SECURITY TIPS AND FACTS

Tips Home - Doors
      Doors let you in, but should also keep those you don’t want in out. You can use them to make your home more difficult to enter. Most burglaries occur thru doors, and if entry is difficult, they will simply bypass your home.Most burglars use the front, back, or garage doors. Experienced burglars know that the garage door is usually unlocked. Entering a garage window usually provides simple access to your home. Never keep valuables or car keys inside your cars, even when they are in the  garage. Use high quality locks on outside doors to resist break-in attempts. Look for stron door knobs, like those that have a latch to prevent the credit-card entry tactic.     Tips Home - Windows     
•        Make sure you replace or repair broken & cracked windows immediately.
•        Always keep expensive items away from windows and use window treatments on windows and doors that are easy to see into.

 Tips Home - Protecting your home during Vacation. 

If you are away from your home for an extended period of time, remember these security tips before you leave.

•        Be careful who you tell when you plan to be away from your home. However, alert your neighbors to watch your home.

•         Have your lawn maintained if gone for extended periods.

•         Have a neighbor pick up mail, newspapers and packages daily. If that is not possible, then stop deliveries so they do not pile up.

•         Ask a neighbor to use your garbage cans. An empty garbage can is a tip-off that you are away.

•         Leave your car in the driveway, or ask your neighbor to park his there. This gives the appearance of an occupied house.

•        Don't leave keys under your doormat, flower pot or window ledge—intruders check these first.

•         Use timers for lights, televisions and sound systems to turn them on and off at different times to give your home a lived-in look while you are away.

Tips Home - Home Security Tips      

You probably don't like to think about crime, but no matter where you live, your income or your lifestyle; crime is a fact of life. That doesn't mean you're defenseless, though. 90% of police believe alarms deter burglary attempts. 1 Put the following tips into action along with your monitored system to help make your family and home safer and more secure.      

Keep shrubbery trimmed:  Thick shrubbery and trees cover your windows, allowing burglars to work undetected. Plant thorny bushes around windows and walkways.      

Lock up:  While this might seem obvious, many people forget to lock the house completely. Make sure all doors and windows are locked when you go to bed or leave your house.      

Install peepholes on all exterior doors.  Always ask for identification from repair and service representatives. Never leave them in your home unsupervised.  Be sure your address is visible from the street:  A visible address is vital in emergency situations. Install easy-to-read and illuminated numbers.         

Tips Home - Yard Maintenance         

* Use large, reflective numbers outside on the front of your home & mailbox to make it easy for police, fire and ambulances to find your house in case of emergency.   

* Never store a ladder on the outside of your garage or home   

* Never put your name on your mailbox. Anyone can look up your number, call, and find out you are not home.    * Always trim shrubs and trees so they don't provide cover and hiding for an intruder.   

* Keep all points of entry to your home well-lit with the use of motion-sensor lights on the rear and sides of your home.        

Tips Home - Miscellaneous Tips         

* Get to know your neighbors as that is the only way for them to have a chance of noticing anything suspicious.    * Never share personal information with people you don't trust and be careful who might be listening when you talk in public.
* Often times, burglars will target the elderly, so be friendly & keep a watchful eye out for your elderly neighbors.        

Tips Home - Motion Detectors

          A motion detector is a type of electronic security device that senses movement and will then trigger an alarm. These types of detectors can sense motion in total darkness, without an intruder becoming aware that an alarm has been triggered, allowing a higher probability that they will be apprehended by responding agents.
    Motion detectors are a key part of many burglar alarm systems. If an intruder happens to gains access to the inside of your house or business, they offer another method of detection. Motion detectors are mainly installed indoors, where birds and other stray animals cannot set them off accidentally. Many indoor motion detectors can be set to a lower sensitivity level, so that if a pet is walking around at night, they will not trigger the alarm.
   
Fire Safety Tips
      An important part of fire safety is prevention. 82% of all fire related deaths occur in the home.1 Listed below are some useful tips to help keep your family and home safe from fire.
       Install Smoke Detectors:  Every home should be equipped with smoke detectors on every level, particularly outside of sleeping areas. A monitored smoke detector provides a quick link to help in an emergency, whether you are at home or away.      Test your smoke detectors:  Ensure your smoke detectors are tested monthly and batteries are replaced twice a year.
       Clean your gutters regularly:  Dry leaves and evergreen needles in rain gutters can catch fire; so clean your gutters regularly—especially during fire season.
       Do not overload circuits or sockets:  Make sure every room has enough electrical outlets to avoid the need for multiple attachment plugs, which overload the circuits.
       Plan an escape route:  Have an escape route for each area of the home and a designated meeting place outside.

Locks are your first line of defense against intruders. BUT, locks are made only for the honest person. Criminals do not care if they break you locks. Even doors with dead-bolts ar easily kicked in and circumvented. Only a monitored alarm system with cellular communications will get your break-in reported to the authorities and you, in order to minimize loss. In a FIRE situation, early detection, with a monitored sytsem will get the fire department rolling, whether or not you are able to call 911 yourself.

FBI Statistics for 2007:

The estimated rate of violent crime was 466.9 ccurrences per 100,000 inhabitants

the estimated rate of property crime was 3,263.5 per 100,000 inhabitants

SWAT SPECIAL SERVICES, INC.

Serving the following area in Indiana:

U.S. 36 on the North to U.S. 50 on the South *

U.S. 31 on the East to ILLINOIS LINE*

 * With Exceptions

866-446-SWAT (7928)

info@swatservices.net