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Personal Safety
Burglary Prevention
- Proect your Home
Exterior Doors
Many residential doors feature hollow-core
construction and poor locks, which are easily forced or kicked
open. For additional protection, you need solid core doors and
quality locks.
Arcadia Doors
Many burglars enter homes through improperly
secured arcadia doors. Additional locks and security measures
will prevent the door from being opened or lifted out of the
track. Screws installed in the
track above the sliding door frame will prevent the door from
being lifted out of the track.
Drill a pilot hole in the top track above, and slightly in,
from each corner of the sliding doorframe section and install
a screw into each hole. Adjust the screws so that the head of
the screw just barely clears the frame when it is moved back
and forth.
Double Doors
These doors need solid security as
they are easily jimmied or forced open. Flush lever bolts
installed at the top and bottom of the doors are recommended.
Make sure the bolt is long, sturdy and mounted into a solid
door frame.
Doors with Windows
Doors with glass windows or glass ornamentation
require double key deadbolt locks. This prevents the burglar
from breaking the glass and reaching inside to unlock the
door. The key to a double key
deadbolt lock should be left in the lock at all times when
someone is home to ensure easy exit in the event of a fire
or other emergency.
Garage Doors
Standard locks on garage doors are
easily pried, allowing a burglar access to your home without
detection. Cane bolts and hasps are excellent protection.
Make certain each side of the garage door is secured to prevent
prying open a crawl space. Any door leading from the garage
into the house should be securely locked. The more barriers
you provide against the burglar, the better protected you
are.
Hinges
Many homes have doors that open to
the outside, exposing the hinge pins. Despite a good strong
lock, the burglar can remove the pins and lift the door from
the frame.
To prevent this, remove two opposing screws
from each leaf of the hinge. Screw a long lag bolt into the
frame side of the hinge leaf and saw off the head leaving
about 1/2 inch protruding. Drill out the opposite hole to
allow the bolt to enter when the door is closed. Do this to
the top and bottom hinge plates.
The burglar can remove the hinge pins, but
the door will remain firmly in place. This technique is good
for any door, no matter how the hinges have been placed.
Door Viewers
To avoid opening your door without
knowing who is there, install a door viewer. This device has
a wide-angle lens to let you see someone standing outside
your door without opening it.
Latches/Locks
Spring Latch
Some homes come equipped with this
lock. It offers very little protection since the bolt can
be slipped with a credit card or knife.
This same lock, with a deadbolt latch, provides
more protection, but it too can be forced open.
Deadbolt Locks
A deadbolt lock can provide good protection.
When you turn the key, the lock mechanism slides a strong
metal bolt from the door into the frame. When you buy a deadbolt
lock, make sure that the bolt extends at least one inch from
the edge of the door, the connecting screws that hold the
lock together are on the inside of the door, the strike plate
is attached to the door frame with screws that measure at
least three inches in length and that the cylinder has a steel
guard around the key section. The cylinder guard should be
tapered or rotate freely around the key section to prevent
wrenching if it is twisted.
Single Cylinder Deadbolt
A solid bolt, activated by a key from
the outside or a knob on the inside, slides into the doorframe.
The lock cannot be slipped or easily pried. Deadbolt locks
are only as good as the door and frame they are installed
in.
Double Cylinder Deadbolt
This lock is basically the same as
the single cylinder deadbolt, except that it requires a key
to be used from either side to function.
Rim Lock
This lock has either horizontal or
vertical deadbolts. It cannot be easily slipped, pried or
forced with a wrench. This lock, like all others, requires
a strong mounting surface and hardware to be effective.
Padlocks
When selecting padlocks to secure your
garage door, storage shed, fence gate or toolbox, do not economize.
Low-priced locks are made from low quality materials and easily
pried open or cut with bolt cutters. Look for these features
when purchasing a padlock:
Double locking shackle at the toe and heel
Hardened steel shackle, the larger the diameter the better
Five pin tumbler
Key retaining feature (prevents removal of the key when unlocked)
A strong steel hasp used with the padlock
Windows
Sliding Windows
Sliding glass windows should be given the same security treatment
as arcadia doors. Use the same supplementary locks or screws
in the frame. Screws installed in the track above the sliding
window frame will prevent the window from being lifted out
of the track.
Drill a pilot hole in the top track above
each corner of the window frame and install a screw into each
hole. Adjust the screws so that the head of the screw just
barely clears the frame when it is moved back and forth.
Casement - Crank Windows
These windows are easily secured. The
latch should close properly with the window tight. With the
latch in a closed position, drill a small hole through the
latch frame and handle. Insert a metal pin through the hole
to lock the window. For additional
security, a small padlock can be used in place of the pin.
Key operated replacement latches are also available from a
locksmith or hardware store. Keep the key handy in case of
emergency.
Double Hung Windows
An easy, inexpensive way to secure
your windows is to use the "pin" trick. Drill an
angled hole through the top frame of the lower window partially
into the frame of the upper window. Then insert the pin (a
nail or an eyebolt that is slightly smaller in diameter than
the hole). The window can't be opened until you remove the
pin. Make a second set of holes with windows partially open
so you can have ventilation without inviting intruders.
You also may purchase special key locks for windows at a hardware
store.
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