Apartment Security
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Apartment Security Systems
FAQ

Are you endangering yourself with slipshod apartment security? Your security is mostly in your hands. Learn how to find the cracks in your security without hiring an expert.

The husband, answering the knock on his apartment door, opened it just a crack and suddenly a man pushed his way in demanding money and stabbed him in the head. The wife was trying to give the suspect money, but he wasn't satisfied and stabbed her. A mystery is how the man got into the building in the first place. Doormen guard the front door.
Excerpted from WABC-TV7 NYC – 05 June 2006

This is a common crime at all homes. See the variations at Home Security - Push-In. Naïve people blindly open the door whenever they hear a knock. Duh! WHY take the chance that it might be a violent criminal? Gamble in Vegas – not in your life.

ALWAYS KNOW and TRUST anyone at your door BEFORE you open by simply calling out, “Who’s there?” Now how hard is that? There’s no excuse not to. It's so easy to CHECK FIRST. To make it even easier, get a wireless doorbell intercom at Home Intercom System.

Apartment Security
HOW TO KEEP MONSTERS OUT

A strange man, armed with a knife and a meat cleaver, broke into her apartment. She woke up to find him in her bedroom, where, he told her, he intended to rape and murder her. For two hours, he repeatedly raped, stabbed, and slashed her, cutting her throat, stabbing her in the head seven times, and severing two of her fingers. Yet, she mustered all her wits, strength and guts to outsmart him and save her life. She kept him engaged in conversation then tried playing dead. Finally, she escaped the apartment. ... For the last four years, fear has been her constant companion. "I felt that I was under attack 24 hours a day. I didn't want to sleep because the nightmares and flashbacks were so intense," she says. "Behind every corner, every tree, I see a psycho waiting to kill me."
Excerpted from The Edmonton Journal – 12 January 2008

Learn from that poor soul’s horror that you cannot rely on the typical apartment security hardware. The article didn’t say exactly how the monster got in, so let’s look at both doors and windows.

The least expensive apartment security device is a wooden rod inserted into a sliding door or window track to prevent it from opening. Have a second rod, a few inches shorter, to allow the door or window to open a little for ventilation in summer. Insert the rod in the track furthest away from the outside to make it harder for an intruder to slip a tool between the panes to dislodge it. See Sliding Door Security Hardware and Home Window Security.

Pins are an inexpensive way to secure an up/down (“double-hung”) window. Close the window, drill a hole through the inner panel (on both the left- and right-hand sides where the panels overlap) and halfway into the outer panel, then slip a pin (a nail or bolt) into the hole. Slant the holes downward so the pin won’t fall out if jostled. Drill more holes a few inches higher to allow partial opening for ventilation in summer. See Security Products - Window.

Another inexpensive security device is a simple brace to hold the door shut (and resist kick-ins). Most doorknobs are 36 inches from the floor. Get a 2X4 piece of wood 6 inches longer (42 total). At the lumber store, have a V-shaped notch cut into one end. Insert that end under your doorknob and put the other end on the floor. Give the bottom end a few taps to wedge it firmly in place. (Or instead, wedge a straight-backed chair under the doorknob. Or get a doorstop alarm at Security Products - Door).

Apartment Security
ELEVATOR SAFETY

The victim, a 27-year-old woman, had testified a machete-armed Philip Skulnec followed her out of the elevator inside her apartment building, chased her up a stairwell and then forced her into her apartment. The woman said she then underwent a 5-1/2-hour ordeal where her hands and ankles were bound as she was raped and tortured.
Excerpted from The Edmonton Sun – 03 March 2010

This was essentially a Home Security - Mug-In – when you’re attacked outside your home and forced inside.

Don't enter if another passenger makes you uncomfortable – wait for the next one. Once you do enter, hold the elevator door open as you push the button for your floor. Watch to see if the arrow points in the direction you want before you release the door. And if the arrow points to the wrong direction, get out! Someone else (possibly in the basement or on the top floor) has summoned the elevator, and there’s no need for you to go there. Wait for the elevator to return to your floor and inspect it before you get in (and don’t get in if anyone suspicious is there).

Also, keep your hand in your pocket holding Pepper Spray at the ready.

Always stand near the elevator door so you can get off immediately if someone you distrust gets on. Especially, don’t go to the basement or top floor with him – push the alarm button (not “Emergency Stop”) or push other floor buttons for more opportunities to flee the elevator. If he chases you, start banging on doors as you run past and pull a fire alarm if possible (or use your pepper spray).

Apartment Security
SUMMARY

See all aspects of Apartment Security at Home Security - Overview.

See more related pages at:
College Security
Burglary Prevention
Panic Rooms
Home Intercom System
Security Products - Apartment
Security Products – Door
Door Security Systems
Sliding Door Security Hardware and Home Window Security
Security Products – Window
DIY Home Security Systems
Security Products - Overview
Best Pepper Spray
Personal Security Alarm
Senior Safety Products

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