Burglars know their targets and they look for easy opportunities.
Drug addicts focus only on how to get their next fix.
They want your money and what you’ve worked hard for.
Home Defense
Safety in your home isn’t something you should take lightly. After all, it’s where you and your family live! Whether or not you have children at home, you need to be prepared for an emergency or attack. A home defense plan will allow you to act quickly and effectively if you find yourself in a threatening situation, whether it’s an intruder or some other threat that enters your home.
When it comes to break-ins, burglaries, and home invasions it’s important that you take home defense seriously. What we know through our law enforcement experience is that most of these burglaries are committed by non-professional criminals. In other words, must happen out of necessity for them to score narcotics and often are crimes of opportunity. Home Defense is a layered approach to protecting our homes, safeguarding our families, and giving ourselves the opportunity to stand our ground.
5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting To Develop Your
Home Defense Plan
What is your goal? This sounds like a dumb question, but I’m serious. Do you want to just protect yourself and your family, or do you have some kind of end-game in mind?
Are you willing to use deadly force?
What are your strengths?
Who else will be involved in defending your home (besides you)?
Will everyone agree on what actions should be taken if an intruder breaks into your home? If not, get it sorted out now—you don’t want someone freezing up when they most need to act. Once you can answer these questions, go forward with confidence.
The 3 Layer Home Defense System
Consider implementing a 3 Layer Home Defense System to protect your home and property. First, how safe is it from the street level; Second, how safe is your home from on your property; Third, how safe is your home from inside. This method is exactly the method the secret service takes to protect the White House.
Layer #1
How Safe is Your Home from the Street?
Is your house number visible?
Are your ladders put away or stored behind the house?
Ladders are a great tool for the resourceful criminal to access 2nd-floor windows
Did you leave expensive lawn equipment out? Is your garage door open?
How well lit is your front entrance at night, or the path you walk to get in your house?
Do you have visible alarm safety signs or signs like “Beware of Dog,” even if you don’t have either?
Layer #2
How Safe is Your Home from on Property?
Is your landscape clean and mostly free of potential hiding spots?
Have you locked up to your sheds, your vehicles, side entryways into your garage?
Are your main entrance paths free from clutter? Do landscape or lawn items create perfect hiding spots?
Do you have hand size or throwable rocks that can be used to easily break a window?
How about motion lights, or any lights that can cover your entire property?
Do you have no trespassing signs posted?
Layer #3
How Safe are you Inside Your Home?
Do you have a surveillance camera & alarm system?
Do You have emergency supplies in your house
First Aid Kit
Extra Flashlights?
Personal Protection Devices, red pepper spray, less-lethal devices, or a firearm
Do you have additional locks and security measures on your entranceways and ground-level windows?
Have you installed protective plastic to strengthen the security of your windows?
Check Out Our Post To Strengthen Your Home Defense Plan!
Cheshire Home Invasion
A horrific home invasion that plaques the State of Connecticut is what is most known as the Cheshire Home Invasion. This terrible incident took place on July 23, 2007, when Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes entered the Petit family home through an unlocked rear sliding glass door. Once inside the residence they beat Dr. Petit, the father with a baseball bat, tied up and raped the three women, including Dr. Pettit’s daughter and wife, then set the home on fire to destroy evidence. To be clear, if people are set on doing you harm when they get the opportunity, they will take their shot. The Pettit case is one that stems from the victims being followed home from the grocery store. The unfortunate thing is that we do not practice self-awareness, situational awareness, or even solid safety practices to protect our homes habitually.
Do You Need A Home Defense Plan?
Whether you’re a homeowner or someone who lives in an apartment building, it’s important to determine if you really need a home defense plan. Obviously, living in a neighborhood with high crime rates could be cause for concern—but even living in a nice area might necessitate some level of protection. After all, no one likes surprises when they come home at night, and having your own security plan in place can give you peace of mind.
When To Call 911
If you hear a suspicious noise or see an unknown person on your property, call 911 immediately. Give details about what is happening and where it’s happening—your exact address and phone number are important! Wait near your phone or by a window until police arrive. Try to stay calm!
Take Some Training Classes
Some people shy away from taking classes because they feel they can learn just as much on their own. Maybe so, but nothing beats hearing an expert speak in person or having someone answer your questions. It’s also important to know your local laws (and state laws if you have a concealed-carry permit) and to make sure you can practice what you’ve learned safely before applying it at home.
Are Personal & Home Protective Devices Right For You?
When you’re looking to arm yourself at home, you want to keep a few things in mind. For example, how many people are in your household? Are there any children or elderly members of your family? Do you have pets? The best defense plan is one that takes into account everyone’s needs and abilities and that suits your lifestyle. That may mean buying multiple different pieces of equipment and setting up a security system that allows for remote monitoring. It might also mean training yourself and your loved ones on what actions to take during an emergency. Whatever choices you make, it’s crucial that every member of your household understands their role—and know what to do if they hear something suspicious coming from downstairs while you’re away at work.
Habits To Get Into:
If you have a garage, take the time to back in when you get home. This allows for a quick exit
from the residence if needed as well as the ability to see clearly as you exit your home.
(A family here in Connecticut was taken hostage as they drove into the garage. If they had backed in, they would have seen the subjects and been able to lock the car doors and immediately leave the residence, while calling 911).
Routinely check your ground floor window, doors, or possible means of entrance
Before bed, check that all means of the entrance are locked or at best secured in some way.
Lights on outside, or utilize motion lights, lights off inside. (You can easily get around your house in the dark, whereas the criminal, most likely not).
Byrna Pepper Ball Guns are some of the best on the market.
Check Out They Byrna SD Gun - A Less-Lethal Option To Protect Your Home & Your Family.
Get the movie out of your head, a safe room is as easy as an extra secure inner room in the middle of your home.
Home Defense is more than just effective and safe habits, or state-of-the-art alarms systems. It’s more than having the best personal and home defense products and devices inside your home. You must have the mindset to be able to protect what is yours. The mindset comes from self-confidence, self-awareness, and most importantly, understanding your capabilities.
Listen, we are all not kung-fu experts or Navy Seal operatives, in all honesty, I’m pushing fifty and don’t want to fight anymore. But I will fight to the death to protect my kids and my wife, they are my purpose, my meaning, they are what I am here on this earth for. My suggestion to you is to identify that purpose that is in you, the meaning that you feel you are here for, and use that to ignite the fire inside you to protect what is yours. It is easy to sit and say, that will never happen to me, I’m not worried about that; I can handle it if it comes my way; Dr. Pettit either thought that way or never thought about it at all and he lost his entire family in the most horrific way. Police reports show that he could hear his daughters screaming for help while he was tied to the post in the basement. Let that sink in for a minute. Imagine that helpless and horrible feeling.
The front entranceway, back sliding door, and basement doors are most often the easiest access to gain entry to your home. Have you taken the time to be sure it is as secure and as safe as it possibly can be? Take in the hidden key under that fake rock, everyone knows about that now. With the technology of this day and age, keyless, remote and programable doorknobs and locks are all the rage.
Professional Tip: Secure all your exterior door strike plates with at least three-inch screws. Having three-inch screws will allow them to enter past the door jam and into the 2 x 4 framing, making the door much more difficult to be kicked in.
Other Ways To Secure Exterior Doors:
Oversized strike plates
Adding a door brace
Add a peephole
Utilize a buddy bar or door jammer for sliding doors.
Take into consideration the safety of the door you have installed, is it mostly glass, where the burglar can easily smash the glass and get to the deadbolt or door, know lock?
Add a pick free deadbolt
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It’s easy to think about home security and protection in a reactive way—when there’s already an issue. But, by creating a plan and doing some preparation upfront, you can stop many problems before they start. Get insurance to ensure your house and possessions are covered in case of theft or fire. And, if you have valuables you want to keep safe within your home (jewelry, paintings, rare books), make sure they’re locked away securely.
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