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What you can do to protect your home from burglars

Posted at 6:43 PM, Jul 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-21 11:12:24-04

For weeks, we've been telling you about crooks breaking into people's homes in different neighborhoods. Even Wayne Newton was targeted.

Many of you expressed your concerns over social media. So 13 Action News spoke with a security expert on what you can do to protect your home.

Typically, burglars go directly to your backyard where they cannot be seen. They may look around to see if there are any weapons they can use like a rock or a chair. Whatever you have left outside, they'll use it to break through the weakest points of your house like glass doors or windows.

Don Lee of Security Assessment Group demonstrated how security screens work to protect vulnerable entryways. He grabbed a baseball bat and hit a security screen several times with force. It does not break at all. 

Standard unprotected windows and doors would easily cave in when met with strong force. That's why security screens provide an added layer of protection.

Don Lee says, " There's a standoff distance between the screen and the window itself so that impact alone that's not going to break your window."

Depending on the size of your home, putting up security screens can cost hundreds of dollars.

Security films hold shattered glass together and cost much less.

"You can see, they're not through the glass yet. So this can take a tremendous amount of force. Someone's gotta work through this," says Lee.

Here's what you should double check inside your home.

"Around the valley there has been an issue of people taking sliding glass doors our of the track." 

With just a little pressure, some glass doors are easy to force out.

"These locking systems right here, this is called a double bolting lock system and that locking system will hold up to a thousand pounds of pressure."

Double bolt locks are a cheap alternative.

"These cost people like 30 bucks. Thirty, $40 dollars and they're designed as a do-it-yourself, get them online.

There are the usual security alarm systems and surveillance cameras you can put up. There are different options you can look into depending on your budget.

"People at the end of the day have to start realizing what is your peace of mind worth and what is keeping somebody out of your house truly worth."

Another option: you can put plants or thorny bushes beneath your windows to deter criminals.

Also, you can request police to come to your house and do a home security survey for free to help you determine what else can you do to protect your home.