test
is designed to point out possible weaknesses in your personal protection
program and give you some ideas for correcting them. The Test does not,
and is not intended to, address every possible crime threat. It is intended
only to give you a place to start; to show you some of the more common
security problems and solutions. It's up to you to take the information
in the Test and build on it until you develop a personal protection program
that fits the special needs of your home, family and lifestyle. If you
have questions about crime prevention and personal security or need help
with a specific security problem, contact a qualified security consultant
and/or your local law enforcement agency.
Robert Gardner, CPP CSP;
Home Security Test, Fifth Edition
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