By Brian Duff Protect Your Home The 5 Ds of home security help you establish a mindset for protecting your home. Your home is the place where you should be secure from the outside world. Unfortunately, bad people may want to get inside. Fortunately for you, a simple method to help secure your home is through the use of the 5 Ds. The 5 Ds of home security stand for Deter, Detect, Deny, Delay, and Defend. The 5 Ds involve protecting your home by establishing a perimeter and working within it to Deter, Detect, Deny, Delay, and Defend against people who may want to do you harm. Think of the edge of your property, your yard, or some other point away from your home as your outer perimeter. From the outer perimeter to the inside of your home is your personal safe zone. It’s a bad guy no-go zone, and you can start making it safe by using the 5 Ds of home security. Deter The best way to stay safe is to keep the bad guys away. In other words, keep the bad guys from ever getting to your door or window. If you do, they won’t get into your house and do you harm. Deterring someone from trying to break into your castle is simple. You deter criminals by turning your home into an undesirable target. Depending upon your budget, there are a number of techniques available. Burglars often check the box on three requirements before they commit to breaking into your home. The three requirements are 1) security signage, 2) vehicles in the driveway, 3) a dog in the yard. If you have any of those, the bad guy will often target another home. Of the three deterrents, security signs are the easiest and most cost-efficient. This low-cost deterrent provides an easy-to-see warning to help deter the bad guys. If you’re interested, Amazon sells a good variety of window stickers and yard signs. Detect Criminals who are not deterred must be dealt with. To deal with them, you first need to know they’re there and that means discovering them. Detecting bad guys can be addressed using high-tech, low-tech, or a combination of both methods. Low tech detection systems include things such as a family dog and trimming plants away from your home. A dog in the yard is simple. Dogs will usually bark and alert you to the presence of someone who isn’t supposed to be there. Trimming plants away from your home denies bad guys the hiding places they love to use. They love these hiding places because it lets them see you, while you and your neighbors can’t see them. High tech detection methods come in a variety of packages, which include alarm systems, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), and motion detection lights. Alone, or used in combination with one another as a layered detection system, these options help alert you to the presence of bad guys. DIY Alarm If you have the budget, consider a home alarm system. In today’s world, DIY out of the box alarm systems are easy to install and save on expense. Not only are they cost-effective, they are modular and portable. Therefore, you can start small and add additional features over time. Then, when it’s time to move, you take the system with you and set it up in your new home. Closed Circuit Television Oftentimes, CCTV comes paired with a home alarm system. However, I’ve found that you may be able to save money by purchasing a stand-alone CCTV system. Regardless of what you buy, you need to make sure of a few things. First, make sure your external cameras will hold up to the elements and have good night vision capability. Next, be thoughtful and judicious with their placement in your home. You may consider focusing your cameras on entry and exit points while avoiding the more private areas inside your home. Motion Lights Another high-tech piece of home protection equipment is the motion light. Motion lights provide a great visual alarm when someone or something triggers them. Not only does a motion light alert you, but because they are easily visible, they also deter bad guys. Deny The next step following failure to deter or detect the bad guys is to deny them access to your castle. In the middle ages, a moat, a drawbridge, and tall stone walls would accomplish that. In today’s world, denying access happens with thorny bushes, deadbolt locks, reinforced door frames, locked windows, and other options. Security Plants Earlier, I discussed cutting back the plants around your house because bad guys like to hide in them. A means of denial is to ensure your plants provide bad guys with a thorny reception. Thorny plants such as holly bushes, rose bushes, cactus, and others make a good defensive line. Door Locks When it comes to door locks, there are many considerations for you to think about. First, know up front that most deadbolts can be defeated in a number of ways. One of the top ways to beat a deadbolt is to kick in the door. Ultimately, the world’s strongest lock is only as good as the door frame it sticks into and vice versa. Fortunately, there are many methods available to increase your door’s resistance to the bad guys kicking attempts. First, you can add a $5.00 armored security strike to your door frame. Another great and easy-to-install addition to reinforce your door frame is the Door Armor MAX Combo Set. Lock Your Windows! Lastly, another way to deny unwanted guests access to the inside of your home is to lock your windows. Bad guys typically don’t like breaking glass because it makes noise. So, just lock your windows. Oh, and while we’re at it, please don’t hide a key near your front door. Bad guys know all of the hiding spots! Delay As the old saying goes, locks only keep an honest man honest. If your attempts to deny an intruder access into your home fail, the next best thing is to delay his entry. The longer you delay someone, the more time you have for help to arrive. In the event help isn’t coming, delaying the bad guy provides you with more time to leave your home. If you decide not to leave, delaying your intruder allows you more time to prepare a defense. Delaying someone’s access to the inside of your home utilizes many of the tips discussed earlier. Techniques, such as reinforcing the door, increase the time it takes to open. Likewise, a locked window makes the bad guys have to break it to enter. Once broken, the bad guy must then unlock it or climb through, which delays his entry. With most home robberies taking place in under twelve minutes, the delays you create reduce the time criminals will spend in your house. Defend Physically protecting your home should be your last resort! It is a decision that you and your family should discuss in advance of a bad situation occurring. Remember that often both sides (including you and your family members) may be injured during physical confrontations. So, think twice before attempting to confront someone in your home. Whatever action you determine is appropriate, execute it with speed and precision. All 5 Ds of home security should be executed with speed and accuracy. Executing the 5 Ds of home security is one method to ensuring that you and your family remain safe, secure, and prepared. It’s your opportunity to Deter, Detect, Deny, Delay, and Defend yourself from the bad guys out there, so take a look and give the 5 Ds of Home Security a try. Lastly, never forget, you’re just one prep away. If you have any other information, suggestions, or thoughts on the 5 Ds of Home Security, please leave a comment below. Stay safe, secure and prepared.
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