Effective Home Security Checklist

Simple Steps That Will Have The Most Impact

Effective Home Security Checklist

Effective Home Security Checklist

Who Is Tim Schmidt? You may know me as the President and Founder of the Home Defense Association of America (www.HDAA.com)­—an organization that teaches and empowers its tens of thousands of members to confidently and responsibly protect the ones they love. Above all though, I am a husband and father. The love I have for my wife and my children—and the responsibility and duty I have to keep them safe—have taken me many places in life. In addition to founding the USCCA and growing it to its incredible size, I hold a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I’ve studied personal security and home defense from some of the greatest minds in the country. The reports, how-to-guides, newsletters, and the magazine I publish feature authors of the highest esteem in the law enforcement, military, and civilian realms of personal protection, family security, and armed self-defense. The bottom line is that I know self-defense. I understand the mind of the criminal, and I understand what it takes to defeat them—mentally and physically. And I understand the mind of the concerned, prepared citizen, because … that is who I am.

DISCLAIMER Home Defense Association of America, the USCCA and Delta Defense, LLC are not responsible for mishaps of any kind which may occur from use of published firearms information, equipment recommendations, tactics and training advice or from recommendations by staff or contributing writers. Carrying a concealed weapon can be very dangerous if you are not well trained and familiar with the weapon you carry. Now don’t get us wrong, it’s not the government’s job to tell you how much training you need! It is your responsibility as an armed citizen. Notice: Some advertisements may concern products that are not legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions. If this bothers you, GET INVOLVED! Support the Bill of Rights and vote for folks who believe in the natural born right to self-defense. No advertised or reviewed item is intended for sale in those states, or in those areas where local restrictions may limit or prohibit the purchase, carrying or use of certain items. Check local laws before purchasing. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not necessarily mean that it has been tested or approved by the HDA, USCCA or Delta Defense, LLC. AUTHOR’S DISCLAIMER This publication is designed to provide the authors’ beliefs and opinions in regard to the subject matter covered. They are sold with the understanding that neither the authors nor the publisher are engaged in rendering professional psychological, legal, political, firearm instructional, or other professional services through the dissemination of this publication. If expert assistance, instruction, or counseling are needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Copyright © 2003-2012 Home Defense Association of America. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

2

www.HDAA.com

Effective Home Security Checklist

Simple Steps That Will Have The Most Impact

. n io t c e p s in y it r u c e Conduct a home s Lights:

Is your house well lit? How about adjoining neighbors houses?

Windows:

Identify ground level windows. Do they lock properly? Are they locked? Does anything block the view?

General Appearance:

Doors:

How close are trees/ shrubs to your home? Do you have burglar alarm signs at entry points?

Are the hinges on the inside or outside? What is the general appearance of the door? Does it look new; or is it old, faded, and looking primed for a good kicking?

o d o t g n i o g e r ’ u If yo e. r e h t r a t s , g n i h t y an

After you have conducted a 360-degree, top-to-bottom inspection of your home taking into account the areas above, give yourself an honest grade. Then identify at least three, concrete steps that you can take to make your home more secure. These might include:

1 2 3 4 5 6

Remount the strike plates on all of your doors, with 3-inch screws.

Replace any plastic locks on your windows with new, metal locks.

Apply alarm company stickers to all windows, and a sign near the front and back door.

Put a plan together for your family as a group and as individuals - what you’ll do, where you’ll go, where you’ll meet, etc in the event that you needed to quickly leave your house. Go over this plan and do a rehearsal. www.HDAA.com

Invest in a motion detector circuit to replace the light at your back door.

Encourage the neighbors to your sides and back, to also add motion detector light circuits to their back doors.

Trim all shrubs and trees to leave a clear area at least four-feet from your house

Make the decision to be more aware of your surroundings when entering your car and arriving at your home. This may be as simple as not being on your phone and observing anyone that is around you during the transition times from getting in and out of your car, and into your home.

After you’ve done those things...

3

continue here If you don’t have a good way to see who is on the other side of your front door, add a locking metal screen door or storm door. This way you can open your front door to see, but will have a small layer of protection that may give you time to close and lock your front door if needed.

add locking metal door

mottiiovnated ac ht lig

If you don’t already have a burglar alarm, invest in a system that can be connected to an alarm service. Like the agreement you probably have on your cellular phone, alarm companies will typically provide a base system to you at no charge, as long as you’re willing to commit to at least a year of monitoring service. Add additional lights to the darkest sides of your home, such as gardenstyle solar lights. Add a plastic window treatment to each first-floor window, or consider upgrading those windows to highsecurity casement windows, which have a protective laminate baked directly into the glass.

high securi locks ty 4

high security CASEMENT windows

? MORE FOR

READY If you’re ready for more, you should also consider replacing any door that is not solid core or steel. Consider replacing all door locks with a highsecurity lock, which defeats criminal’s ability to use a “bump key” to pick the lock. www.HDAA.com

have some “checklist ideas” of your own? Published by HDAA.com Jackson, Wisconsin

Contributors Tim Schmidt Greg Schmidt Michael Martin

Copyright Copyright © 2010-2012 Delta Media LLC & HDAA.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without first obtaining written permission from HDAA.com. This document is for authorized subscribers only.

By you preparing your loved ones you are providing them with a powerful tool. You are informing your family on what to do. This checklist is designed to provide you with information and organization on things that YOU can do to prevent being caught unprepared. H www.HDAA.com

5