{"id":10825,"date":"2016-01-19T17:43:43","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T23:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hcstx.org\/?p=10825"},"modified":"2016-01-19T17:43:43","modified_gmt":"2016-01-19T23:43:43","slug":"10-ridiculously-simple-ways-to-protect-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/19\/10-ridiculously-simple-ways-to-protect-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ridiculously Simple Ways to Protect your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"home\"<\/h2>\n

Never worry about leaving your home unprotected again.<\/h2>\n
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Editor\u2019s Note: This article by Jonathan Stern was originally published on <\/i>Fatherly<\/i><\/a>, a digital lifestyle guide for men entering parenthood. \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

If somebody is trying to open your sliding glass door in the middle of the night, chances are they\u2019re not Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. Because every house on your block has a deadbolt lock and ADP sign in the front yard, you need to make your home even less of a target.<\/p>\n

Fortunately that extra level of security is as easy as hitting up Home Depot. Joel Smernoff is head of Parachute Corp, a private security firm for the rich and powerful, and the man who taught you how to prepare for the upcoming zombie\/nuclear\/weather-pocalypse<\/a>. Smernoff says, \u201cThe way we look at physical security is a layered approach.\u201d First, be aware of what\u2019s going on around you. Second, make it difficult for bad guys to get in in. And lastly, have a plan if somebody does manage to penetrate your defenses (Warning: it may involve ripping out eyeballs<\/a>).<\/p>\n

1. Practice situational awareness.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first layer of security \u2014 before you get into the home \u2014 is you,\u201d says Smernoff. \u201cIn the military they call it situational awareness or mindset. Get your head out of your device. Whether it\u2019s driving back to your home or taking the subway to your apartment, you need to be aware of what\u2019s going on around you. If you see a suspicious car, drive away for half hour. If it\u2019s still there call 911.\u201d And if you don\u2019t know whether or not you\u2019ve picked up a tail, consult the Bourne Trilogy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: A security forces vet offers gun safety tips for keeping your home safe.<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Bar the front door.<\/b><\/p>\n

Solid wood is second only to impenetrable steel when it comes to your entryway. Avoid having a hollow-core door (like the rooms at the Overlook Hotel<\/a>) for a front door; it does nothing for your safety.<\/p>\n

Once you have several inches of hardwood between you and your intruder, you should also reinforce that flimsy door jamb<\/a> with anti-kick plate and replace the hinge bolts, so if they try to knock it down from either side it won\u2019t budge. But, better to not to wait and see.<\/p>\n

3. Where to keep your keys.<\/b><\/p>\n

First, you should keep your keys on your nightstand, not on a hook by the door. In a pinch, you can hit the panic button on your car key and wake up the neighborhood or get the police to investigate.<\/p>\n

Now the bad guys are gone, but the police are still on their way and you don\u2019t want them to kick in your door either. Pro tip: Put a glow stick on your key and throw it out your window. Tell the dispatch the cops can look for it and let themselves in. If the police are crooked, consult the 1997 thriller, Cop Land.<\/p>\n

4. A quick way to secure the garage.<\/b><\/p>\n

Your garage\u2019s emergency release is a quick way for criminals to get into your house. The two-cent fix: Get a zip tie and tie the emergency handle up higher. If there is an emergency, you can still get it. And make sure that you have a deadbolt lock on the door from your garage to your house.<\/p>\n

5. Build a safe room.<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just for the paranoid or Jodie Foster<\/a> says Smernoff. \u201cIn my house it\u2019s the master bedroom. Just like the door to the garage, I have an anti-kick plate and a deadbolt. It can also be a kids room or closet. You\u2019ll want to reinforce the door, have some food and water, and a landline in case your mobile isn\u2019t working to call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. A note on home cameras.<\/b><\/p>\n

Smernoff says, \u201cNest cams<\/a> are a nice feature, but also put some cameras outside your house.\u201d Neither of which are going to protect you, but at least you\u2019ll have more information on who is trying to get at you.<\/p>\n

7. Adopt a (attack) dog.<\/b><\/p>\n

Besides being lovable companions that will give you years of joy, dogs are furry alarms (or, if they\u2019re big and scary, furry bodyguards) who will alert you to someone lurking outside. Unfortunately, that someone could just as easily be a squirrel. A squirrel who wants to kill you and everyone you care about.<\/p>\n

8. You don\u2019t need an alarm, just the sign.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t afford the alarm system, buy the sign. You\u2019re trying to make your house look better defended than the neighbors. Can\u2019t afford a sign? Just cut out an arrow pointing to your next door neighbor and write \u201crich people\u201d on it.<\/p>\n

9. Get some automatic lights.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone approaches your house you want lights to come on,\u201d says Smernoff. Get a few outdoor motion-sensor flood lights to take care of the dark corners around your home. Set your indoor lights on a timer when you\u2019re away, but don\u2019t be so predictable. Get a timer you can connect to via smartphone<\/a> and manually turn them on and off. Just in case some Sticky Bandits are casing the joint.<\/p>\n

10. Plant a rose bush perimeter.<\/b><\/p>\n

Your Nana may not have been a security expert, but she was on to something by planting an area of dense, thorny bushes around windows and other access points. Her collection of lawn gnomes, however, are only scary to realtors.<\/p>\n

This article, \u201c<\/i>10 Ridiculously Simple Things This Security Expert Does To Protect His Home<\/i><\/a>,\u201d originally appeared on Fatherly.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read the Original Article at Task and Purpose<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Never worry about leaving your home unprotected again. Editor\u2019s Note: This article by Jonathan Stern was originally published on Fatherly, a digital lifestyle guide for men entering parenthood. \u00a0 If somebody is trying to open your sliding glass door in the middle of the night, chances are they\u2019re not Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. Because every house on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[13,398,1132,1189,2863,10],"tags":[2147,691,3877,2840,1582],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10825"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}