8 Easy Tips to Protect.. Your Home and Business!

1. Outdoor Lighting -- Illuminate your home’s entry points (doors and windows) and make sure the lights shine on the house, not in the eyes of any “observers.”

2. Burglar Alarms -- For thieves, these alarms are a hassle, a big hassle, especially if the system is sophisticated.

3. Landscaping -- Don’t give burglars hiding places. Trim bushes away from doors and windows, and at least two feet up from the ground.

4. Doors -- A strong lock installed in a weak door isn’t a strong deterrent. Outside doors should be metal or solid hardwood and at least 1 ¾ inches thick. Frames should be made of equally strong material, and doors should fit their frames securely.

5. Locks -- The best bet here are deadbolts with heavy strike plates secured with three-inch steel screws.

6. Marked Valuables -- Make your property harder for thieves to sell, for example, by engraving an identifying mark such as your driver’s license number on your valuables.

7. Secure Windows, Sliding Glass Doors -- Drill through the corners of the sashes of double-hung windows and insert a removable metal pin. Secure sliding glass doors with a dowel placed in the lower track and flathead screws in the upper track.

8. Neighborhood Watches -- Participate in or organize a neighborhood watch program. A decal placed on a window near the entry points of your home will convey to burglars that they possibly are being watched.