Safety at Home:

•   Change or re-key all locks when moving into a new house or apartment. 

•   Make sure your locks are good quality.  Just because the big home improvement store has it on sale for $9.99 doesn’t make it a good lock.  People will spend thousands to on furnishings and electronics, but still buy the cheapest locks to secure their property, that just doesn’t make sense.

•   Make sure every outside door has a sturdy, well-installed deadbolt lock.  Knob sets or chain locks are not enough to provide good security.

•   Only give keys to a few trusted people and keep a list of who you've given them to.  If keys are ever lost or misplaced, re-key all locks.

•   Do not leave spare keys in obvious places like under flowerpots or welcome mats.  Instead leave an extra key with a neighbor you trust.

•   Do not have identifying tags on your key ring that provides personal information such as your name or address in case your keys are ever lost or stolen.

•   Consider investing in locks that can't be picked and have keys that cannot be easily duplicated such as Schlage Primus or Mul-T-Lock High Security Locks, so you are sure copies of keys are not made without your knowledge.

•   Consider investing in an alarm system.  Although alarm systems do not offer any immediate protection (simply notification or noise) they do act as a deterrent and should be considered only after strong doors and locks are in place.

•   Choose solid wood, fiberglass or metal doors for exterior doors or install security gates.  Be sure that the door frames are solid and cannot be spread without considerable effort

•   Install a peephole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don't keep out intruders.

•   Make sure back doors and the doors that connect your garage to you home are solid and secured with high security deadbolt locks.

•   Use locks on all windows. Don't forget garage windows and crawlspace openings