Tulsa World: Summer burglaries alarming

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Summer burglaries alarming
Take precautions to guard against crimes

Jason Powers/Tulsa World

By PHIL MULKINS World Staff Writer
Published: 5/27/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 5/27/2009 4:55 AM

Summer vacation time is here, but burglars never go on vacation — unless it's to live in your house for a few weeks while you're in Mexico catching the swine flu.

Standard homeowner's insurance policies cover theft of personal possessions and damage to the home caused by burglars breaking in. If you own valuable jewelry or other luxury goods, ask your insurance agent if you need to buy a floater to ensure their coverage.

The Insurance Information Institute says 2.15 million burglaries occur annually, 65 percent of which are residential break-ins. The majority happen in the peak vacation months of July and August. They like computers, TVs, CD and DVD players, jewelry and guns. Burglars are enjoying the "Obama's gonna get our guns" hype because it means more weapons — valuable assets for thieves — are being kept in residences.

You can make your home more difficult to break in to — making the crooks more likely to target some other house in your neighborhood. Research shows that if it's going to take more than five minutes to break into a home, the burglar will go elsewhere.

Take advantage of this fact by making it time-consuming to break into your home. Dead-bolting windows and doors slows down burglars. You might be able to get a 5 percent discount on your insurance policy for this.

Make it noisy to break in by buying a burglar alarm that sounds off to the neighborhood. The most effective are outside sensing services that alert the police, fire and other emergency services. A sophisticated alarm system can get you a 20 percent discount on your insurance policy.

Make sure you have strong doors. Outside doors and frames should be made of metal or solid hardwood at least 1 3/4-inch thick. Doors should fit their frames securely. Even the best locks won't deter burglars if installed on weak doors. Garage doors also need strong locks and your tool shed does as well — they'll steal the tools to break into your home.

Turn off your computer and disconnect it from the Internet. If you save personal information on your computer, be sure it's difficult to access by hackers.

Keep valuables locked up and well hidden — bank safe deposit boxes are good places. Don't leave personal documents in your home office or desk. Burglars know to look for them there. Put critical documents in a lock box or safe somewhere unusual. Keep copies of important documents at a relative's home or at work.

Keep your home well lighted. Mount exterior lights out of reach in your yard or on your house. Put indoor lights on timers to go on and off at appropriate times as they would when you are home.

Leave your house looking inhabited, leaving blinds or curtains open in their usual positions. If you are going away for an extended period, arrange to have your lawn mowed in the summer and your driveway shoveled in the winter. Have your mail picked up or held by the post office. Stop the newspaper for your time off, and ask a neighbor to pick-up "throw-down" circulars and keep an eye on your home and driveway for strange cars.

Call your police uniform division to ask for a "watch order" on your address. Police patrol officers will drive by occasionally when not on assignment elsewhere.

Tell trusted friends you are going away, but don't discuss your plans at the supermarket or the hairdresser's or other places where you don't know who's listening.

Doors not as tough as you may think

Crime databases show that 85 percent of burglars enter through a door.

That means a little three-quartersinch strip of pine door jamb is all that stands between them and the interior of your home. A determined 12-yearold could kick in the typical door.

Locking hardware is designed around a dead-bolt lock installed in a hole cut into the door. Its bolt slides through a hole in the door jamb and a flimsy metal “strike plate” that is screwed over the hole in the jamb with short screws. The bolt is long enough to pass through the plate and the hole – securing the door to the jamb.

When the door is kicked near the dead-bolt, the force is applied directly to the strike-plate, causing its screws to split the wooden jamb. As a result, the three-quarters-inch strip of jamb goes flying into the house, along with the door.

Various door-toughening hardware is available at most hardware and lumber stores. It reinforces the key strike-points on new or existing doors: the door jamb, the dead-bolt installation area and the top and bottom hinge areas.

Two types are available locally at Lowe’s stores: Door Jamb Armor (door security and repair) and Fix-A-Jamb.

Door Jamb Armor is also available at Grainger Industrial Supply.

The most successful is Door Jamb Armor, which costs $125 for the fivepoint system. DJA can also be used to repair a previously damaged jamb and can be installed in an hour by a homeowner.

All pieces are made of galvanized steel and can withstand harsh weather.

DJA allows you to turn any door — previously kicked-in or not — into an attractive, economical security door.

DJA’s patent-pending “jamb wrapping technology” provides the structural soundness of a steel-frame door at a fraction of the cost; replacing the whole pre-hung door system could cost $500.

In March, WREG-TV in Memphis, Tenn., tested Door Jamb Armor on its “Does It Work?” segment. DJA withstood a barrage of kicks and also several minutes of police battering-ram pounding.

This patented, five-piece door security kit reinforces the weak points to help prevent forced entry. Unlike unattractive security bars and screens, the kits are barely visible once installed and painted to match the door or jamb.

The product comes with a warranty paying $200 toward the homeowner’s insurance deductible if it fails.

Tulsa World consumer writer Phil Mulkins wants to know which topics interest you most. Call 699-8888 or e-mail your interest to phil.mulkins@TulsaWorld.com or mail it to Tulsa World Consumer, PO Box 1770, Tulsa OK 74102-1770. By PHIL MULKINS World Staff Writer

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