Home Safety Tips:
Home Defense

Is your attitude putting you at risk? Learn these Home Safety Tips to outwit criminals and their tricks. Here's what to do when anyone rings your doorbell or knocks on your door.

DARTMOUTH MURDERS
Teenagers Robert Tulloch and James Parker went to random homes near Dartmouth University in New Hampshire - planning to kill and rob the homeowners. They cut the phone lines at one home and knocked on the door asking to use the phone, but the homeowner had a gun in his hand and they backed off. At another, they posed as students doing a project but the homeowner was too busy to help. They checked out more homes before finding Half and Suzanne Zantop, two professors well known for helping students. In a quiet, safe neighborhood, they let the boys in and were stabbed to death in a vicious frenzy.

THE GOLDEN RULE

The endless varieties of flimflam scams of predators all have the same goal: getting into your home to rob or attack you. That’s why all your family members must always know and trust the person knocking before the door is opened. Better yet, they should never open it without your permission. See scam-in.

And always remember that - according to the USDOJ and other crime data - 14-21% of violent offenders in the U.S. are female (some of whom may seem friendly at first and/or may help trap a target for a male accomplice).

TOOLS for HOME DEFENSE

Always using peepholes is an easy habit to develop – and foolish to disregard. Keep a step-stool nearby for youngsters.

Question your visitor through your closed door (though some criminals purposely mumble to entice you into opening the door to hear them better). A wireless doorbell intercom is better (see Home Intercom System). It lets you talk clearly with a visitor (or just listen) without opening your door and risking a push-in.

Also see door reinforcement and window reinforcement.

ALL-AROUND SECURITY

Along with verifying the identity of anyone knocking on your door, you really need to safeguard ALL your home entryways at ALL times. Wireless home security systems (for apartments and houses) would likely help prevent most of the more than 4,000 home intrusions DAILY in the U.S. alone.

Crime-Safety-Security > Newsletter Archive > Home Safety Tips

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