Investing In A Smart Home Security System A Must To Defend Against ‘Creatures of Opportunity’
Chances are, in the time you spend reading this story, 9 to 10 American homes will be burglarized.
A home heist occurs every 13 seconds in the United States, according to FBI statistics. That equals an average of over a million residential burglaries a year leaving an average dollar loss of $2,316.20.
Danny Ocean’s crew doesn’t work that fast.
In Iowa, thieves hit 464.4 out of every 100,000 ranks residences, ranking the Hawkeye State 27th in the nation for home burglaries, according to World Atlas. Whether Des Moines or Decorah, Davenport, Dubuque or tiny Durango, Iowa, thieves don’t discriminate, making $500,000 luxury homes in Cedar Rapids and $50,000 farm houses in Monticello equally attractive and prime targets.
“Criminals are creatures of opportunity and wherever there’s an opportunity to strike, they will, be it in a big city or small suburb,” Lee Walters, founder of FortifyMyHouse.com, told the Washington Post.
It’s hard enough for the always-on-the-go American homeowner to keep their lawn mowed weekly, yet alone, safe from the 24/7 threat of home intruders. Burglars can literally be casing your home out at any moment without notice, including right now.
If your home is flying blind, it doesn’t stand a chance when burglars stake out your neighborhood. FBI statistics show homes without working security systems are 300 percent more likely to be burglarized than homes equipped with security systems.
Even if you live in a “safe neighborhood,” home security experts recommend having a home security system. It’s the last scene a would-be burglar wants to see when casing your house outside of a police cruiser strolling past.
Other alarming FBI home burglary statistics that stress the danger of flying blind against would-be home robbers:
- Thirty percent of burglaries are through an open or unlocked door or window.
- Renters are just as likely to be burglary victims as home owners.
- The highest percentage of home burglaries occur during the summer months.
- Only 17 percent of American households have a working security system.
- Police clear only 13 percent of all reported burglaries.
All these statistics add up to compelling evidence to invest in a comprehensive home security system for you and your family.
“You need to fortify your home security to make your home unappealing to potential thieves,” Safety.com notes. “Think of home security like an onion: There should be many layers, and peeling back each one should be difficult enough to make a burglar cry, and then flee to find more vulnerable play.”
Translation: Don’t go with a $25 knockoff home alarm from Best Buy.
Here are Consumer Reports’ 2018 Best Home Security Systems for the buck:
Best Value: Ring Alarm
- Starter Kit Cost: $199
- Total Hardware Cost: $519
Smartest Smart-Home Option: Honeywell Smart Home Security System
- Starter Kit Cost: $500
- Total Hardware Cost: $1,000
But a smart home security system is only half the battle to turning away troublemakers. Here are seven other Safety.com easy home burglary deterrents:
- Having Visible Window and Door Locks
- Locking Your Doors
- Getting A Home Security Check from Your Local Police Department
- Installing Security Cameras
- Getting Motion-Activated Lights
- Installing Stronger Doors
- Keeping Valuables In A Secure Safe
Invest in a home security system and robbery deterrents, and invest in your family and home’s safety and security. Thinking like a burglar casing your home doesn’t hurt either.
“If you want to know how to protect your home, just do this. “Go home, leave your house keys in your car, look at your house and imagine you’re locked out. How are you going to get in?” Peter Woolf, a convicted burglar turned security consultant and author of “The Damage Done,” told The Ambient.com.
“Now you’re thinking like a burglar.”
Remember, the first step toward making your home and family safe from crime is making your home’s exterior and perimeter as secure and robbery foreboding as possible. Don’t fly blind against the 24/7, unseen threat posed by burglars. For it’s not just your home’s valuables at stake, it’s you and your family’s sense of security.
