Bojnice hotel offersYou can protect your home and your family, but you probably need a security system to do so.
Kathleen Reagan's experience on a recent Saturday afternoon is all too common. Her husband had just left to run errands. She was taking a shower after some hard hours of yard work at their suburban Minneapolis home. Her two sons were in another room playing.
A burglar entered through the unlocked front door, found her purse and disappeared with her credit cards, checkbook, and cash. Police told her the thief probably was hiding in thick bushes next to her home, looking for a chance to steal money for drugs, and saw her husband drive away."It's bad enough that I was vulnerable taking a shower," she says," But whatwould have happened if one of my kids would have come into the room just then?"
Siena luxury hotelsReagan was a victim of a cycle as predictable as crabgrass. According to the FBI, residential crimes, violent crimes as well as burglaries and robberies, are on the increase (with increases greatest during warm months). Figures from the Bureau of Justice statistics indicate that one in every 23 residences is likely to be burglarized this year.
While unoccupied homes are prime targets, Reagan's experience shows that a determined burglar will seize any windowof opportunity.
Reagan's brush with crime points out of the need for vigilance and taking precautions. You can significantly reduce the chance that you'll be crime's next victim by protecting yourself and your home. The Home Security Checklist on page 30 of this magazine suggests security-oriented actions you can take right away.
Taking all the suggested precautions will go far to ensure that you or your home won't become a crime statistic. But one additional safeguard is providing its value in the fight against residential crime: installation of UL-approved, professionally monitored security system.
U.S. Department of Justice statistics show property crimes are up almost 300 percent since 1990, but a 1992 Temple University (Philadelphia) study found that homes with a monitored security system are three to four times less likely to be burglarized. "Law enforcement experts agree that security systems significantly reduce the probability of being robbed or burglarized," says Chief Sylvester Daughtry, Jr., first vice president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Recognizing the role of household alarms systems in deterring crime, the insurance industry and law enforcement agencies have led the way in promoting their use. Many insurance companies, for example, offer significant homeowners insurance discounts for homes with alarm systems. Consequently, the number of home with a security systems is increasing. The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association estimates that one in six American homes is now electronically protected, up to 40 percent in the last five years.
What type of security system should you choose? Your needs and household budget will shape your decision. Basic systems generally deliver bare-bones security with economy: alarm protection against break-ins with 24-hour monitoring provided by a remote station.
Advanced systems add options. For example, these systems offer such features as alarm protection against fire, panic buttons,so you can call for help in medical or other emergencies, multiple access codes so your babysitter or guest can enter your home without disarming the entire system or interior motion detectors. The most sophisticated allows you to control the security system, lighting, appliances, and temperature from a central control panel or from a touch tone phone.
Whatever system and options you choose, the real key to an effective security system, say the authors of the Temple University study, is professional monitoring."For the detection component, there is only one effective investment: an alarm monitored by a central station," say Temple professors Simon Hakim and Andrew J. Buck.
Before you choose a security system, consider these recommendations from the Security Industry Association: