How to Protect Your Home: Essential Tips and Tools for Home Safety
The Fear of the Aftermath May Be The Worst Part
Vulnerability, personal invasion, and feeling no longer comfortable in their own home. That’s how a lot of victims explain the feeling after their home has been burglarized, or worse, those who are victims of home invasions. Imagine coming home to find your back door kicked in, your basement window smashed, and your most loved belongings gone, destroyed, or damaged. This can destroy anyone. According to the latest FBI data, there are over 580,000 burglaries annually across the United States. FBI
Know The Laws First Then Develope Your Home Safety Plan!
Before we dive in, it is important to know the laws that govern our right and ability as citizens to protect our homes. As we know, each state is different, but did you know that where lethal force from inside your home may not be justified, the ability to use self-defense and even less lethal weapons are completely justified? Take the time to learn and now the laws that govern your home state. That said, we have a saying in law enforcement, “It is better to be judged by 12, then carried by 6.”
When thinking about keeping your home safe, it's important to know the rules that apply where you live. Laws about protecting yourself can be different depending on where you are. For example, in California, there's no specific law saying you can defend yourself, but it's allowed based on what a jury decides. They also have a rule called the Castle Doctrine, which means you can use force, even deadly force, if someone breaks into your home.
It's like having different sets of rules for different games, and in some places, you can stand your ground and protect yourself without having to run away. Understanding these rules helps you know what you can and can't do to keep your home safe. So, whether you live in a place with "Stand Your Ground" rules or one that follows the Castle Doctrine, learning about these laws gives you the knowledge to keep yourself and your home protected the right way.
Video Evidence of the Importance of Being Prepared!
Prepare To Act believes in standing our ground, no matter the circumstances. Home invasions, burglaries, and even verbal and physical conflicts rise quickly and most often without warning. You cannot be prepared for such instances if you don't prepare yourself ahead of time for them. You need to believe that bad things can happen and that bad people exist. Next, you have to understand that they are not like us; they do what they want and how they want, and most times, they don’t fear consequences from law enforcement. Watch the videos below and feel the adrenaline and see the action these homeowners have taken to protect themselves, their homes, and their families.
Phoenix homeowner fires gun at robbery suspects breaking into homE!
A Woman fires shots at home intruders Would You Do The Same?
Homeowner Shoves Fake Delivery Guy During Terrifying Armed Robbery Attempt
Home Protection Planning: Make It Easy -
Prepare To Acts 3-3-3 Rule
Don’t Make Home Protection So Complicated – You Can Do It Yourself! If you’ve heard of Mind-Mapping, developing a home safety plan can be done in a very similar way. So, to explain we’ve developed what we call the 33 Plan to help you DYI it! 3 Phases with 3 main points to hit within each Phase.
Phase I
How Safe Are You from The Street?
In the diagram above, the grey area is to represent the public access and public view areas that surround your home. Now, understanding that most of us have neighbors, consider, for these purposes that those abutting properties fall under the Phase I, or public view. How safe does home appear from that public view, or even that of the neighbors? Does your property look uncared for or sloppy? Do you not have a house number, or is blocked by overgrown vegetation? Is your dark at night, with no lights? All of these things make your home an instant target. Think of it this way, criminals are mostly lazy, so you want to make your home too strong for their effort.
3 Steps of Phase I
1. Keep your exterior property well maintained and clean looking, like you care about it. If you’ve never heard of the Broken Windows Theory, this is what it is all about.
2. Is your house number clearly visible from the street? Is it on your house, your mailbox, you can even paint it on your curb. This shows not only that you give a shit, but it will help law enforcement and emergency personnel find your home if you actually need them.
3. You should have motion lights on your home, a well-lit driveway and walkway to your front doors. Further, motion lights on all corners of your home, even solar powered motion lights on the edges of your property.
Phase II
How Safe Are You from on Your Property?
Believe it or not, this is the exact way our White House is protected. So take the time to buy into it. Walk your property and really, truly look for weak points, ways that you could break into your own home. Really think outside the box here. Find your weaknesses and fix them!
3 Steps of Phase II
1. If someone were standing in or on your property, you want to make your house look strong, intimidating. Alarm signs on your windows, a fake barking dog motion sensor inside, how about a beware of dog sign, even if you only have a cat, (though they can be angry on their own) Just think, cleaned, maintained, and loved, it portrays a sense of, I will protect the property I love.
2. Do not enable the criminal, they like things easy, so make it difficult. Don’t leave ladders outside so they can simply grab them and access a second story window you forgot to secure. Don’t valuable items that they can easily load into a vehicle and take away, weedwhackers, chainsaws, new kid’s bikes, or battery-operated riding toys.
3. Secure Your Vehicles! With car thefts up more than ever across our country, it is a phenomenon happening daily, nightly, all the time in every city and every town no matter the size. Secure your keys in your house, find that spare key lost in the deep crevasses in your vehicle. At night, lock your car doors, take in your garage door opener, and leave your key fobs on the opposite side of your houses!
Phase III
How Safe Are You from Within Your Home?
Now we move into your castle, your safe place, this is your last line of defense, take it seriously. Ask yourself this question, in the middle of the night, in the absolute darkest of night, can you make your way from your front door to your bedroom without turning a light on? The answer better be yes. Next question, could I or any other stranger, bad guy in your house? The answer is most definitely no. This is where your advantage comes in. Utilize that shit!
3 Steps of Phase III
1. Do you have a Safety Plan in Place? Take it from me, if you don’t have a plan in place, when the proverbial shit hits the fan, and the chaos is on top of you, it’ll be nearly impossible to find what you need to find. Take the time to sit inside your house and think about an evacuation plan, a lockdown or even a safe room within the home that the entire family can retreat to. Don’t over think this, that safe room could be a centrally located room that you’ve taken some time to fortify a little more than the other rooms.
2. Yes, you need some kind of weapon to protect your home and your loved one, we are not here, or I should say you are not here to discuss politics so let’s move past that non-sense. Take the time to familiarize yourself with what weapons you feel most comfortable using, securing, and having around your home. The options are limitless, from less-lethal weapons like, the Byrna Gun, Sabre Pepper Spray, to yes lethal weapons from handguns, rifles and shotguns. Do your due diligence to see what you will be most comfortable with. Whatever you choose, make sure you get familiar with it, use it, practice with it, don’t simply shove it in a drawer and let it get dusty.
3. Take the time to safeguard your home, are your ground level windows secure, do the locks work, do you have safety film adding that extra layer of protection? If you haven’t, do it today, think like a criminal, if you were a bad guy, how would you get into your home, then safeguard those vulnerabilities. Remember, we want to make it as difficult as possible for the lazy criminal to just move on.
Want More Free Information? Download Our HomeSafety Book Now!
Some Key Points - A Reminder
Our information above should really have you asking yourself, have I really taken the time to see just how secure your home really is? It's easy to fall into the mindset that it won't happen to you, but the reality is that burglaries and home invasions can happen to anyone, anywhere.
That's why it's important to take a proactive approach to home security and the simple steps we listed above. While we don't suggest extreme measures like positioning snipers on your roof, we do recommend starting with the basics. Is your house number clearly visible from the street? This might seem like a small detail, but it can make a big difference in getting emergency services to your home quickly if needed.
As we mentioned above, have you ever looked at your home from the perspective of a criminal? In a 2005 episode of "It Takes A Thief," two ex-thieves demonstrated how they could easily break into homes and steal valuables. While the show helped homeowners improve their security measures, it also inadvertently provided a blueprint for burglars to improve their own techniques. The proverbial double edge sword as they say.
The bottom line is that it's important to take home security seriously, and to be proactive in protecting your home and family. By taking simple steps like making sure your house number is visible and considering your home's vulnerabilities, you can deter burglars and ensure that your family and belongings are safe.
10 Ways To Protect Your Home & Your Family!
Install a home security system with motion sensors, cameras, and alarms.
Use smart locks and a video doorbell to monitor who enters your home.
Keep your doors and windows locked, even when you're home.
Install a fence and gate around your property to deter intruders.
Use outdoor lighting and motion-activated floodlights to illuminate dark areas.
Keep your landscaping trimmed and well-maintained to avoid providing hiding spots for intruders.
Store valuables in a safe or a secure location that's not easily accessible.
Keep your garage door closed and locked at all times.
Use security film or tempered glass on windows and glass doors to make them more resistant to break-ins.
Make sure your home is properly insured in case of a break-in or other damage.
Check Out The Less Lethal Weapons We Recommend in Our Safety Boutique.
In conclusion, at Prepare To Act, we advocate for a proactive and prepared approach to safety and security. Acknowledging the possibility of unfortunate events and the existence of threats, we emphasize the importance of practical measures over succumbing to fear. Homeowners are encouraged to establish an emergency plan, including a designated reunion point, regular drills, and a well-equipped safe room.
Being aware of surroundings, noting suspicious activities, and maintaining a detailed list of valuables contribute to overall security. Regular updates to the valuables list, which includes serial numbers and identifying information, enhance preparedness. Additionally, having essential safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, detectors, and a comprehensive emergency kit with water, food, radio, and first aid supplies ensures readiness.
At Prepare To Act, we believe in the principles of prevention, presence, and realism as fundamental to safeguarding your home and family. Taking practical steps to prepare for potential threats instills confidence, acting as a deterrent to potential burglars and intruders, ultimately ensuring the safety and security of your home.
Connecticut Residence - Understanding the Duty to Retreat Law:
Connecticut does not have a Stand Your Ground Law, which means that individuals in their own homes have a legal "duty to retreat" before using deadly force to defend themselves against an intruder. This means that if an intruder breaks into your home, you must make a reasonable effort to retreat or avoid the threat before using deadly force, even if you have a reasonable belief that the intruder poses a threat to your safety.
This can be confusing and even alarming for homeowners who want to protect their homes and families from potential threats. However, it's important to understand the duty to retreat law and its implications, as failure to do so could result in criminal charges and legal consequences.
Prepare To Act believes in an absolute commitment to self-defense in every legal avenue of the law. This page is meant to provide information, resources, and knowledge to protect your home, your family, and your property. The unchecked aggression of the violence crossing our country is, in our opinion, absolutely unacceptable and an increasing danger to all American citizens!