Especially when you're away from home, thoughts of your house's safety from outside threats can weigh heavy on the mind. It's natural to imagine the worst case scenario, and while you can be assured that most of the time that will not come to pass, fortifying your home can give you some peace of mind regardless. Bob Tedeschi of The New York Times spoke with some home security experts in an effort to hone in on what exactly needs to be the focus when attempting to upgrade your home's protection.
Tedeschi got in touch with Yost Zakhary, a vice president at the International Association of Chiefs of Police; James Klein, who oversees the New York City Police Department's crime prevention unit; and Charles Sczuroski, a master trainer with the National Crime Prevention Council.
First off, an affordable way to make your home less attractive is to remove any obviously valuable items from sight. If a criminal doesn't feel that breaking into your house is worth it in the first place, than you've skirted the need for home security altogether (though of course it's still best to have it).
Another simple thing you can do is to check the structural integrity of things like your dead bolts and door hinges. For example, door hinges with easily removable pins are easy pickings for robbers, so making sure that none of your exterior-facing doors have them is crucial.
Most importantly for many houses, though, is to check the windows. They are the weak link of any home's security and have to be addressed in some fashion. That's where 3M security film can be a cost-efficient solution for you. Michigan Glass Coatings is the service to call should you want a quick and easy installation of that film.