My wife and I recently had a security system put into our home. We did so for a variety of reasons - others in the neighborhood had been burgled and the fire safety features of the ADT system we got we really liked. To be honest I feel quite safe in our home. Our property is gated - though it is never closed - and there is a fence around the entire perimeter, plus a large Rhodesian Ridgeback that will growl burglars out of their trousers… All those things are deterants but I have heard that if someone wants to break into your home they are going to do just that. What I want to know is: Do you think the signs placed about the yard, and on certain windows and doors actually do anything to deter people from breaking in? I know people who do not have any signs or stickers and yet they are armed to the hilts. What do you think?
I think the little security signs do NOTHING. I know many people that have the signs but no security systems. I also know several people’s homes that have been broken into while they had their security system on. I think the big dog is your best security feature. But if the system makes you feel better and more secure, then I’d do it just for the peace of mind.
I realize you said you have a gated yard…but don’t get me started on gated communities. They really proved no security from robberies IMHO. YMMV.
I’ve been told that the goal of security is to not be the most tempting target on the block; if a thief wants to get in, he’s getting in. Hopefully he’d rather get into your neighbor’s house.
And that’s exactly what the purpose is.
Most theives are not cat burglars. They’re looking for an easy, quick smash-and-grab, not circumventing an alarm system, avoiding a barking dog (which may bite) or making it past other barriers like thorny bushes.
People don’t become thieves because they’re industrius. If your house looks like a pain, they’ll usually move on to the next target.
I agree with posts to the effect that burglars typically tend to choose easier targets over harder ones.
It makes sense that the signs should act as deterrents, for several reasons. Certainly, the signs increase the probability there’s really an alarm (for instance I bought and installed a bunch of alarm equipment including the signs). Also, the sign takes some effort to buy and put up, and so it proves the people there are willing to make at least some effort to fight burglary.
A thief who is determined to hit your house will do so, I guess, but why in the world would there be a thief who was particularly determined to hit your house? The sentiment seems true and irrelevant.
Well, Lissa is spot-on.
The purpose of those little stickers and signs are to deter the free-roaming crack head or sundry ne’er-do-well (the most common burglars) from just giving your front door a shove. Barking dogs, extra outside lighting and an alarm system will virtually guarantee your house won’t get broken into, unless of course you’re storing large amounts of cash, diamonds and/or negotiable bearer bonds. Then someone MIGHT try and break into your house.
All that said, the dirty little secret is, those residential-grade home alarms that call central stations aren’t worth powdered shit. The average response time from activation to when police actually arrive on the scene is roughly 10-13 minutes (by my experience in actually taking these alarm calls only).
I got one, tested it out, and didn’t retain the service. The idea of an alarm is definately more of a deterrent than the alarm itself.
I think the sign will deter the casual burglar. Any big-time pro can get around it. But it will make people think twice. I have ADT as well, after we were burgled twice in one week.
My neighbors Doberman is trained not to bark unless his owner signals him to. At the suggestion of his home insurance agent, he has posted a sign that says ‘Warning: Dog Does Not Bark’.
It got my attention, and I know his dog.
Well, I used to work for a certian alarm company (Is there still more than one?). The problem with using the stickers as deterrents is it assumes a leve; of rational thought not ordinarily present in your casual crackhead. They might very well try to break in anyway, with no regard for the alarm system. A barking dog, on the other hand, does tend to focus the mind.
PRO: I agree with the notion that a professional will get in anyway, and a casual thief would try elsewhere. That same thief might also run off when an unexpected alarm goes off. Therefore, you are up for the cost of a broken window etc. The signs might save you that.
CON: I have heard that (in cars at least) the signs assist the professional thieves in knowing which brand of alarm you have, so they can better and more quickly circumvent it. On the other hand, an amateur would run off regardless. So keep the signs generic, or swap them with a neighbour who has a different alarm system.
We live in the foothills quite far from the city of phoenix proper. But the latent burgle still happens quite often in our neighborhood. Mostly from upper middle class teenagers wanting to test the powers that be. My neighbor caught a kid down the road trying to steal his bike in broad daylight. The teen got away, but he (my neighbor) knew the kids house cuz he is always out front doing one thing or another…So neighbor walked right up to the house rang the door bell and spoke with the kids parents…
I agree though, I think my dog is a great deterrant…
Would it really make a difference if the time gap was shorter? If I were a burgular who broke into a house with a home-security alarm, just hearing the alarm go off (either the siren wailing or the telltale “alarm has been activated” beep) would be enough incentive for me to grab Some Random Piece Of Loot[sup]TM[/sup] and hightail it out of there. Less than three minutes, tops, and there’s no way anyone can get cops there in that short of a time (short of having a private guard on the premises).
A police response time of 10 minutes doesn’t seem too bad to me, especially if the owner is significantly more than 10 minutes away from his house anyway…
We’ve tripped ours a million times. For some reason, we didn’t get a sounder in the garage, so when my husband rushes home to play with the hot rod, he sometimes forgets to unarm the system.
I came home once, and HAD to get the lawn cut before the impending storm hit. I was 3/4 done with mowing before the cops came. But they do show up. And they DO ask for ID and hang around until everything checks out. The response time is pretty slow, but as a deterrent, it’s pretty good.
I think it depends on what the sign says. The “fake” security signs I doubt do much at all. The ones that say “This house protected by Smith & Wesson” probably deter criminals who don’t want to be shot. Which is a lot of them.
Can’t say about the sign, but I can relay a story from a ‘professional’ burgular that was on a radio talk show not long ago.
According to this guy who for decades made his living robbing houses, professional burgulars will pick a house with a dog *over *a house without. His reasoning being people with dogs put all their faith that their viscious, mean, hates-people dog will not allow the house to be broken in and they tend to leave dorrs unlocked or valuables in the house aren’t in safes, or often hot even hidden.
He stopped short of saying how (for obvious reasons) but went on to say that a dog is the single *easiest *security for him to disable leaving him free to ransack your home at will. (ymmv, of course)
Hasn’t been a dog born yet that can’t be made friendly with a pound of hamburger…
You’ve never met my dog. She’s extremely hostile to strangers, and refuses food which is offered to her by anyone she doesn’t know. This isn’t something I trained her to do-- I’ve urged her repeatedly to accept a dog treat or a proffered chunk of people food from a guest’s hand, but she adamantly refuses. Sometimes, if I’m particularly insistant, she’ll take the food into her mouth, walk a few feet away, and spit it out.
RumMunkey, the average burglar isn’t a “professional.” They’re just some kid, or junkie looking for a quick few bucks. Nothing will deter a determined professional, but your average thief, being lazy to begin with, will probably move on if the “job” appears that it may be too much trouble.
Having watched a few episodes of “It Takes a Thief” on the Discovery Channel, I was shocked at how an average professional burglar gets things done. By professional burlgar, I don’t mean some punk kid or crack addict. Those types are criminals are nigh impossible to stereotype and defend against. A crack addicgt may need his next fix so bad he couldcare less abuot a security system, or he may be so high that you’re little FiFi scares him away, who knows? And punk kids do it more as a sign of being “cool”, and Hell, robbing a house WITH a security system is even cooler!
But, your best bet to protect yourself is a security system, using it right, as well as having GOOD locks, and not promotoing burglars. By promoting, I mean don’t do things that make it obvious that you a) have a lot of good stuff, and/or b) make it obvious your house can be easily burgaled. Also, 99% of burglars do NOT rob your house when you are there, at night, asleep. They do it when they know you are gone, and probably during the day. Why? Because if a neighbor sees some random flashlight in your house at night, they will be suspicious, But just seeing someone inside in the middle of the day? Well, unless they saw that person break in themselves, or know for a fact you are away, they won’t think anything of it.
But anyways, good burglar deterrents:
Security system that you actualyl use and make it visible that you use it
Good locks on outside doors, with thinck deadbolts.
No open windows, and closed windows are locked. (Be especialyl careful with basement windows.)
If your garage connects to the house, make sure that’s locked to.
Don’t leave things liek ladders outside where a burglar can use them.
Keep valubles in a safe, including credit card receipts and bank statements (or shred them if you don’t feel a need to keep a record.)
There is almost NO place you can hide something a good theif won’t look. In the freezer? Ha! If you know about it, so do thieves! In the flour? Againm same thing. The only way to be sure it can’t be gotten at is to have it in a secure safe.
A good thief can be in and out in less than ten minutes with thousands of dollars worth of your stuff. In thep rocess, they will rip up mattresses, turn over furniture, destroy your pantry, and all that other crap.
Oh my dog will take the pound of hamburger…and 3/4 of your arm. So if you can handle that without making a sound, have at it and rob me blind!
My Rhodesian is a case in loyalty driven security. He will literally make the rounds around our house all damn day if we let him. As soon as he goes out he does his business in the designated spot for his business, then proceeds to wak the perimeter of the house. I’m not saying our dog is RAMBO but Griss certainly likes us to be safe. Or so it would appear.
I’ve gotten a lot of solicitations over the years via mail and phone, from alarm installation companies. I get a bad vibe every time. I watched a crew of teenage kids with an adult supervisor, running wire and installing a system next door to my brothers house. Who’s to say that maybe one of them is taking a real good look around the house, with the intent of coming back later? You’ve got a half dozen strangers casing your house, with the knowledge of what is, and what isn’t wired, and the skill to circumvent any thing they install. Sometimes a little paranoia is a good thing.