Download the Safe & Secure Brochure 2.8 MB

To receive a free “Safe & Secure” brochure email us with your name and address, as well as how you learned about the Burglary Prevention Council. Please also indicate if you would like to receive future information from the Burglary Prevention Council.

Current Security Measures

The first step in making your home secure is to evaluate your current security measures. Contact your local police department to determine if it will provide a free security inspection. You can also ask your family and friends to pretend to be burglars and make their best attempts at entering your home.

The objective of this exercise is to identify every vulnerable area of your home, so be thorough. If it is not difficult to find the key hidden under the flower pot, a burglar could locate it, too. Can you climb your oak tree and gain access to a second floor window? A limber thief could do the same.

Darkness and shadows offer additional opportunities for burglars, so perform this exercise at night as well. Does your landscaping cover or cast a shadow on doors and windows? It could also conceal a thief at work. If you feel that your home is too bare without landscaping near your walls, consider growing low, thorny bushes near windows and doors.

You also do not want to encourage burglars by making it obvious that you have valuables inside your residence.

After your inspection, make a list of all potential trouble spots. Fortunately, there are simple, inexpensive solutions to most of your problems.

Your first instinct might be to purchase an alarm system. For the average homeowner, this is not the ideal solution. A good system is very expensive and requires monthly fees. In fact, no single device, including a home security system, will make your residence completely safe. Most importantly, you do not want a thief to get close enough to your home to determine if you have a burglar alarm. The most effective home security program is one that deters burglars as soon as they view your residence.