Home Defense- Physical Security

[mercop]

My $.02 and it will likely not make security system companies happy.

In my entire LE career I only even responded to one good residential burglary alarm.

I would save the installation and monitoring fee and do the following-
Motion detection lights. Lights, lights, lots of lights, did I day lights?
Part of my job as the breacher for our team was to form our approach plan. The biggest pain in the a$$ was motion detection lights. The farther they are set out to spot from the house the worse it is. Not only is your movement compromised but the light is likely to attract the attention of those in the house and neighbors.

The next thing is a glass break siren alarm. These are great. Sound does a great job of flipping on the old fight or flight response. Since they have just broken the glass the chance is good that there is nobody to fight, so they flee. This is very common with commercial alarms. If there is more than one intruder it also limits their communication.

Don't get me wrong, I do like alarm companies for their stickers. Next time you see one of the vans out and about give the guy $20 and get some alarm stickers, better yet, yard signs.

There were several times that we would do a search warrant on a residence and their alarm would go off. The alarm would go from their phone line, to the monitoring center, to our dispatch, and out to patrol. By the time this happened a 10 man team had made entry to the house, cleared it, had everybody in custody and turned the residence over to detectives.- George

 

[redneckmedic]

I couldn't agree more with everything above. We had (***) alarm company in Cumberland. Let me tell you, its not like the commercials! With Instant Investigation from the alarm company.

1. Alarm tripped
2. 30 secs then phone call
3. password given
4. if no one answers the phone
5. phone #2 called if no answer
6. phone #3 called if no answer...
7. PD dispatch is called.

PD run is entered, then officer is dispatched. Stops what they are doing. Drives to location. Gives a walk around and door bell ring.

Alarm companies are great for watching your stuff, not your family.

 

[Eddie]

Very True. I cannot recall ever making an arrest as a result of responding to an alarm. I can recall responding to boat loads of false alarms, especially in the nicer neighborhoods whenever there would be a thunderstorm.

 

[redneckmedic]

Very True. I cannot recall ever making an arrest as a result of responding to an alarm. I can recall responding to boat loads of false alarms, especially in the nicer neighborhoods whenever there would be a thunderstorm.

We had a fire alarm last spring in a very well-to-do neighborhood, it ended up being false, and the home owner attempted to tip the eight of us $100 each just for showing up quickly in the rain.

I told him we couldn't on duty, but I would be back in the AM to collect it for everyone...Hello Glock 26 ........I Kid I Kid But the first half did happen.

 

[jbhummer2]

Being on a Fire dept. I can see where you all are coming from. It takes forever to get through the whole process. But I will say that there are a couple homes still standing from alarms. They do tend to give you alot of false alarms. I have one just mainly because a gun safe will only keep a determind person out for so long but they dont have engough time to get through the safe by the time the police do show up.

 

[mercop]

We had a fire alarm last spring in a very well-to-do neighborhood, it ended up being false, and the home owner attempted to tip the eight of us $100 each just for showing up quickly in the rain.

I told him we couldn't on duty, but I would be back in the AM to collect it for everyone...Hello Glock 26 ........I Kid I Kid But the first half did happen.

So you did go back in the AM

 

[cosermann]

I agree that most people put too much faith in alarm systems, when they should only be one of many layers of home security.

I did my own install and setup monitoring with a national UL listed company for only $9/mo. My insurance discount pays for 4 mo., so my annual monitoring is only $72. Alarm companies are for those with more money than time (or brains), imo. And, I can install sensors for water, freeze, etc.

Those who think an alarm will "protect" them with a 30 sec. dial delay, the delays while the company confirms, etc., are similar to those who think the police will protect them. The response simply is not fast enough. Criminals know this. However, they also know when a system goes off, that they don't have an unlimited amount of time in your home. They will probably not have the time to breach the barriers protecting my valuables (which they obviously could if they had unlimited time, or even, 15 minutes with the right tools).

My alarm is primarily to alert ME when I'm home. Hopefully it will scare someone away with the noise if I'm not. In any event, it's only 1 layer of my security.

BTW, in case of fire, my system dials instantly and the company dispatches the FD immediately. My delays are setup (as required) only for intrusion, not fire.

If you're interested in signs and stickers:
Security Window Stickers OCUSTICKER

Ocusafe Yard Sign with Stake OCUSIGN-S

Security Yard Sign & Window Sticker Pack OCUSIGNKIT

I like my system, but I'm a gadget guy, and I recognize it's limitations.

 

[rhino]

mercop ... do you think we need lights, maybe the kind that activate when they detect motion?

Can anyone tell me how the glass break alarms work?

 

[Indy317]

I think alarm systems are great to have. For starters, there is the loud noise which would scare off most folks. Second, the whole point of a monitoring system is to call the police _after_ someone has broken in and is in the home. The goal is the loud noise to hopefully drive them off, thus preventing them from taking more stuff. It is also to tell them "Yea, you likely have a window, but the cops will be showing up sometime." In major metro areas, alarm calls w/o verification (i.e.: Neighbor also calling 911 to report suspicious person(s) possibly breaking in or stealing things), the calls are low priority, so it might be a long time before cops show.

My system calls us quickly, and they call the home first, then the cops, then secondary numbers. Thankfully I live in a suburban area and I know that at the times I am likely gone, the cops are more than likely not that busy.

Now to protect someone against a home invasion, well that isn't going to happen, especially since most folks don't have the system armed when they are just sitting around at home.

Alarm systems are just like good quality gun safes. Gun safes are not the end all, be all. If someone knows you are leaving for hours, they can bust your safe open. If they are really _that_ desperate for your guns/gold/whatever is in the safe, they will just ambush you and your family. You can't out draw a drawn gun...ever. All a harden criminal has to do is put a gun to one of your loved ones head and say "Open the safe."

 

[cosermann]

I redid some of my outdoor lights and added a few this summer for 360 protection. Found a MD light at Lowe's that has a couple of interesting features; 1) in addition to the sensor that looks "out" more or less horizontal in a fan shape (the one that most all have), it has a second sensor that looks "down" in a cone shape underneath thesensor, 2) it also has a "soft start" and "soft off" feature which turns the lights on and off as if using a dimmer switch from dim to full brightness and back the other way when shutting off.

So far I'm really pleased with the detection (it will reach WAY out if you crank up the sensitivity) and the soft on/off feature is supposed to double the life of the lightbulbs. Time will tell. I hope it works, because changing the bulbs on a couple of my lights requies getting the extension ladder out.

 

[rhino]

Do any of the motion detecting lights use LED emitters instead of incandescent lamps yet?

 

[Archbishop]

As an installer, let me clear up a few things posted here.
You're absolutely right, it's not like the commercial. The monitoring company will not be calling you right away. But I saw something post the lengthy steps that will happen before dispatch of police. If this is happening to you, then you need a new monitoring co. First, there may or may not be a 30 second delay. This is set by the installer from 0 - 250 seconds. (30 being the default.) Most municipalities around here may tell you that they want you to have the 30 second window, but they won't actually have an ordinance requiring it. The thought process of having it all is that if you make a mistake coming in one night and set off you alarm you'll have 30 seconds to turn off your alarm before central station gets a call, but let me tell you why there isn't a delay on mine and in most cases don't reccomend the delay. When the alarm goes off you monitoring co gets notified they call the premise. If you provide your code that's the end of it right there. If you don't it goes to the next level. They should then dispatch the police. Others have stated they will go through the call list first, this wastes too much time. They should send the police and then go through the call list to inform them that they dispatched the police. Think about it if the monitor company gets the alarm and no one at the home answers why should they call you first? Ya, I know it could be a false alarm, but if you alarm is properly installed false alarms should be very few and if they call you at the movies or out to dinner they are putting you in a bad spot. Hey, do you want us to send the police or do you want to race home to what could be a dangerous situation? The police should go in first and then of course call you to let you know come on home and talk to the police. If you don't have enough faith in your system to not give you false alarms then you need to have reinstalled.
So to recap,
1. Alarm sounds. BG is hopefully scared away. 2. instantly call the monitoring co. They will call the resident looking for the code. 3. If no code provided dispatch the police. 4. Call the customer via call list to let them know the police are at their home. Up to the police being dispatched should happen in under 2 minutes ideally just over a minute.
But I couldn't agree more, that this NOT to be depended on to save your life or even be you only security measure. As we all know if its about hurting some one you could kick in most front doors and run through a house shooting in well under a minute. You need a combination of several things. Lighting is always an excellent idea Not only do they help in the ways already mentioned, but if you decide to add cameras they will help for night time recording. Cameras that record to a DVR are good for after the fact, but could be important in iding the bad guy. Make sure you don't have shrubbery up around your house that would allow BGs to hide in. If you're able to, dogs make an excellent prewarning system, scare off some threats, and depending on the dog might actually join in the fight as needed. Among other things, DON'T forget to lock your doors, even when you're home! I can't believe, with the rise of home invasions, some people still don't lock their doors.
And finally, it goes without saying on this board, Get a gun keep it in a safe place and know how to use it and practice using it, when all else fails and the bad guy is in your home, waiting for the police to arrive could get you killed.
Stay safe everyone.


To answer a few questions that were asked.
1. LED security lights are possible. I don't know if anyone makes on specifically, but you can buy screw in type bulbs that are made up of LEDs. Just put them in your basic motion type lighting and you're set.
2. Glass break sensors are an electronic sensor. They are programmed to listen to the thud sound followed by the tinkling of glass. This then trips a relay that can activate any number of things a siren, a security panel whatever. The older style of foil tape that goes around windows just aren't used anymore.

 

[UncleMike]

In twenty three years on the force, and hundreds of alarm calls, I never answered a valid alarm trip.
Mike

 

[cosermann]

Do any of the motion detecting lights use LED emitters instead of incandescent lamps yet?

Not sure how economical these are yet. This one, which they claim is equivalent to a 120W incandecent or 90W halogen, is expensive ($140).
Less powerful ones are cheaper, but I can't get by with anything less than 90W in my setup and I prefer 100W plus.:

PAR38 24W Dimmable LED Bulb, Wide Spot Light, White

Most of the ones I've seen are for indoor home lighting/decorative lighting applications.

Bonus clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS7p_vY6qU4

 

[caddywhompus]

No one here has mentioned the OBVIOUS physical security option....
A deep moat around the house with your ex-wife as the moat monster!

 

[shftn6]

I think alarm systems are great to have. For starters, there is the loud noise which would scare off most folks. Second, the whole point of a monitoring system is to call the police _after_ someone has broken in and is in the home. The goal is the loud noise to hopefully drive them off, thus preventing them from taking more stuff. It is also to tell them "Yea, you likely have a window, but the cops will be showing up sometime." In major metro areas, alarm calls w/o verification (i.e.: Neighbor also calling 911 to report suspicious person(s) possibly breaking in or stealing things), the calls are low priority, so it might be a long time before cops show.

My system calls us quickly, and they call the home first, then the cops, then secondary numbers. Thankfully I live in a suburban area and I know that at the times I am likely gone, the cops are more than likely not that busy.

Now to protect someone against a home invasion, well that isn't going to happen, especially since most folks don't have the system armed when they are just sitting around at home.

Alarm systems are just like good quality gun safes. Gun safes are not the end all, be all. If someone knows you are leaving for hours, they can bust your safe open. If they are really _that_ desperate for your guns/gold/whatever is in the safe, they will just ambush you and your family. You can't out draw a drawn gun...ever. All a harden criminal has to do is put a gun to one of your loved ones head and say "Open the safe."

+1 here!

 

[indymike]

My $.02 and it will likely not make security system companies happy.

In my entire LE career I only even responded to one good residential burglary alarm.

I would save the installation and monitoring fee and do the following-
Motion detection lights. Lights, lights, lots of lights, did I day lights?
Part of my job as the breacher for our team was to form our approach plan. The biggest pain in the a$$ was motion detection lights. The farther they are set out to spot from the house the worse it is. Not only is your movement compromised but the light is likely to attract the attention of those in the house and neighbors.

The next thing is a glass break siren alarm. These are great. Sound does a great job of flipping on the old fight or flight response. Since they have just broken the glass the chance is good that there is nobody to fight, so they flee. This is very common with commercial alarms. If there is more than one intruder it also limits their communication.

Don't get me wrong, I do like alarm companies for their stickers. Next time you see one of the vans out and about give the guy $20 and get some alarm stickers, better yet, yard signs.

There were several times that we would do a search warrant on a residence and their alarm would go off. The alarm would go from their phone line, to the monitoring center, to our dispatch, and out to patrol. By the time this happened a 10 man team had made entry to the house, cleared it, had everybody in custody and turned the residence over to detectives.- George

Thanks for this info. After having my car broken into for a second time in 6 months, I have been debating getting a security system for the house. I already installed 4 motion detector lights and will now go with the glass break alarms. Great info!

 

[teddy12b]

My brother had me get the mail for him once at his old house and didn't tell me he had an alarm system. I brought the mail in and the alarm went off. A friend and I sat and waited for the cops so we could explain. We were throwing a football in the front yard for a half hour before the cops showed up. That pretty much lost all my interest in alarm systems.