You are one crime away from losing it all. 

The Problem

Imagine waking to a stranger in your home.
Your family is asleep, unaware of the danger.

In that moment, you realize: your home security failed.

The 7 Strategies for Home Security

Strategy 1: Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of physical security upgrades, alarm systems, cameras, and everything else, I want you to decide right now that you are going to be PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE. 

Because if you don't have a proper mindset, then none of the other strategies will matter. 

If it helps, I want you ask yourself why you are interested in securing your home. 

• Is it to protect your valuables?
• To protect yourself?
• Keep your family safe?
• Safeguard your pets safe?
• Protection against a dangerous ex boyfriend or girlfriend?
• Or a combination of these?

Whatever your motivations, keep these in the back of your head to help inspire you to apply these 7 Strategies for Home Security. 

And the first proactive step you can take is covered below in STRATEGY 2.

Strategy 2: Give the Perception of a Hard Target

As stated earlier, Perception = Reality (at least to the perceiver). What this means is if you home looks like a Hard Target, then criminals will perceive it as such. 

You want would-be burglars to look at your home and think, "There's no way I'm trying to break-into that place because I probably can't get in or I'll likely get caught."

Giving the perception of a Hard Target includes:

• Having a well maintained property
• Security system signage
• Overtly placed surveillance cameras
• Strategically designed exterior lighting
• Neighborhood watch signs
• Well maintained doors and windows

But perception isn't enough, you don't just want to make your house look like a Hard Target, but you want it to BE a Hard Target. And this brings us to STRATEGY 3.

Strategy 3: Harden Entry Points

As effective as appearance may be at deterring crime, you don't want to stop there. You want to physically install upgrades to back up that perception. 

This includes simple upgrades such as replacing tiny builder grade screws with 2-3in screws, replacing standard striker plates, installing security film on windows, using reinforced door locks, and anything else that makes your doors and windows harder to breach. 

As a cop, I've had to force my way into several houses, and I have always been amazed by how easy it is to breach a standard residential door with a simple kick. 

The main goal with door and window reinforcement is to distribute the load, should someone try and break-in. 

But doors and windows aren't the only way for someone to gain access to your family. If you fail to exercise good Lifestyle Security (LifeSec), you may be giving criminals a window into your family's daily habits and activities. This brings us to STRATEGY 4.

Strategy 5: Outsource Your Situational Awareness

Your Situational Awareness refers to....you guessed it: your awareness of a given situation. This could be awareness of dangerous storms, that you accidentally drove into a shady part of town, a riot about to break out, or the presence of a suspicious person on your property. 

Some people claim that they maintain a heightened Situational Awareness at all times. Don't believe them.

Everyone has to sleep at some point. People want to hang out with their family and watch a movie. And most people enjoy going out of town on vacation. 

None of the above activities can be done while maintaining your own Situational Awareness

By outsourcing your situational awareness, you allow yourself to unwind and relax without sacrificing security. This can be accomplished using the following:

• Early Warning Systems
• Intrusion Detection Systems
• Dogs
• Police Special Watches
• Neighborhood Watch

Each of these not only enable you to relax without having to remain on high alert, but they also expand your Situational Awareness well beyond that which you can do alone. 

Strategy 6: Strengthen Your Neighborhood Security

After you've applied the previous strategies to transform your family's home into a Hard Target, it would benefit you to share them with your neighbors. 

When enough houses on your street look like a hard target, it makes your entire neighborhood look unattractive to criminals. 

As a cop, I would respond to so many neighborhoods where burglars went from one house to the next in one night. And why wouldn't they? It's easy and humans are always looking for speed and ease, which is exactly what these neighborhoods were offering. 

Improve your neighborhood security in the following ways:

• Talk with your neighbors about security (hint: share this article)
•  Use neighborhood messaging apps like "NextDoor" to alert your community to suspicious activity
• Foster open communication so that neighbors feel free to alert others to security vulnerabilities. (Garage doors left open overnight, suspicious vehicles parked outside, etc.)

All of these and more can transform your entire neighborhood into a Hard Target. 

But just like the oxygen mask on a plane, before helping others, you need to help yourself, which brings us to the next strategy. 

Strategy 7: Survey Your Own Home for Weak Spots

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

― Sun Tzu,  The Art of War

Ok, home security may not be "war", but the point is that you need to think like a burglar in order to identify and fix weak spots in your home's security.

Ask yourself how you would burglarize your house if you were a criminal.

• Does your home look easier or harder than your neighbors' homes?
• How easily can you observe the inside of the house without being spotted?
• Where would you try to make entry?
• Would you have good concealment while attempting to gain entry?

Take note of your answers to these questions and more, then use those notes to strengthen your home security plan. 

Any upgrades should develop one of the following D's of Security:

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What I'm Offering:

Who is this course NOT for?

• People who know everything about home security or don't care about protecting their family.

What is your family's safety worth to you?