The best choice you can make is to invest in a monitored home security system. ADT is your best choice. It is the nation’s top home security company and has the years of experience and the testimonials to prove it. ADT offers the best 24/7 monitoring in the country. In the event of an emergency, the monitoring center will dispatch the police, fire or medical services to your home. This is the fasted and safest route if such an emergency were to take place.

In addition to your ADT monitored system, there are additional steps that you can take to ensure that your home is safe and secure. In 2008, there were 3,320 fire related-deaths in the United States. Home fires are the number one cause of such deaths. Installing an ADT monitored smoke detector can prevent a casualty. Not only will the smoke alarm be triggered, but also the monitoring center will be contacted and proceed to further emergencies contacts if necessary.

As a member of a community, an excellent way to help ensure the protection of your home and those of your neighbors is to create a Neighborhood Watch. No thief would like to enter into a community that is dedicated to protecting each other. A Neighborhood Watch can provide ongoing protection against threats across multiple areas of risk for everyone in your community. Not only are you ensuring safety in your area, but there will be a greater sense of community and unity, not only in your neighborhood, but in your home as well. Neighborhood Watches are simple and easy to get started and most neighbors will join in on the efforts.

Another helpful tip is to always lock all of your doors and windows. Also, do not leave spare keys underneath doormats or flowerpots; these are targets for burglars, and you will regret placing your spare key there when an incident occurs in your home. It is a better idea to leave one with a trusted neighbor or relative. There are many different options and steps that you can take to help increase your safety and security. Make a plan that will best suit your family and home’s needs.

The first step is to have good lighting in your home. A criminal does not want to be caught red handed. Therefore, by installing the proper exterior lighting in your home, you are greatly increasing the rate of the burglar being caught in the act, and consequently decreasing your chances of experiencing a home intrusion. Not only are you improving your safety, but you are also enhancing the beauty and value of your home, as well as accommodating yourself and visitors while walking in and out of your home at night.

Second, you should also maintain a well-manicured lawn. If you have many bushy plants around your home, they are a great hiding place for criminals. While it may be aesthetically pleasing, maintaining this type of landscape can endanger your family and home’s safety. This does not mean that you cannot have a beautiful landscape and garden in your home, just maintain it to where it is not a good hide out for burglars.

Third, make sure that you remove papers and mail. Most burglaries occur when a home is unoccupied. One sure sign that no one is home is a pile of uncollected newspapers and an overflowing mailbox. Have a family member or trusted neighbor collect your mail and newspapers while you are away.

Fourth, make sure that your doors and windows are securely locked and latched. While a locked door may not prevent a burglary, it definitely makes the entry harder on the burglar

Fifth, maintain your home and yard. This is a simple way of protecting your home. As previously mentioned, trimming bushes and shrubs that are planted beside the home can remove cover, giving the criminals nowhere to hide. Keeping your surroundings clean will not only be pleasing to the eye and make coming home a delight, but also increase your safety.

Sixth, make it seem like you are home. Leaving a light on is a common method for making a home appear occupied. However, if a burglar notices that the same light in a home is on for several days and nights in a row, it can be safely assumed that no one is home. You may want to install an automated timer. Automated timers activate lights and other appliances when you are not home to increase security and provide a pleasant, lit environment to come home to. This is a great way to truck a thief.

Seventh, join or form a neighborhood watch. This is a great way for neighbors to help each other stay safe and secure. Post neighborhood watch signs throughout the neighborhood and in the yards of residents. Burglars hate knowing they are being watched.

Eighth, you may want to have watchdogs. Remember that a large dog like a German Shepard or a Doberman Pincher is going to need ample space to move.  Also, make sure this is a safe choice for your entire family.  Watch dogs can not only protect your home, but also make a great companion.

Ninth, install a monitored home security system. The presence of a home security system is one of the biggest things burglars try to avoid. ADT is America’s number one home security company. They have various plans and packages to best meet your family’s needs.

And finally, whether you have a security system or not, you can make the thief think that you do. Putting a few bright, reflective security signs in your yard and stickers in the windows can help deter any would be criminal. Make sure that you change these signs out on a regular basis to keep them bright and readable.

1. Make sure your doors are heavy duty, metal preferably, and that the frame is just as strong. A significant percentage of burglars gain entrance to homes by physically dismantling flimsy doors with weak frames.

2. When away from your home for longer periods of time be sure to not make your absence obvious. Getting your mail forwarded, keeping your grass cut and your bushes trimmed, and having a neighbor pick up your newspapers in your absence are a few good ways to keep up the appearance that someone is currently living in the home. If there is a mailbox full of mail, a weeks worth of newspapers piled up, and a yard that shows no sign of maintenance it will be an easy clue to burglars that nobody is home and will definitely increase your chance of being victimized.

3. Consider joining or starting a neighborhood watch group for your area. This is a good way to keep a watchful eye on your property even when you are at work or just out and about. Burglaries are extremely less likely to happen in communities that have an active neighborhood watch group. Contact your local law enforcement agency for assistance in starting one of these groups in your neighborhood.

4. Keep the outside of your home well lit. Burglars thrive in the dark; don’t let them get comfortable prowling around your home. Install motion sensor lights, or even just keep your porch lights on, to keep your home from falling into a shroud of darkness. Make sure to place these lights high enough that they are less vulnerable to an easy disconnection.

5. Make sure your windows are secured and locked tightly. This will keep the burglar from slipping into your home easily and unnoticed. Also, you might want to keep your curtains shut or blinds closed to prevent burglars from identifying the valuables in your home.

6. Install a video surveillance system. In the last few years there has been an influx of cheap, easy to install video surveillance systems. Some of these can connect to your television, others run through your computer. These are great ways to see who is on your property at any given time, and will alert you of an intruder almost immediately. If you are away from home, you can video tape the premises. That gives you the chance, in the case of a burglary, to have a good identification of the vandal and a better chance of regaining your lost belongings.

7. The best way to keep burglars out of your home seems to be the installation of a home security system. Putting signs in your yard stating you are protected will be your first line of defense. If the intruder still decides to continue breaking into your home he will be greeted with a high pitched alarm. After a certain amount of time the police will be dispatched to the location. That sort of security combination will do a great deal to keep potential burglars far away from your home.

These are just a few of the ways you can help keep your home safe. Contact your local police department for more tips on keeping intruders away and making sure your home is as secure as it can be.

Although it is a well known fact that using a state of the art monitored home security system is the absolute best way to protect your home and loved ones, there are other measures one can take to ensure a safe environment at home. The FBI as well as all other law enforcement authorities statistically agree and confirm that you are much less likely to be a burglary victim by installing a monitored alarm, however they also agree that it is an absolute necessity to take extra precautions which will in fact deter a burglar from targeting your particular home. The following is a list of what most security experts consider to be the most proficient as well as cost effective ways of equipping your home with additional layers of protection. As previously stated, the following list of measures is not to be considered an alternative or replacement to your monitored security system, but rather an enhancement to it.

1. Installing a closed circuit security camera system in your home is considered to be the number one method of deterring criminals from targeting your home. Although this method of deterring burglars is very effective, it many times is not possible because of the high price tag that comes along with it. One simple way of getting the visual effect of having a cctv system without the cost involved is to purchase what is referred to as “dummy cameras”. These cameras give the appearance of having a surveillance system on the exterior of the house, but are inoperable cameras and serve no other purpose. Some models even come with a red LED light which is powered by an inexpensive 9volt battery, which gives the illusion of being fully operational.
2. Another effective way to deter criminals, is by making sure your premises are well lit at night. Some years ago it was uncommon for burglars to attempt a break in at night, however today it is not uncommon whatsoever. Using flood lights around the perimeter of your home with timers to activate them at night is a great way to keep your home safe. If you are concerned about the excessive use of electricity that flood lights will produce, then put in flood lights with built in motion sensors, so they only turn on when movement is detected.
3. Using better locks is suggested as being one of the best ways of stopping or deterring criminals from targeting your home. The use of double key dead bolt locks on all entry doors creates a very difficult entry point for even professionals. If a burglar enters through a window but cannot exit through a door locked with key from inside, he must exit the same way he came in.
4. Although plush landscaping gives wonderful privacy from your neighbors, it has its drawbacks when it comes to security. Overgrown landscaping is a safe haven for would be burglars. It creates a barrier from all of your neighbors and makes for an easy entry into your home. Cut back all landscaping, especially in the rear of your home as to not make it impossible for anyone to see an intruder attempting to enter your home.
5. Create or join an existing neighborhood crime watch in your community. Statistics show that neighborhoods that have an established crime watch association are much less likely to have a series of break ins take place. These organizations help you know what is going on around your neighborhood and gives you regular one on one communication with local law enforcement officials.
6. When going on vacations make sure to leave a person responsible for picking up your mail as well as your daily newspapers. Especially in the summer months, burglars are scoping out neighborhoods to find homes which give the appearance of being empty for days or weeks at a time. Make sure your lawn is cut even if you are out of town and have timers installed on some outside lights to give the impression of daily activity.
7. One of the best burglar deterrents is having a watch dog in the yard. Although this option is not for everyone, having a watch dog makes your home a much less likely candidate for a burglary attempt. Even though dogs require a lot of attention, the return you receive in securing your hoe is well worth it.
8. Do not attract attention by leaving any valuables in your vehicles outside the home. If you have a garage, keep your vehicle inside the garage during the day and especially at night. Make sure to close the garage roll up door at all times. Burglars quite often drive around looking for an easy opportunity, like an open garage door.
9. Outdoor photo electric beams are an excellent way of preventing anyone from entering your property unauthorized. Although these units can be very expensive to install, the security they provide in any home far outways the expense. If you decide to install these beams in your home, make sure no dogs or neighbors will be able to wander into your yard.
10. The last way you can make you and your family safer is to make sure you are always aware of your surroundings at all times. When exiting your car take a good look around prior to getting out. If anyone knocks on your door, ask who it is and if you are not expecting anyone do not open the door under any circumstance.

Taking preventative action toward a home burglary will keep your home and family one step ahead of the intruder and quite a few steps closer to safety and protection. An empty home for a prolonged amount of time is an easy target. So, how do you mislead a burglar into believing there is someone home at all times while you’re on a vacation? By following a list of tips such as these:

•  Lock all your doors and windows, including upper stairs windows, garage and pet doors.
•  Cancel all mail and newspaper deliveries as to not create an overflow. An overflow of either one will immediately give the impression no one has been home for a while. Your local Post Office will be more than happy to hold all of your mail (including propaganda) till your arrival.
• If your vacation is a long one, ask a friend or family member to mow your lawn on a regular basis while you’re gone and compensate them in some way for their trouble.
• Leave your car in the driveway. If you’re going on a trip in your car, ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway till you arrive home from your trip.
• Ask an entrusted friend or family member to check on your house every now and then, leaving them a spare key so they can do a check inside as well. Remember to leave I.C.E. numbers (in case of emergency) where they can contact you.
• Use timers or controlled switches to turn lights on and off at certain times of the day, this creates a busy look in the home and imitates everyday habits.
• Be part of a neighborhood watch project. Get to know your neighbors, and report any suspicious characters to your local police department immediately.
• Do not broadcast your absence. Do not leave an outgoing message on your email account or voice mail, a note on your door, or away messages on Instant Messengers that you will be away. You do not want the wrong person to have access to this kind of information.
• Make sure to update your burglar alarm company’s monitoring center with the phone number of where you can be located in the event of an intrusion or emergency occur.
• Last, but definitely not least, remember to leave the security system codes for the person you entrusted with the key to your home so that they may activate and deactivate as necessary upon entering and exiting your home. With the help of a great home security system provider, you can obtain a system that actually allows you to see your security cameras footage from the Internet. These special cameras are called IP network security cameras. These cameras are connected to your computer which allows you to stream exactly what the camera is recording live, from any location in the world. This system also proves to be very helpful for many people.

If prevention and protection are something you consider a first priority, then you should have minimal worry about the safety of your home while you’re away. With the proper steps you will be able to fully enjoy peace of mind while on your vacation.

Bon Voyage.