Defensive tactics for thwarting thieves - electronic alarm systems

Nation's Business, July, 1991 by Peter Weaver

Local police departments say balmy summer weather can lull homeowners into relaxing their security defenses. Windows and doors are left unlocked, and many homes are left unguarded while the residents are away for weekends or longer periods.

In considering security arrangements, you should be aware that homeowners-insurance companies sometimes give premium discounts if a home is equipped with an alarm system.

"If you have a highly valued stamp, coin, or other such irreplaceable collection and you feel you must keep it at home," says Joseph Mele of Louisville University's National Crime Prevention Institute, "get a good alarm system from an established, reputable company that can keep it serviced."

Systems range from $2,000 to $4,000 installed.

Mele also makes the observation that "no alarm is really effective if your home is not otherwise secured with strong doors, deadbolt locks [installed by a locksmith], protected windows, and other such common-sense burglar-proofing measures."

As a matter of fact, some homeowners slip into a false sense of security, believing their "castles" are impregnable just because they have the latest in wiring wizardry.

Lyman Neal, a crime-prevention officer in Montgomery County, Md., says: "You get an alarm system, and you think that's it. ... You're safe, and you forget about locking windows and doors or having valuables around where they can be seen."

An effective alarm system, says crime-prevention instructor Mele, "should have magnetic contacts on doors and windows or window screens with alarm wires embedded in them to provide early warning."

To detect the presence of any intruder who penetrates part of a security system and gets inside the house, Mele adds, "you should have passive, infrared sensors that screen large areas."