Security & Protection of Your Home

Has anybody taken initial steps to increase security of the interior/exterior of their homes, in the event this economic crisis turns into a lengthy recession or depression?

History shows as economies decline, crime increases. I would like to begin safeguarding my property, possessions, and family.

Any suggestions...?

I think the best thing you could probably do in such a situation is make "allies" were your immediate community and get everyone to band together.

What an odd coincidence you should ask this now. I have just discovered someone attempted to get through my sliders into the house, and I am sitting here freaking, even though the measures I took about 6 months ago held up.

The home we bought came with those gorgeous expensive etched glass full oval window doors at the front with full height sidelights. The back door had a lovely paned window in the top half of it, and every home in my city (Florida) has the most breachable item of all - the sliders.

I had both doors and the sidelights removed in favor of solid doors. Lost some light, but hey, it just seemed studip to have such easily breachable doors. Break the glass & you're in. The other thing was almost all the homes have cheap Kwik-Set "builder special" locks, and once the reports came out about lock bumping, and I watched a video on it, I bought commercial grade Schlage (sp?) non-bumpable deadbolts for all the doors.

Now onto the sliders, which are easy to get into without breaking them. I had ordered a security bar from my contractor to be installed when he changed all the doors. But when he came I discovered that my sliders are double sliders - they open either way, instead of one side solid. He also discovered that the frame had settled and had enough leeway to lift them out no matter how much he adjusted them, even locked. so anyway, it took the security bar and a good thick removable security pin through both doors to keep them attached, making it too cumbersome for them to be lifted out while locked. See apparently those cheap locking devices they come with will just pop unlocked if you can shift the slider itself up far enough in the track. The screen has the same lock.

Sure enough, about half an hour ago, I went to open the sliders in the Master, which I rarely do, and noticed the screen was not locked, and there is no way I didn't lock it. Also, the on/off lever on the slider itself was bent and the entire lock contraption was loose. Sure enough, someone had popped the screen lock and made quite an attempt at popping the glass sliders, but they held. The mechanism needs to be replaced, but it didn't come open. You can see where there was an attempt, because the frame is deeply scarred from the attempt to lift it past the lock.

I have no idea when this happened, only that it had to have been when I was at work, which is a problem because now I can't be sure whether it was a random act or has something to do with criminal charges filed last week against someone who is still at large and pretty pissed at me even before I filed charges, and I keep seeing him even though he shouldn't be in the area (work incident) even though he doesn't know the criminal charges are pending. Blast it!

Anyway, that is what I have done. It should be noted that the dog is no longer crated when I am not home, but I close off all but the main part of the house to him. No bedrooms, baths, etc. I think I'm gonna just deal with him being wherever he wants while I'm at work from now on, he can't protect half the house the way I have been leaving it.

As for when I am home, 2 weeks ago I finally bought some real protection. There have already been too many home invasions (while people are home) for my comfort level. The dog buys me time, but I know longer feel he's enough. I am just lucky I live in a State with the "Castle Doctrine".