How to Protect Your Home from Intruders
Safety at Your Front Door
- Never automatically open your front door. Make sure you know your caller's identity before admitting him.
- If the person at your door is a stranger, ask for identification to be passed under the door. If he is unable to do this, do not admit him.
- It is advisable to have a wide angle viewer (peep-hole) in the door so that you can check a person's identity without unlocking your door.
Home Safety
- All doors in your home leading to the outside should have dead-bolt locks.
- When away at night, leave a light burning.
- Do not leave a key over a door or under a mat.
- The single lock on a garage door is inadequate to keep intruders from prying up the opposite side and crawling in. Use a padlock. But never leave it unlocked. This is an invitation to have the padlock removed so that a key can be made, and the lock returned to its position. Later, the burglar returns when no one is home and enters at his leisure, using "his" key.
- Mark your valuables and keep an accurate record of all your most valuable possessions.
- When leaving on a trip:
- Stop all deliveries.
- Connect a light to a timer.
- Notify the police and have a neighbor check your home periodically.
- Have someone maintain your lawn.
- Be a concerned neighbor. If you see a suspicious person, car or situation, contact the police.
Safety for the Apartment Dweller
- If you live in an apartment building with an intercom system to the front door, make sure the landlord keeps it in operating order.
- Never admit anyone unless you are expecting him or know him.
- Never admit anyone to the building who is there to see another tenant or to deliver something to another apartment.
- Anyone asking admission so that he can do some work for another tenant should not be admitted, but should be referred to the building's manager.
- If you see someone in your building who looks out of place or is acting suspiciously, contact the police.
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