1 Residential Home Security Survey: Tips to Keep your Home Safe and Secure Leawood Police Department Crime Prevention Unit Home Security should be a top priority for everyone who owns or rents a home or apartment. A good proactive home security plan goes a long way toward making your house feel like a home. Burglary and home invasion crimes seem to be increasing all over the country and criminals look for easy targets. By doing your homework you can drastically decrease the chances of having your home victimized. One of the best ways to ensure that you've got your home covered is to complete our virtual home security survey. Please download and print the Quick Check Home Security Survey located on this web page. Please feel free to pause this video as you complete each section of the survey. Then resume the video and evaluate the next step in our survey. This is an excellent tool to help you determine the areas of your home that you need to focus on. After completing the survey, pay close attention to the areas that you answered no'. 2 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Here is what we will cover during the Virtual Residential Security Survey: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property You should be able to answer each of the following questions as YES. Please note that any questions you answer NO mean that you have a security risk associated with that question. If you are ready, let s begin.
3 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Exterior doors are the most likely entry point for a burglar into your home. It usually only takes a few seconds for a burglar to force their way through a minimally secured door. Statistically if it take more than a couple of minutes for a burglar to force open the door they will leave and go somewhere else. 4 Exterior Door Safety All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house even if it's just for a few minutes. Exterior doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad (not hollow). Doors have peepholes installed at levels that all family members can utilize. If you have glass panels in your doors, they should be reinforced or shatter proof. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. Home security enhancement does not always mean buying and installing hardware. Usually just changing our procedures while at home can maximize home security. Here is our first question are all the doors on your home locked at night and every time you leave your house even if it is just a few minutes? The best lock, if left unlocked, is not going to keep anyone out! Are you able to answer yes? If not, think about how you can develop a new procedure for ALWAYS locking all your exterior doors when you are leaving. Now let s look at the structure or type of doors you have on your home.
5 Exterior Door Safety All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house even if it's just for a few minutes. Exterior doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad (not hollow). Doors have peepholes installed at levels that all family members can utilize. If you have glass panels in your doors, they should be reinforced or shatter proof. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. Are all of your exterior doors solid hardwood or metalclad (not hollow). You can usually tell by opening or closing a door if it is a solid door. Open and close a closet door and then open and close an exterior door. The closet door feels very lightweight and easy to close while a solid exterior door is much heavier and takes a bit more effort to close. Are you able to answer YES to our second question? Does your door have glass? We are going to cover that aspect of your security plan soon. 6 Exterior Door Safety All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house even if it's just for a few minutes. Exterior doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad (not hollow). Doors have peepholes installed at levels that all family members can utilize. If you have glass panels in your doors, they should be reinforced or shatter proof. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. When someone knocks on your door, or rings your doorbell, can you see who is outside? Do you have peephole viewers installed at all levels of the door so that all family members can utilize them? Is there a window that allows you to look outside to see who is there before opening the door? Were you able to answer yes to any of these questions? If not, consider installing a door viewer. They usually cost about $1 at most home improvement stores. It is important that you give someone response to someone who is at your door because burglars are often trying to find out if anyone is home. At least make some type of noise inside your house if you don t plan to answer the door so they know there is someone at home. You might want to consider a video door bell which allows you to see who is outside and then speak to them that you do not open your door to any unexpected visitors. Tell them to leave your property now and if they refuse, the police can be called and arrest them for criminal trespassing.
7 Exterior Door Safety All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house even if it's just for a few minutes. Exterior doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad (not hollow). Doors have peepholes installed at levels that all family members can utilize. If you have glass panels in your doors, they should be reinforced or shatter proof. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. Do you have reinforced or shatter proof glass panels in your door. Probably your answer is no. Most doors in Leawood do have some type of glass panel either in the door or adjacent to the door. The glass panel does make it easier to see who is outside of your door but also pose a serious security risk. Glass should not be located closer than 40 to your deadbolt lock. There is a product available called security film which can be applied over most glass panels and is available from glass tinting companies. You can also have the glass panels replaced with a product called LEXAN which is a shatterproof polycarbonate plastic. The Leawood building code restricts the use of double cylinder deadbolt locks on residential installations. Please contact the Leawood Building Code department if you have questions about the use of these locks on your home. 8 Exterior Door Safety All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house even if it's just for a few minutes. Exterior doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad (not hollow). Doors have peepholes installed at levels that all family members can utilize. If you have glass panels in your doors, they should be reinforced or shatter proof. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Check to see if the deadbolt locks on all your exterior doors operate smoothly and that the bolt extends at least 1 from the door when thrown. Look at the deadbolt on your door and notice that there is only about ½ wood remaining on either side of the dead bolt after the hole was drilled to install the lock. This becomes a security risk when someone forces the door. Usually the door frame fails first. The deadbolt locks into the door jamb which is the ¾ wood frame that goes around your door. Take a screwdriver and unscrew one of the screws holding the metal piece called a strike plate on the door jamb. This is the metal piece that the door lock extends into when the door is locked. Most of the time these screws are only ¾ long and do not extend into the frame of the house. To maximize your exterior door security replace these screws with 3 long screws and install a door reinforcement device around the deadbolt. A picture is provided in the next
slide to display these items. 9 Door Reinforcer Strike Plate The door reinforcement and enhanced strike plate hardware are available at most home improvement and hardware stores. To install the door reinforcer, you remove the two screws on the deadbolt lock, take the lock apart, and slide the door reinforcer over the door. You then reassemble the deadbolt lock back in place. 10 Exterior Door Safety All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house even if it's just for a few minutes. Exterior doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad (not hollow). Doors have peepholes installed at levels that all family members can utilize. If you have glass panels in your doors, they should be reinforced or shatter proof. All doors should have a sturdy deadbolt lock installed on the door. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. Do not keep spare keys under the doormat or hidden anywhere outside your home. Do you know who has keys for your house? Have you had the locks rekeyed or changed since purchasing your home? If not, there is really no way to know who has keys to your home if you haven t changed the locks.
11 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Solid garage door offers more security than garage doors that contain windows. A window allows a burglar to see into your garage to determine if there are any cars present. The emergency rope pull to release the door during a power failure is often just inches away from a glass window. The window can be broken, the rope pulled and now the burglar can enter the home. Make sure to remove this rope if you have garage doors that contain glass. 12 Garage and Sliding Doors The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt. The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security. Garage doors are all locked when leaving the house. The sliding glass door has a strong, working key lock. A dowel or a pin to secure a glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track. The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house. Is the door leading from the attached garage to your house a solid wood or metal-clad door? And is this door protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt? Were you able to answer yes to these questions? If not, consider replacing this door with a more secure door in the future. 13 Garage and Sliding Doors The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt. The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security. Garage doors are all locked when leaving the house. The sliding glass door has a strong, working key lock. A dowel or a pin to secure a glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track. The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house. Does the overhead garage door have a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security? It is also a good idea, when going on vacation, to place a padlock in the garage door track in one of the slots located above a door roller. This way if a burglar does get in your home, they can t back a vehicle into your garage and load it full of your property and then drive away. Also make sure you don t have the old style garage door key switch on the outside of your home that is still hooked up to your garage door. Thieves would only need to pull the switch out and short the two wires together to open your garage door. Lastly, make sure you do not have a mail drop box located
in your garage or home that can be opened and peered into allowing a burglar to see inside your garage or home to determine if anyone is home. 14 Garage and Sliding Doors The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt. The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security. Garage doors are all locked when leaving the house. The sliding glass door has a strong, working key lock. A dowel or a pin to secure a glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track. The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house. Are the garage doors locked when leaving the house AND closed when you are at home? Make sure that you get into the habit of always closing the garage doors and then double check to make sure they are closed before you go to bed. An open garage door is an invitation for a burglar to come to your home. 15 Garage and Sliding Doors The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt. The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security. Garage doors are all locked when leaving the house. The sliding glass door has a strong, working key lock. A dowel or a pin to secure a glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track. The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house. Does your home have a sliding glass door? If so, does the sliding glass door have a strong, working key lock? If not, consider installing one at the bottom of the door not the top. Most people are killed in a fire by breathing toxic gasses not from the flames of the fire. You will need to crawl low to the floor to escape during a fire and you do not want to have to stand up to try to unlock the lock if located at the top of the door.
16 Garage and Sliding Doors The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt. The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security. Garage doors are all locked when leaving the house. The sliding glass door has a strong, working key lock. A dowel or a pin to secure a glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track. The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house. Does your sliding door have a dowel or a pin to secure the glass door to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track? Most new sliding doors have lift out protecting built into the top track of the door. If your door can easily be lifted out of the track when unlocked, you need to add lift out protection. Drive 1-1/2-inch pan head (large head) screws into the top of the doorframe spaces about every 8" or at both ends and in the middle. Drive them so their heads just clear the top of the door. For metal doorframes, use selftapping screws (the ones usually used for sheet metal and plastic). Make sure that you add a dowel or billy bar to your sliding glass door to prevent it from being forced open by a pry tool. 17 Screw shown in the upper track of a sliding glass door to prevent the door from being lifted out. Note how the head of the screw just clears the top of the door when slid into the closed door position.
18 Garage and Sliding Doors The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt. The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security. Garage doors are all locked when leaving the house. The sliding glass door has a strong, working key lock. A dowel or a pin to secure a glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track. The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house. Is the sliding door locked every night and each time we leave the house? Develop a procedure before going to bed in which you check every exterior door to make sure they are all locked. 19 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Glass is always vulnerable to break ins if not secured or protected. Adding, or keeping an existing storm window provides one more layer of protection that a burglar would have to defeat in order to enter your home. 20 Protecting Windows Every window in the house has a working key lock or is securely pinned. Evaluate your home security system and make sure that motion and door/window sensors are up-to-date. Windows are always locked, even when they are opened a few inches for ventilation. Does every window in the house have a working key lock or are they securely pinned? The common window called a double hung window is secured with a thumb turn lock secured to the window frame with screws approximately ¾ long. Usually a pry tool can easily separate the lock from the window frame. Key locks look nice but can be expensive when securing every window on the first floor of your home. An alternative is to Pin your windows using 16 penny duplex head nails in holes drilled with a 3/16 drill bit. A picture is displayed in the next slide that explains how to pin double hung windows.
21 Note: The 3/16 hole is drilled at a slightly downward angle and NOT through the outside frame of the window. This is done so the burglar cannot tap the window frame from the outside and cause the pins to fall out. The pin should fit loosely in the hole so it can easily be removed if there was a fire and you need to use a window to escape. 22 Basement windows require special consideration. Windows located in a sleeping room in the basement must have egress windows and the locks should not be altered. Hinged burglar bars are a good option for nonegress windows and are easy to install. Glass bocks can also be installed in windows that are not a sleeping room or if the basement has walk-out doors. Contact the Leawood Fire Marshal at 913-681-6788 at extension 13 if you have additional concerns or questions about the correct window installation for your home. 23 Protecting Windows Every window in the house has a working key lock or is securely pinned. Evaluate your home security system and make sure that motion and door/window sensors are up-to-date. Windows are always locked, even when they are opened a few inches for ventilation. Burglar alarms do not stop burglaries, but they do limit the amount of time the burglar can stay in the house. Window sensors are devices that detect sound and shock waves. When a window is broken, the sound of breaking glass along with the shock wave created by shattering glass trips the window sensor. Glass break detectors cost about the same as adding a motion sensor to most existing alarm systems.
24 Protecting Windows Every window in the house has a working key lock or is securely pinned. Evaluate your home security system and make sure that motion and door/window sensors are up-to-date. Windows are always locked, even when they are opened a few inches for ventilation. Windows can be pinned at a distance of no higher than 5 to allow for ventilation. We suggest that ground level windows are never left open as it gives the burglar great advantage for entering your home. 25 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Now we will look at your home from the same perspective as a burglar does from the outside. 26 Outdoor Security Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide. There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers. Every outside door has a bright, working light to illuminate visitors. Floodlights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination. Outdoor lights are on in the evening whether someone is at home or not or a photocell or motion-sensitive lighting system has been installed. Our house number is clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly. Now it is time to take a walk around the outside of your home. If you couldn t find your keys, could you get into your home? If the answer is yes, then realize that a burglar can also get in. What types of hiding places does your landscape provide for a burglar to hide? Make sure when choosing replacement shrubs and bushes that will be located next to your home select holly, rose bushes or other types of shrubbery that would make a painful hiding place. Next, evaluate how much outside lighting is in place at your home.
27 Outdoor Security Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide. There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers. Every outside door has a bright, working light to illuminate visitors. Floodlights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination. Outdoor lights are on in the evening whether someone is at home or not or a photocell or motion-sensitive lighting system has been installed. Our house number is clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly. Light displaces concealment, but lighting placed in the wrong position creates glare and makes it difficult to see someone behind the glare. First, locate your nearest street light if you have one nearby to determine how much lighting is in place at the street area of your home. Usually not much. You will want enough light in place that a neighbor could see someone standing in front of, or beside your home, but not so much that the light trespasses upon your neighbors property. Leawood does have a lighting code that is rather restrictive. Check with our Codes Department to obtain a copy of these restrictions before installing additional lighting. Remember that if you do add to your existing lighting, it should be placed high enough that a burglar can t unscrew the bulb. 28 Outdoor Security Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide. There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers. Every outside door has a bright, working light to illuminate visitors. Floodlights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination. Outdoor lights are on in the evening whether someone is at home or not or a photocell or motion-sensitive lighting system has been installed. Our house number is clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly. Check to see that all your outside lights are working. Chances are you already have some light fixtures near each outside door. There have been some great advancements in LED lighting technology that allow the user to have adequate illumination at a faction of the cost the older style incandescent bulbs used to provide.
29 Outdoor Security Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide. There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers. Every outside door has a bright, working light to illuminate visitors. Floodlights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination. Outdoor lights are on in the evening whether someone is at home or not or a photocell or motion-sensitive lighting system has been installed. Our house number is clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly. Floodlights are typically placed over the garage door to illuminate the driveway. Make sure the lighting wattage is adequate to illuminate the driveway but not so bright as to create glare that prevents you from seeing along the side of the garage. Someone could be waiting along the side of the garage and simply follow you into the garage when you park your car and rob you and possibly steal your car. To prevent this risk follow these simple steps: Always keep your car doors locked until your vehicle is inside the garage. Close the garage door completely before you unlock your doors and exit your vehicle. It should now be safe to get out of your vehicle now that you are inside your garage with the garage door down. Remember the procedural things we do to keep safe usually don t cost any money! 30 Outdoor Security Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide. There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers. Every outside door has a bright, working light to illuminate visitors. Floodlights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination. Outdoor lights are on in the evening whether someone is at home or not or a photocell or motionsensitive lighting system has been installed. Our house number is clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly. Consider adding a dusk to dawn photocell to your existing outside lighting. Some of these devices cost less than $10 and simply screw into the light socket and then the light bulb is screwed into the photocell. These are available at home improvement stores and hardware stores. A picture of this device is included in the next slide.
31 Please note that the photocell window should be pointed away from other light sources. The Light bulb screws into the photo cell which screws into the light socket. 32 Outdoor Security Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide. There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers. Every outside door has a bright, working light to illuminate visitors. Floodlights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination. Outdoor lights are on in the evening whether someone is at home or not or a photocell or motion-sensitive lighting system has been installed. Our house number is clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly. Please make sure that your house number is located below a light so it is clearly displayed. This helps us find you quicker. Numbers painted on the curb are nice in the summer time, but are of no help after it snows. 33 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property It can be difficult to protect your home from burglars while you are home--so what do you do to protect your home while you are away?
34 Security When Away from Your Home At least two light timers have been set to turn the lights on and off in a logical sequence, when we are away from home for an extended time period. The motion detector or other alarm system (if we have one) has been activated when we leave home. Mail and newspaper deliveries have been stopped or arrangements for a neighbor/ friend to pick them up have been made when we go away from home for a period of time. A neighbor has been asked to tend the yard and watch our home when we are away. The best strategy to defeat a burglar is to make your home look like someone is home, when no one is there. Adding lights on timers at night, and perhaps a radio tuned to a talk radio station during the day are great decoy measures. There is even a device on the market called FAKETV that displays different colors of flashing light to provide the illusion that your television is on. 35 Security When Away from Your Home At least two light timers have been set to turn the lights on and off in a logical sequence, when we are away from home for an extended time period. The motion detector or other alarm system (if we have one) has been activated when we leave home. Mail and newspaper deliveries have been stopped or arrangements for a neighbor/ friend to pick them up have been made when we go away from home for a period of time. A neighbor has been asked to tend the yard and watch our home when we are away. Make sure that you arm all components of your alarm system before leaving your home. Often motion sensors can be adjusted to accommodate pets. Contact your alarm system provider to see what they offer. 36 Security When Away from Your Home At least two light timers have been set to turn the lights on and off in a logical sequence, when we are away from home for an extended time period. The motion detector or other alarm system (if we have one) has been activated when we leave home. Mail and newspaper deliveries have been stopped or arrangements for a neighbor/ friend to pick them up have been made when we go away from home for a period of time. A neighbor has been asked to tend the yard and watch our home when we are away. It is usually a better idea to just have a trusted neighbor pick up your newspaper rather than stop it if that is an option for you. They can also set a trash can in your driveway on trash day, have someone shovel your driveway after a snow, and pick up any mail while you are gone for an extended time.
37 Security When Away from Your Home At least two light timers have been set to turn the lights on and off in a logical sequence, when we are away from home for an extended time period. The motion detector or other alarm system (if we have one) has been activated when we leave home. Mail and newspaper deliveries have been stopped or arrangements for a neighbor/ friend to pick them up have been made when we go away from home for a period of time. A neighbor has been asked to tend the yard and watch our home when we are away. Good neighbors are your best defense against burglary. Just remember to offer to help them out when they are away and form a partnership of prevention. 38 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Now we will look at some tips for securing outdoor valuables and other personal property. 39 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 1 Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are all locked with high security, laminated padlocks. Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are locked after every use. Grills, lawn mowers, and other valuables are stored in a locked garage or shed, or if left out in the open, are hidden from view with a tarp and securely locked to a stationary point. Every bicycle is secured with a U-bar lock or quality padlock and chain. Make certain to use high quality locks that are not easily defeated to protect your property stored in outbuildings and around your home. Remember that an unsecured ladder might be just the tool the burglar needs to reach an open window on your home or your neighbor s home.
40 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 1 Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are all locked with high security, laminated padlocks. Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are locked after every use. Grills, lawn mowers, and other valuables are stored in a locked garage or shed, or if left out in the open, are hidden from view with a tarp and securely locked to a stationary point. Every bicycle is secured with a U-bar lock or quality padlock and chain. Most burglaries happen in daylight hours. Imagine how easy it is for someone to steal something from your garage if the door is left open while you are mowing the lawn in the back yard. 41 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 1 Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are all locked with high security, laminated padlocks. Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are locked after every use. Grills, lawn mowers, and other valuables are stored in a locked garage or shed, or if left out in the open, are hidden from view with a tarp and securely locked to a stationary point. Every bicycle is secured with a U-bar lock or quality padlock and chain. Small, easy-to-sell items are always on a burglar s radar. 42 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 1 Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are all locked with high security, laminated padlocks. Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are locked after every use. Grills, lawn mowers, and other valuables are stored in a locked garage or shed, or if left out in the open, are hidden from view with a tarp and securely locked to a stationary point. Every bicycle is secured with a U-bar lock or quality padlock and chain. It is estimated that over 1.5 million bicycles will be stolen this year in the United States. Make sure that when bicycles are ridden to school or left outside at your home that they are secured.
43 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 2 Bikes are always locked, even if we leave them for just a minute. Firearms are stored unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks. Valuable items, such as televisions, stereos, and computers have been inscribed with identifying number. Our home inventory is up-to-date and includes pictures. A complete copy is kept somewhere out of the house. The average cost of a bicycle is $250 and can easily be sold by a thief. Record the serial number of the bicycle, take pictures, and always make a report if you have a bicycle stolen. Bicycle thefts are vastly under reported to police. 44 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 2 Bikes are always locked, even if we leave them for just a minute. Firearms are stored unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks. Valuable items, such as televisions, stereos, and computers have been inscribed with identifying number. Our home inventory is up-to-date and includes pictures. A complete copy is kept somewhere out of the house. Firearms must be protected in your home. Not only from burglars, but from the children who live in or visit your home. Children have a way of discovering the best planned hiding places. 45 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 2 Bikes are always locked, even if we leave them for just a minute. Firearms are stored unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks. Valuable items, such as televisions, stereos, and computers have been inscribed with identifying number. Our home inventory is up-to-date and includes pictures. A complete copy is kept somewhere out of the house. Record the serial numbers take pictures and inscribe an identifying mark on all personal property. By doing so you cut the burglars profit in half and most pawn shops will not even accept inscribed property. Contact the Leawood Police Department-Crime Prevention Unit to borrow an electric engraver.
46 Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property-part 2 Bikes are always locked, even if we leave them for just a minute. Firearms are stored unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks. Valuable items, such as televisions, stereos, and computers have been inscribed with identifying number. Our home inventory is up-to-date and includes pictures. A complete copy is kept somewhere out of the house. A simple home inventory is included in the Residential Security booklet that can be downloaded from this webpage. Make sure the completed copy along with video of each room in your home is stored in a bank vault or other off site safe storage location. 47 HERE IS WHAT WE WILL COVER IN THIS SECURITY SURVEY: Exterior Door Safety Garage and Sliding Doors Protecting Windows Outdoor Security Security When Away from Your Home Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Congratulations you have just completed our virtual home security survey. We hope you have enjoyed this presentation. Remember, you can always request a crime prevention officer to come to your home and provide a more extensive survey. Just call the Leawood Police Department and ask for a crime prevention officer. You can also download and print the complete Leawood Police Department Residential Security booklet located on this web page. 48 Resources Leawood Police Department Crime Prevention Unit 913-642-5555 Ask for a Crime Prevention Specialist Thank you for joining us as we have talked about some ways to secure your home. If you would like more information on Home Security or other prevention training programs, call the Leawood Police Department at 913-642-5555 and ask for a Crime Prevention Specialist. 48