Home and Apartment Security

Doors:

• Keep your doors locked at all times, even when you’re home
• Consider re-keying your locks when moving into a new home
• Install a wide-angle peephole viewer
• Install solid core hardwood or metal-covered exterior doors
• Use good quality dead bolts on exterior doors
• Do you have 6 – 8 security strike plates?
• Reinforce your door’s strike plate with 3 screws that screw through the door frame and into the wall stud
• Install shatter-resistant glass in outside doors
• Ensure all out-swinging doors have a hinge with a locking pin or non-removable pins
• Ensure your door fits snugly in the door jam (e.g., within 1/4 inch)
• Use a patio door bar fastened into both the frame and the door to secure the door
• Insert screws into the top track of your patio door to prevent it from being lifted up and removed
• Ensure all patio doors left open for ventilation are secured with a patio door bar
• Do not open your door to anyone you don’t know. Speak through the door.

Garage:

• Are garage doors closed and locked when not in use ?
• Does your automatic garage door opener use a rolling code system to prevent code grabbing?
• If the garage door is not equipped with an electronic opener, does it have heavy duty padlocks installed on both sides of the door?
• Is there a switch to shut off the automatic garage door?
• Is the door from the garage into the house equipped with a deadbolt and is it always locked?
• Can the garage lights be turned on from inside the house?
• Do you have security bars installed on your garage windows?
• Do you have your garage door opener in a non-visible spot in your vehicle – or ideally not kept in your vehicle?
• Do you remove your keys from vehicles parked inside your garage even if the garage is locked?
• Do you remove all valuables from plain sight in your vehicle?
• Do you have window coverings on all garage windows?

Apartment Security:

• Never allow strangers to enter your building without proper screening
• Use the intercom wisely. If you do not know the person, do not open the door. If someone claims to have a delivery for you or claims to be police, go down to the lobby to let them in.
• Lock your patio door or windows when you are out of the room to prevent a burglar from entering and stealing your valuables
• Keep your unit/apartment/suite door locked even if you’re staying inside or intend to just pop out for a minute to take out the garbage or grab the mail
• Don’t store valuables in storage lockers