Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
entry is to grab a person who is expected and force that person to knock
and talk.
Never leave the door open or unlocked. Many of us unlock the door
a few minutes before we expect a family member to get home from work.
This is a common practice that must be avoided. On the sitcom
Seinfeld,
every time Jerry buzzed in George or Elaine through the downstairs door,
he immediately unlocked his door and left it partially open. Don't do this.
A very common technique used by burglars or home invaders is to walk
down the hall inside of apartment buildings and randomly try to open
doors. Invariably, they will find unlocked doors.
Try to avoid receiving deliveries at home. That is tough to do if you
are expecting the delivery of your new dining room set. But try to have
routine packages and mail delivered to the office. We discuss mail and pack-
age handling procedures in Chapter 11.
LOOK BEFORE YOU GO
When you leave the house, make sure you first look out of the windows,
peephole, or cameras and observe the area outside of your home. Pay
attention to the street. Are any unfamiliar cars parked there? Before you
leave, open the door and look down the street. Pay attention to your sur-
roundings, and make it a point to vary the time that you leave your home.
Another simple measure to take is to utilize lights on timers when you are
away from home. Most people have seen the movie
Home Alone.
In that
movie, Joe Pesci, the leader of a two-man burglary team, has all the timers
on the block figured out. True, the lights-on-timers method is low tech and
commonly known to burglars. However, like a good bowl of chicken soup
when you are sick, while it may not help, it won't hurt either.
LIMITING ACCESS TO THE HOME
Remember, these security enhancements will not help if you are willingly
admitting persons posing a security risk to your home. Most people
understand that they should deny access to unexpected visitors or unver-
ified workers. Sometimes, however, that same level of diligence seems to
lapse in regard to the employment of domestic workers. Hiring the right
