Security Partner or Salesman

This entry begins like a bad joke and the punch line isn’t very funny, either.  A woman whose home had alarm sensors at every opening called a reputable construction company to inquire about upgrading the windows in the home.  She chose high quality materials.  She discussed the alarm system with the project manager and together they determined that the alarm sensor wires should be left exposed for reconnection after the windows were installed.  It was a great idea, but in the end, the style of window that was installed, and the way the screens fit in the opening precluded the installation of any standard type of hard-wired window sensor.

I am only drawing attention to the fact that if her alarm company had been involved from the beginning she may have saved a substantial amount of money by not having to upgrade her alarm system.  Of course a solution still exists, but it is expensive.

By comparison, a client of mine called with a similar inquiry, involving the replacement of her exterior doors.  I met with the contractor and the homeowner to plan to accommodate the alarm sensors.  Then I went back out on the day the doors were installed to ensure the alarm system wasn’t compromised.  Having the contractor drill the necessary holes also meant that the warranty on the door system stayed in force.

The lessons to be learned here are threefold.  First, make sure you deal with a reputable security company.  Second, stay in touch with your security company representative.  Finally, any time you make renovations to your home, or when your home situation changes significantly, get in touch with your security provider to make small adjustments to the security system that better suit the new situation.

Some situations that might cause your security needs to change are:

·         Retirement or change in occupation

·         Middle school children who come home to an empty house for an hour or two each day

·         More extensive travel for work or vacation

·         Hiring or changing household staff, such as a nanny or house keeper

·         Acquiring a new pet

·         Finding yourself with an “empty nest”

·         Changing insurance companies

·         Increased criminal activity in the area

·         Changing phone companies or services

·         Home improvement or renovation

·         Caring for an aging or disabled family member

The security of your home and family should feel like a partnership between you and your security professional.  This is the difference between a security professional and a run-of-the-mill alarm salesman.  Stay tuned to this channel for some tips on choosing your security partner.

Summertime Security

Here's an oldie, but a goodie... It's been a long time since a client faced the dilemma of securing a window that is regularly left open for fresh air circulation.  It's a ground floor, crank out window which when closed is relatively secure, unless broken.  This is monitored by breakage detection.  But if left open intentionally...well then you have to be creative.  Security screens.  A security wire is interwoven in the mesh of the screen to keep it from being cut and sound the alarm if it is damaged, and a simple, normally closed, button style contact sensor ensures that the alarm sounds if the screen is removed.  An elegant solution, and if cost is a factor, perhaps not all of the windows have to be left open for adequate ventilation, eh?

Even though every security solution should be customized for each family's situation, sometimes design aspects of the system can become predictable and formulaic.  It is good to be reminded that every situation warrants exceptional investigative technique to help ensure that the alarm system works within the framework of normal household operation.  The normal function of a family should be considered when designing an alarm system. 

Granted, sometimes being safe is a pain and presents obstacles.  Somewhere, even on some ethereal level, there could exist a list of which estates are most desireable as a target for intrusion or robery.  Another list might prioritize kidnapping targets.  In extreme cases, security might become, necessarily, intrusive.  Think of a presidential daughter, upon her arrival at an otherwise ordinary school dance, being escorted from the limo by a handsome fellow and five or six armed Secret Service people.   In some cases, then, security may be inconvenient, however warranted. 

Here's the thing, most of us don't need that level of protection.  Every week I meet people who are moving into homes that have existing alarm systems.  If every family worked the same, perhaps taking over an existing alarm system, as currently installed, would be sufficient.  Another such scenario is when a builder or architect or general contractor includes a standard, pre-wired security system.  Of course they are qualified to run wire to doors and maybe a keypad or two, but design requires the input of the occupant of the home and a professional who knows the latest security equipment available and how to employ it for the comfort and convenience of the end user.

Participate with an alarm professional.

Of course all opinions and suggestions manumitted here are subject to your own better idea. I'm not proud.

How Can Cameras Enhance Your Security at Home?

I read part of a discussion about how some companies are using free cameras as a loss leader product to open doors for residential alarm system installations. Not a bad ploy from a business perspective, but for a while I had trouble accepting that this really bolstered the security of the home. But, I strive for honesty, and many times, when I confer with potential clients, I admit that the deterrent value of a security sign in the front yard is a substantial part of the overall system. Most burglars will say that they avoided homes with alarm systems.
I was reminded of something I heard when I worked in the commercial and retail side of the security house..."cameras keep honest people honest." The trouble is that companies that use cameras as a foot-in-the-door fail in many cases to maximize the effectiveness of surveillance equipment. It is a novelty; a toy to impress the neighbors and a testimonial to the level of concern that particular company has toward security. (I despise a "hit and run" alarm salesman.) However, cameras can enhance home security when properly deployed. Here are some tips if you want to consider CCTV...

The first trick is that they should be conspicuous. This will take full advantage of the deterrent factor. Of course this works best on a person who is normally well behaved, but who might be tempted to mischief if a tantalizing opportunity presented itself and the risk of being caught was low. A determined thief might risk it anyway, which leads to The next tip.

Cameras are relatively cheap, especially when it is only connected to a viewing device. A burglar might gamble on there being no video recording machine because he knows the recorder is the single most expensive component in a CCTV system...they don't give those away with an alarm system. They also might gamble that they will be able to make off with the recording unit, thereby taking the evidence with him. The suggestion is that the video recorder be well secured and out of plain sight.

When putting the record in a safe location, remember that from time to time, you will want to review recorded footage. To make this simpler, it is convenient to have a viewing monitor close to the recorder. Some recorders come with remotes that can also solve this issue.

You should note that any VCR or Digital Video Recorder can record your camera footage. Pictures of intruders can assist the authorities in identifying a culprit, but not all video is valuable for prosecutorial purposes as evidence. Criteria for evidentiary video include, but may not be limited to time and date stamps embedded in the video. Security DVRs can be costly depending on hard drive space, available channels for camera connections, search and review software. My suggestion is to purchase a substantial unit even though it may cost more. You'll want to avoid having to make that significant investment twice.

As for cameras, pay attention to variables such as operating temperature, iris ratings which determine how much dynamic range (how much light is required for a quality picture), and understand the field of view required. Take some measurements of the areas you want to survey and your camera salesperson can identify a good lens for your application. Unless you have plenty of money to invest, you'll be looking at fixed lens cameras. Pan, tilt and zoom cameras are ultra-cool and have some appropriate applications, but they are expensive.

If you have the chance, you are better off having a professional security person, preferably someone with experience in a residential setting, design the layout and equipment with you.

I invite you to send me questions directly if you'd like more detailed information.

National Preparedness Month

How ‘ya gonna’ get out of town?


A few years ago, 2003 to be precise, the electric grid suffered a major failure and power went completely out all over the northeast United States. Can you remember your circumstances at just the instant you realized the extent of the outage? Any trouble getting home from work that afternoon? Worry about the family much? Considering that the events of 9/11 were fresh on our minds, only two years prior, many jumped to the conclusion that it must be another terrorist attack.

My family was caught off guard by the power outage. Both of our cars were pushing empty; to the point that we used the last two gallons of lawn mower fuel to get us to the nearest gas station using a back-up generator. The line was more than a mile long. So that the car didn’t run out of gas, I walked to the front of the line and snuck in between cars for two gallons at a time. We used up most of our cash as neither my wife nor I carry much and the station couldn’t take plastic. The short version is that we were, as I said, off guard.

The movies have covered almost every conceivable natural disaster and apocalyptic event you can imagine. One of the required reading assignments I had in secondary school was a book called “Alas, Babylon” which dealt with a “day after” scenario and the subsequent anarchy and eventual chaos that civilization fell into. Perhaps this type of fictional sensationalism in our media and entertainment industry causes us to be desensitized and to put off a realistic “what if” discussion. I suggest that you visit the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) web site for all kinds of preparedness tips.

Of course you will sound like an alarmist if you show up one day with maps and charts of escape routes, rendezvous points and emergency contacts numbers. Naturally you’ll seem paranoid if you bring home “his” and “hers” bullet proof vests and gas masks. The neighbors will certainly be concerned if you are stockpiling weapons and durable goods or if the “Bob the Bunker Builder” van stays in your driveway for a week.

However you feel about the security of your family, you should communicate with each other and sort a few things out. Some of the discussion questions might include the following…

If there is a fire in the house:

• What are the two escape routes from each room?

• Where will you meet?

• What is the backup location?

• Where is the fire extinguisher located?

• Who is allowed to use the fire extinguisher?

If there is a local disaster:

• Where can you call or tune into for information?

• Who, outside the local area, can everyone call to check in?

• What is the local evacuation plan?

• Do you have an emergency suitcase packed?

• If communication is not possible, where do you meet?

There are professionals who think up various tragic scenarios and how to prepare for them. Check out the Federal Emergency Management website at www.fema.gov and check out disaster mitigation. You’ll see that September is National Preparedness Month.

What Bad Guys Want

I have been collecting pictures of things that cause significant security concerns.  At first glance some are not so obvious, but hopefully some may choose to scrutinize their security a little more closely for having taken this journey with me...

Indications that a home might be vacant or the occupant has been away for a significant period of time:  tall weeds and lawn not cut.

Bushes and trees obscure the view out the window to the resident and provide cover for the miscreant.

Motion sensitive lights are an excellent deterrent, but should be mounted high enough as to be not easily defeated by covering the lens, unscrewing the bulb or just smashing it by spraying a little water on it.

Privacy fences work both ways... they obscure others' view of your activities as well as the activity of a visitor with ill intentions.

Loose rocks and broken chunks of cement are just the right tool for smashing through a sun-porch window or door.  Get rid of them rather than stashing them behind the garage.

Think your second floor windows are safe and don't need alarm devices?  You might ask your neighbor to either move his ladders or at least secure them to his garage.  Also think about the message that the wheat field in the back yard sends to a possible intruder.  (Hint: it has nothing to do with watching out for snakes or remembering to wear mosquito repellant)

Once the picnic table and lawn chairs are set up, those upstairs windows become accessible, regardless of how secure the ladders on the neighbor's garage might be.

The phone line that should carry the signal to your alarm company is likely four feet off the ground, making it very easy to cut the phone line, or simply destroy, before breaking in through that huge glass door with the shovel left so conveniently nearby.  Back up your phone line!

Note the condensation between the panes of glass on this crank-out window.  This window was destroyed when the installer of the alarm system drilled into the casing to install a hard-wired window contact sensor.  Don't let anyone drill into the casing of your windows; it voids the warranty and can wreck the window.

There you have it.  Check your own home from the perspective of an intruder.  What tools would you use?  What are your vulnerabilities?  If you had to break into your house, how would you do it?  What does the bad guy see you do every day?

Who is watching your home when you cannot?

Know Your Enemy

It may be TV and movies, or the local paper, personal experience or hanging out with a bad crowd, but we have all formed our own ideas of who might be breaking into homes.  I will attempt to frighten everyone into action to protect their homes, families, pets and possessions by sharing the fears of others I have met over the last few years.

A number of life changes can cause anxiety that leads to a quest for greater security and assuredness in life.  Often people will call a security or alarm company as part of the search for a solution.  To begin, allow me to list some of these life changes:

1.  Marriage
2.  Relocation for work or school
3.  Recent Divorcees, Widows and Widowers, people who live alone
4.  Having young children
5.  Having teenagers
6.  Getting rid of teenagers- often called "empty nest syndrome."
7.  New neighbors
8.  The purchase or possession of items of great value
9.  A spouse left home while the other travels
10.  A second residence or vacation home

If you ponder these types of situations, you will see varying degrees of unrest and concern and perhaps these contribute to our illusions about against whom we need protection, as well as what it will take to put our mind at ease.

A couple, living together for years recently became engaged to marry.  For two years they lived in a very nice home together, never thinking about home security, but now as their lives were about to be permanently joined it seemed important to their unity that the home have protection.  They did not want anything or anyone to interfere with their new found peace and serenity.

Obviously people who move to a new place may be restless regarding the people in the neighborhood who may have seen all of their possessions paraded by as the moving van was unloaded.  It can be unsettling when even a well meaning new neighbor remarks about how lovely your daughter or how big your flat-screen TV is.  Did they also see the 600 pound gun safe which will inevitably contain weapons that some one might want to steal?  Maybe the neighbor isn't such a concern, but his lawn service people who were around on move in day.

Your teenager may be a very respectful, trustworthy young adult and may have wonderful friends.  What about the older brother of that friend, who happens to overhear a conversation about the brand new video game console you just purchased?  Maybe he finds out that the house is empty from 9:00AM to 3:00PM every weekday, or that you will be out of town for a two week vacation during the course of normal conversation.

Another couple I met have both retired recently.  They plan to travel for half of the year, only stopping in from time to time.  They will stop the mail and the paper, and they have a neighbor down the road who will look in on the house occasionally.  The lawn service is paid up and the lights are on a timer.  Their concern is that an estranged relative might turn into a squatter during these periods.  They will also take advantage of the ability of the alarm system to monitor the sump pump and low temperature should the furnace fail.

The point is that the glamorous character of a cat-burglar, who slips in stealthily during the night without leaving a trace, and cautiously picks through jewelry and art-work for just the right piece no longer exists...well, not many of them, anyway.  It is also short sighted to think that it would always be a drug addicted scum bag looking for a quick score to get his next fix who breaks in to your home.  Your intruder might be a first time offender.

One client of mine walked in on a man sitting in her living room.  When she finally managed to react, he was in front of her, with his business card in hand.  He turned out to be an alarm salesman that her husband had called, but forgotten to tell her about.  He'd been in the house roughly half an hour, having come through an unlocked sliding door in the back of the house.

With all of the economic uncertainty, and a general drop in moral fortitude, there is no way to predict who might be a criminal... worse yet, who might be a victim of a crime.

Here are some signs that might serve as a warning: 

1.  Every neighborhood has at least one resident who knows everybody else's business.
2.  Increase in vandalism; lawn jobs, smashed pumpkins at halloween, smashed mail boxes...
3. Things come up missing from unlocked cars, then from locked cars, then garage door remotes disappear.
4.  Newspapers missing on a regular basis.
5.  Drastic change in the way your pet reacts to strangers

If you were going to invade your neighbor's house, how would you go about planning the break-in?  Gain their trust?  Watch to see the location of their secret key?  Note the times when the house is unoccupied?  Bring treats to their dog?  Browse through their mail?  Would you use a partner from another neighborhood; some one who just doesn't quite belong?  (A closet criminal might be seen in seedy company)

Consider these things.  Be safe.

Deterrance plus just plain awesome

Naturally, a primary function of any alarm system is to deter criminal activity at the home.  Alarm company yard signs and window stickers are a great start.  Some signs even carry a little more weight than others.  People wisely choose to leave lights on or put them on timers when leaving for any lengthy period of time.  They stop the mail and have the newspaper stopped.  Having neighbors park in the driveway and having children play in the yard make the house look occupied.  All of this is great.  Are you ready for the next level?

How would it be if you could turn on TV's and stereos, game boxes, vacuum cleaners and other household gadgets right through your web-connected alarm system?  How about the ability to review daily home events through a personal web interface accessed from anywhere on earth, or change the timing of the lights coming on, or arm and disarm the system remotely?  Would it be comforting to see video from inside the home through that same portal?

What if an event, such a child arriving home from school could trigger the alarm system to send a text message and a video clip of their safe delivery home?  How about a text alert if the child doesn't arrive home at the expected time? 

...and what if it all came at the same prices people have been paying for alarm systems all along?

Contact me for more information.

Of course all opinions and suggestions manumitted here are subject to your own better idea. I'm not proud.