Quick Tips

Keep all doors and windows closed and securely fastened.
Doors should have deadbolt locks with a one inch throw and reinforced strike plate with three inch screws.
All windows should have window locks.
Secure sliding glass doors. Place a metal rod or piece of plywood in the track and install vertical bolts. These will help prevent burglars from forcing the door open or lifting it off the track.
Always lock the door to an attached garage. Don't rely on your automatic garage door opener for security.
Create the illusion that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and TV's. Making your residence appear occupied, even when no one is home, will deter criminals.
Keep the perimeter of your home well lighted. Installing low voltage outdoor lighting is a cost-effective way to discourage intruders, as well as highlight the house.
Never leave clues that you are away on a trip. Have a trusted neighbor collect mail and newspapers while you are away so delivered items do not accumulate. You can also ask a neighbor to park in your driveway or parking place to make it appear that you are present.
Keep some shades and blinds up and curtains open to maintain a normal, everyday appearance in your residence.
Never leave a message on your telephone answering machine telling people that you are away from home. A message that you will return at a certain time leaves your home vulnerable in the interim.
Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways. While large, ornate hedges may be beautiful, they also provide a hiding place for burglars who need only a minute to break in through a window or door.
Organize a community watch program to protect your neighborhood. An alert community is a safe community.

Children and Home Security
Teaching your children about home security and how they can protect themselves will keep them safe and lower your anxiety level. Eventually every child gets to an age where you can leave him or her alone at home for short periods of time. There are safety practices that your child needs to know.

How to arm and disarm the home security system
How to properly answer the door
When to call 911 and what to tell the emergency operator
How to reach you when you are at work or running errands

Instructing your child to never allow anyone into the house under any circumstances--not even someone who claims to be a policeman--will keep him or her safe and your home security intact. Your child also needs to know that he/she should never let a caller know that he or she is home alone. Advise him or her that they should tell the caller you are unable to come to the phone. No one needs to know that your child is home without you.

Vacation Tips
Take these few precautionary steps to assure your home security will allow you to concentrate on the sand and sun, not on the state of your home.

Leave your blinds open or in their regular position
Stop the delivery of your newspaper
Lower the ringer of your telephone so it can't be heard outside
Arrange for your lawn to be mowed
Ask a neighbor to pick up circulars that are left on your door
Have your mail and packages picked up, forwarded, or held at the post office
Program a timed device to automatically turn your lights, stereo, or TV on and off at appropriate times

A Few Extra Steps
Each night you should make a habit of checking that all doors and windows are locked and your home security alarm is turned on. Take special care when it comes to your keys. Never carry your house keys on a key ring bearing your home address, never leave your keys in your car, don't hide a key in a secret place outside your home--burglars usually know where to look.
Reducing the risk of a break-in is merely making your home less inviting to burglars than the other homes in your neighborhood. As good as they are, home security systems aren't the only way to guarantee home security; some basic steps can be taken to safeguard your home. If a burglar is delayed just a few minutes, he is apt to give up and try another less problematical home. Basic, ordinary home security equipment, such as padlocks and deadbolts, can discourage an intruder and stop him from entering your home. Forty percent of home invasions occur because a door or window was left unlocked. All exterior doors need to be made of either metal or solid hardwood and be a minimum of 1 3/4 inches thick.Remember, even the best and most efficient lock, if it is placed in a weak door, will not stop a determined burglar. Key locks are the best type of home security for your windows, and they are available for and easily installed on all types of windows. These almost-effortless precautions can greatly increase your home security.

A residence without a home security system is approximately three times more likely to be broken into than one without. Homeowners who have home security systems loose less in valuables in the event of a robbery. The facts prove that the installation of a home security system dissuades intruders and protects your home. Griffin Communications and Security Systems, Inc. can include everything you could possibly need. Give us a call today!

•••A burglary enters a US home every 14 seconds.
•••60% of burglaries occur while a home is occupied.
•••30% of robberies are committed with a gun.

••• Who is watching your house?
••• Who is watching your business?
••• What is your solution?

Let Griffin help you answer these questions
and give you piece of mind.
903.598.3122 or 800.638.0104
info@griffincommunication.com

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