As your rush of summer activities wind down it might be a great time to look at your own crime prevention safeguards for your home and family by considering the following two items:

1.       If you don’t already have a home security system installed there’s no better time than now to consider the added safety that an alarm system provides.  Not only will the system alert in the event of a crime, but studies have shown that the yard signs provided by select home alarm companies serve as a deterrent almost as much as the actual alarm.

2.       If your neighborhood does not currently have a community watch program, why not rally your neighbors and start one? The kids are back in school and the vacations are over – what better way to use this lull in your time-commitments than putting it to effective use protecting not only your home and family, but those around you?

Become involved in this year’s Crime Prevention Month by taking action to create your own safer and more caring community. You can learn more here.

A lot of attention is being given to the fact that, according to the FBI, violent crime rates are dropping across America. But what also needs to be considered is how the current economic climate might result in this decline taking an upswing.

The latest FBI numbers were compiled well before the crux of the country’s current economic decline, so it would follow that the conventional wisdom of economic trouble leading to lawlessness will be reflected more in the FBI’s next set of numbers opposed to the last.

Knowing that, doesn’t it just make smart sense to be proactive when it comes to protecting your home and family against the shifting tide by making sure you have a home security system installed?

An additional factor to be considered as an outcome of the current economic fallout is decreasing municipal budgets which have resulted in a lot of city’s cutting back in police and other law enforcement staffing. This decreased presence could further impact not only national crime rates but the actual ability for law enforcement to respond to a crime in a time-efficient manner.

Keeping that possibility in mind further underscores the need to take charge of protecting your home and family as much through your own efforts as anyone else’s – and a home security system is the best first line of defense.

Closing thoughts

It’s easy to let our guard down when we learn of trends that are more optimistic in nature than pessimistic. However, always remember that the ultimate responsibility for the protection of your home and family rests on your shoulders – regardless of what current trends might indicate – and the best offense is always a good defense.

But that’s not to say that a dog should be used as your only measure of home security, especially when you consider some of these potential drawbacks in a canine choice.

• Unlike a home alarm system which typically involves a one-time cost (and perhaps some monthly fees), the expense of a dog goes well beyond the initial purchase in the form of feeding, veterinary care, boarding expenses while traveling, and time-commitment from you for exercise and social interaction.
• Unlike a home alarm system which is static in nature and cannot attack another person, whether it’s a would-be intruder or a friendly passer-by, a dog can. And if the dog bite results in serious injury to a non-threatening individual, your financial losses could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars (which may or may not be covered by insurance).

The Dog Bite Law website quantifies this potential loss by commenting that out of 177 people killed by dogs, only one was a burglar; and seven out of 10 were children. An alarming number when a home alarm system could might have offset the number of dogs capable of inflicting such harm.

Risk versus reward

So ask yourself, do you want to run that risk when you could instead rely on a monitored home security system offered by many companies such as the latest models from ADT?

Protecting your home and your family with a home security system is always a good idea, but you might want to also take a look at protecting your identity from actions that can occur even in a well-secured home setting.

Following are some tips to minimize your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft:

• Never give out your social security number without first knowing why it is needed or how it will be used. While some businesses will not be able to provide you with the service you are requesting without this information, you should always ask why they need it, how it will be used, and how they will protect it. If you do not get satisfactory answers to these questions remember the decision to share is ultimately up to you.
• One man’s trash is another man’s treasure; especially if the other man is trying to steal your identity. Never assume that the trash is a safe place to toss paperwork, receipts, bills, or expired credit cards without those items first being shredded. Your trash could literally become another person’s treasure trove.
• Consider passwords as important as a locked and guarded safe. Rather than using easily available information like your birthdate, your house number, or parts of your phone number, take the time to create a password that cannot be traced back to any other layer of your life that could easily be obtained off of public information such as birth or tax records; or worse, the previously mentioned discarded trash.

While these tips may seem basic, you’d be surprised at the number of homeowners that have not adhered to them and become a victim of increased identity theft statistics.

Chances are you have taken or are in the process of taking measures to secure your home with an alarm system – so why not incorporate the above action items at the same time for added peace of mind?

The site has been in production since 2005 and can proactively notify you when a registered sexual predator moves within five miles of any given address that you have earmarked.

While most people use their home address as a point of reference, this watchdog can also keep an eye out for any address that is important to you – from day cares to playgrounds and schools to churches.

Consider these statistics when determining which addresses might be important to track:

• The average sexual predator assaults 117 times before being apprehended
• The repeat arrest rate for individuals convicted of child molestation is 52%

You keep your home and family as safe as possible with home alarm systems and more. But when it comes to protecting the boundaries outside of your home sometimes the best protection you have is information. Make use of the National Sex Offender Registry so you can have the information you need to provide protection outside of your home’s walls.

1.       As tempted as you may be to leave your vehicle windows cracked in an effort to keep temperatures down, don’t do it. While you may believe you’re creating a more convenient environment to get back in to at the end of the day, you are also creating a more convenient environment for anyone considering the theft of your car or its contents.

2.       If you must sleep with your home’s windows open to catch the occasional cool evening breeze, make sure you have first installed motion-sensor lights at the exterior of these windows so any would-be intruder will be startled – and dissuaded — if considering entering your home through the open window.

3.       Even though the summer heat often prevents homeowners from routine yard maintenance, make sure to always keep your hedges and shrubs trimmed to a point that they cannot conceal anyone hiding in them. Home maintenance is a critical part of home safety, so if you have to get up in the early hours of the day to do your summer maintenance before the heat sets in, it’s a preferred option to the alternative.

Chances are you may have not even met the sellers of your home, so you have little reference to go by as to the level of security that was practiced prior to your purchase. This includes not knowing how many keys were given out to various individuals while the previous owners resided in what is now your new home.

With that type of unknown variable, one of the first things you should do when you take ownership is to either have all the locks changed completely or at a minimum have the locks re-keyed. This way, you’ll never have to worry about who might have access and be able to enter your home not knowing the previous owners’ vacated.

It may seem like a simple and very logical step, but you’d be surprised at the number of new property owners who have been surprised by unexpected doors being unlocked in the middle of the night.

After the lock situation has been taken care of, you should also consider the added security of a home alarm system that can alert you of situations beyond intruders gaining access such as carbon monoxide, smoke, or more.

In areas that are typically hit by crime, police will often install cameras to provide 360 degree views. Similar technology is available in a home security camera system that allows you to monitor all activity in and at your home.  A home security camera system can be set up to monitor the exterior of your property in addition to the interior so you, too, can have a 360 degree view of all activities – the preferred view of law enforcement.

Consider Some of These Benefits

• A home security camera system allows you to monitor activity from long distances – even while on vacation.
• A home security camera system can be used to protect your children from neglect by childcare providers.
• A home security camera system can be used to monitor activities of your children when you’re not at home and even serve as a baby monitor.
• A home security camera system can often dissuade a would-be intruder merely by its presence alone.

Proof Speaks Louder than Accusation

Additionally, if it ever gets to a point of “he said” and “she said” in accusation or litigation, a home security camera system can provide the necessary proof to make the facts known.

A home security camera system is a powerful assets to not only protect your physical belongings but to help make your life worry-free in general.

What to Look for in a Home Security Camera System

Two things that are most important when considering the purchase or installation of a home security camera system are stability and reliability. Since a home security camera system of inferior quality might fail at a time when it is most critically needed, make sure you invest in a durable system offered by a trusted service. Expertise in stability and reliability could never count for more than the protection of your home and family – and your choice in a home security camera system should not be made lightly.

Most people remember the days of James Bond and some of the futuristic technology the movies showcased. At one time, it might have seemed that something like a wireless home security alarm system, which is now commonplace was too futuristic for the average homeowner to grasp.

Not any longer. A wireless home security alarm system just makes common sense in today’s fast-paced world. Why have to fumble at a keypad to enter a code when you can instead use a key fob to disarm your wireless home security alarm system and save yourself the hassle of balancing groceries and codes at your front door!

Wireless home security alarm systems are becoming more and more commonplace since wireless home security alarm system technology is becoming more readily available to alarm monitoring services such as ADT who can in turn pass the advanced technology of a wireless home security alarm system along to their customers in an affordable, yet high-tech, way!

Advanced Features Found in a Wireless Home Security Alarm System

There was a time if you forgot to arm your home security system before you left the house you would have to physically return to your home to set the alarm. Not so with a wireless home security alarm system.

Now, with the advanced features offered in a wireless home security alarm system you can arm or disarm your system remotely from a computer or cell phone.

That means not having to return home to set your code. Instead, you can pick the time and place you choose to arm your wireless home security alarm system – whether it’s at the office or on your way to pick up your kids from school!

Your Wireless Home Security Alarm System Can Even Send Email!

Yes, you read that correctly. Your wireless home security alarm system can even contain a feature that will send you an email or text alert as events occur at your residence, such as a child returning home from school or a spouse leaving for work.

Imagine the convenience of a wireless home security alarm system that offers monitoring of events without you having to spend the day worrying about who is coming in and out of your home.  You’d have to agree that’s an advanced feature in a wireless home security alarm system that may appear futuristic, but one you’re probably happy to have!

If you’ve been thinking of installing a wireless home security alarm system, now might be the time to do it since the technology to make our lives easier while also providing security has never been better.

A wireless home security alarm system will bring you to the forefront of advanced home security.

It’s always an informative time when the FBI releases their Annual Crime Statistics Uniform Crime Report (UCR), and since the 2010 (preliminary) number were recently released, it’s a good opportunity to look at some of the numbers to help homeowners understand why there’s a continued need for home alarm systems when protecting their home and family.

The good news for homeowners is that the FBI numbers indicated an average 2.8 percent decline in the number of property crimes over the previous year; and while this might initially indicate that the need for home alarm systems might not be as imperative as it once was, an FBI spokesman has said that “there are many factors that go into crime levels” such as population and economic conditions, and since the country’s economic condition continues to struggle, there’s a good chance that the decline might shift tides as crime levels respond to a declining economic trend.

Hence, home alarm systems might be more of a factor than ever before.

Additionally, the report went on to state that motor vehicle thefts rose sharply in 2010. And while one may not immediately think of home alarm systems helping to protect against this type of crime, home alarm systems can be installed to garage doors to help prevent against a motor vehicle theft occurring in your own garage.

Home Alarm Systems May Contribute to Statistics Decreasing

Another factor the FBI pointed out in regard to the UCR is that departments will classify different events differently, which could lead to skewed statistics. As such, it’s important that the protective value of home alarm systems never be underestimated. Statistics may be one thing, but home alarm systems that ring through to 24/7 monitoring systems like ADT are another – and the protection offered by home alarm systems such as those should never be minimized.

Home Alarm Systems: The Sign that Deters

One thing the report does not cover is whether or not the yard signage offered by some home alarm systems companies is helping to work as a deterrent to property crime; but one can speculate that such signage does indeed deter would-be intrusions. The takeaway on this is clear: if you have signage provided by your home alarm systems company, make sure it’s prominently displayed so you don’t become a statistic!

Home alarm systems have been around for a lot of years – and the benefits are clear. Home alarm systems now not only protect against home invasion but they can signal carbon monoxide, smoke, or more. Don’t let yourself get caught up in becoming a statistic – take time to consider how home alarm systems can help keep your neighborhood – and your home – safe.