These are some of my thoughts!!
Top 10 ways to help prevent home break-ins
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Great video, and I think you nailed it with the social media thing. But I gotta add to that as, once upon a time, I knew a guy....
With the cheap availability of "Wifi Deauther's" (or even full-blown RF multiband jammers), I would hesitate utilizing wifi devices for security. Especially unsecured devices like that "rang doorbell". Not only is it unsecured and can allow moderately experienced coders to observe you in your habitat, but they also offer a back door into the rest of the wifi network. And the real kicker is that wifi's natural susceptibility to interruptions means that a disconnect (or complete signal loss) does not register as an alarm in most systems currently available. Back in the day, a crook would need to look up your phone number, call you while sitting in the ditch at the phone junction box with a lineman phone to identify the line, disconnect it there so as to not cut a dummy line, pick the lock, take shoes off, rush in check for dial tone, leave for 10 minutes, come back if no cops arrive, again take shoes off, remove pillow case, fill pillow case with loot and frozen pizza, put shoes on, lock door and reset tumbler, have accomplice take loot while you wait for alarm to reset itself and reattach phone line in junction box. And since you took your shoes off, you made no sign of forced entry and never tripped the alarm, the owners become the primary suspects as soon as they call in the insurance claim. Unless, of course, you wanted to go old school and locate the magnetic door sensor with a compass needle and just saw the door horizontally to open the bottom half only...
Nowadays, all a crook needs to do is have their friend who works at the Grand Casino at the Grand Rewards desk tell him the address of the high roller who just went active sliding his platinum player's card in the slot machine.
I would also recommend having your neighbor to be aware of boisterous acitivity as it is not uncommon for real crooks to pull in the driveway honking the horn as a means to see if someone is home. "I'm here to pick up Jenny", suspicion gone.
Be weary of new technology, because as it gets easier for you to protect yourselves with budget Chineese tech, it gets easier for the crooks to jam, hack, track and infiltrate your personal life from a distance.
With the cheap availability of "Wifi Deauther's" (or even full-blown RF multiband jammers), I would hesitate utilizing wifi devices for security. Especially unsecured devices like that "rang doorbell". Not only is it unsecured and can allow moderately experienced coders to observe you in your habitat, but they also offer a back door into the rest of the wifi network. And the real kicker is that wifi's natural susceptibility to interruptions means that a disconnect (or complete signal loss) does not register as an alarm in most systems currently available. Back in the day, a crook would need to look up your phone number, call you while sitting in the ditch at the phone junction box with a lineman phone to identify the line, disconnect it there so as to not cut a dummy line, pick the lock, take shoes off, rush in check for dial tone, leave for 10 minutes, come back if no cops arrive, again take shoes off, remove pillow case, fill pillow case with loot and frozen pizza, put shoes on, lock door and reset tumbler, have accomplice take loot while you wait for alarm to reset itself and reattach phone line in junction box. And since you took your shoes off, you made no sign of forced entry and never tripped the alarm, the owners become the primary suspects as soon as they call in the insurance claim. Unless, of course, you wanted to go old school and locate the magnetic door sensor with a compass needle and just saw the door horizontally to open the bottom half only...
Nowadays, all a crook needs to do is have their friend who works at the Grand Casino at the Grand Rewards desk tell him the address of the high roller who just went active sliding his platinum player's card in the slot machine.
I would also recommend having your neighbor to be aware of boisterous acitivity as it is not uncommon for real crooks to pull in the driveway honking the horn as a means to see if someone is home. "I'm here to pick up Jenny", suspicion gone.
Be weary of new technology, because as it gets easier for you to protect yourselves with budget Chineese tech, it gets easier for the crooks to jam, hack, track and infiltrate your personal life from a distance.
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The landscaping one is a great point as well, one I've lived by. Unfortunately, good upkeep of property only deters 90% of (at least rural) crime. These crooks that are easily scared off by a clean yard are only interested in your TV, 4-wheeler, shotguns and (of course) your frozen pizza. The other 10% that like your front steps clean are there for your bank statements and computer to gain access to your identity and email (which you have the login saved) which gets them into online banking (and probably your foolishly saved bitcoin private addresses) and so forth. You really gotta know your crook and what you actually care about.
Your #1 best skill is to have a distraction like a safe bolted to the wall, in which they will obviously go out to your garage, borrow your own chain saw, and remove a portion of your wall and excitedly leave 30 minutes later. Lets just hope when they get home and open your safe, they do not find "nothing but a single camera" you stupidly used to photograph your handy work in the attick installing a secret safe. I'll resist using names here...
Your #1 best skill is to have a distraction like a safe bolted to the wall, in which they will obviously go out to your garage, borrow your own chain saw, and remove a portion of your wall and excitedly leave 30 minutes later. Lets just hope when they get home and open your safe, they do not find "nothing but a single camera" you stupidly used to photograph your handy work in the attick installing a secret safe. I'll resist using names here...
I've always suggested taking your front door off, bringing it in the back yard, place a few outward facing bullet holes in it, and reinstall door. When they see the deer blood stain on the stoop and notice the holes duct taped closed from the inside, i guarantee they will resist the urge to poke thru the tape and look in.
And when they dont realize your actually home, toss an m-80 in the living room home alone style and when they take cover behind that strategically placed rock in the yard, a speaker beside it plays an audio clip "BOOM, coulda got you here too.
Wars are often psychological, they should be on the homestead too.
Wars are often psychological, they should be on the homestead too.
Not just dogs, but large pit bulls! 
same here.
That’s just sad... pits are great dogs. Every breed may have natural tendencies but if raised right most can be completely safe. I’ve seen more aggression from German Shepards.
I would stay away from any kill the burglar signs. Why? If you do have to defend yourself from an intruder the prosecutor will show these signs in court and say that you were looking for trouble or you wanted to kill someone. Prosecutors are not your friend.
Nice list. A few items were correct mentions IMHO, but I'd expand on a couple of points.
Yes, trimming bushes and managing landscaping eliminates hiding spots, but it also conveys the message that you've got your sh*t together. It also lets cops that drive by easily tell if the doors/windows have been compromised.
Also, I dislike alarms. Well, I don't hate them, but there's better things to spend your "alarm" money on. I'd much rather spend the same amount of money target hardening your house (glazed windows, reinforced door jambs, better locks, etc..). An alarm works to protect stuff, and rarely lives up to expectations. avg response time from alarm trigger to police response is 8-10 minutes, and avg time a burglar spends in your home is like 4-5 mins. If YOU are home, an alarm only lets you know they're already in your house... Too late to protect you from harm. A dog, as mentioned, is primarily useful for alerting you that someone is outside lurking or attempting to break in. I've seen tons of burglary videos where BIG mean dogs just sniffed the burglars and laid back down. So an alarm doesn't protect you from harm, but it can be a deterrent (buy a $4 sign and target harden). Target hardening can prevent the burglar or invader from getting in, which is far preferable.
There's tons of videos out there about this, but seriously replace the 1" screws in your door latch and hinges with 3" hardened screws. Drill into the wood surrounding the jamb. This is the easiest way to increase the security of your front entry, and costs $1...
Also, I like the get friendly with neighbors advice... But even if you don't know them, there's something called a "NINE House Method" where you literally go to each of the 8 houses surrounding yours (the 9th) and introduce yourself to the neighbors, exchange info with them, and ask them to call you (or the police) should they notice anything suspicious. Most decent folks hate feeling like they're spying, or they don't want to admit it. Most people also inherently don't like getting into other people's business. So, GIVE THEM PERMISSION to be nosey and watch over your place. Let them know you'll do the same for them. Let the neighbors (unless you distrust them) know that you're going on vacation and to watch the place. Tell them if they see a moving truck in from of your house, with guys loading up TVs and such, that it's NOT you, call the popo.
And I'd encourage them to hit up the 8 houses surrounding THEIR home, and this will creep throughout the neighborhood, and if everyone is looking out for each other, it's a great community to live in. This works in apartment buildings too.
The other aspect about social media is not posting pictures WHILE you are on vacation. We all love that selfie of you with that amazing sunset (or with the resort parrots), but wait until you get back to post them.
Another aspect of opsec, is something most preppers are familiar with... DONT tell anyone about your valuables. Don't brag to friends about how much your new OLED TV costs, or that you just bought a 5,000 necklace for the wife. They might be cool, but they tell their cousin innocently, and the cousin is a burglar..?
Yes, trimming bushes and managing landscaping eliminates hiding spots, but it also conveys the message that you've got your sh*t together. It also lets cops that drive by easily tell if the doors/windows have been compromised.
Also, I dislike alarms. Well, I don't hate them, but there's better things to spend your "alarm" money on. I'd much rather spend the same amount of money target hardening your house (glazed windows, reinforced door jambs, better locks, etc..). An alarm works to protect stuff, and rarely lives up to expectations. avg response time from alarm trigger to police response is 8-10 minutes, and avg time a burglar spends in your home is like 4-5 mins. If YOU are home, an alarm only lets you know they're already in your house... Too late to protect you from harm. A dog, as mentioned, is primarily useful for alerting you that someone is outside lurking or attempting to break in. I've seen tons of burglary videos where BIG mean dogs just sniffed the burglars and laid back down. So an alarm doesn't protect you from harm, but it can be a deterrent (buy a $4 sign and target harden). Target hardening can prevent the burglar or invader from getting in, which is far preferable.
There's tons of videos out there about this, but seriously replace the 1" screws in your door latch and hinges with 3" hardened screws. Drill into the wood surrounding the jamb. This is the easiest way to increase the security of your front entry, and costs $1...
Also, I like the get friendly with neighbors advice... But even if you don't know them, there's something called a "NINE House Method" where you literally go to each of the 8 houses surrounding yours (the 9th) and introduce yourself to the neighbors, exchange info with them, and ask them to call you (or the police) should they notice anything suspicious. Most decent folks hate feeling like they're spying, or they don't want to admit it. Most people also inherently don't like getting into other people's business. So, GIVE THEM PERMISSION to be nosey and watch over your place. Let them know you'll do the same for them. Let the neighbors (unless you distrust them) know that you're going on vacation and to watch the place. Tell them if they see a moving truck in from of your house, with guys loading up TVs and such, that it's NOT you, call the popo.
And I'd encourage them to hit up the 8 houses surrounding THEIR home, and this will creep throughout the neighborhood, and if everyone is looking out for each other, it's a great community to live in. This works in apartment buildings too. The other aspect about social media is not posting pictures WHILE you are on vacation. We all love that selfie of you with that amazing sunset (or with the resort parrots), but wait until you get back to post them.
Another aspect of opsec, is something most preppers are familiar with... DONT tell anyone about your valuables. Don't brag to friends about how much your new OLED TV costs, or that you just bought a 5,000 necklace for the wife. They might be cool, but they tell their cousin innocently, and the cousin is a burglar..?
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to many noisy dogs,,,,they don't have to be biters just noisy as hell,,,,a thief is not wanting to draw attention
While I agree with your advice, a (defense lawyer) counter response would be, so your perpetrator saw this "clearly threatening sign" (as you claim) upon entry into the victim's home, a sign that said if they entered, they'd get shot, and your perp still entered? This clearly shows suspect's intent, their desperation, and a disregard for the homeowner's safety.
I would say this is called "providing adequate warning." Castle doctrine is a right to defend oneself in their own home. Even states with a "duty to retreat" generally still accept that in one's own home, at some point, one has the right to defend themself. So if someone breaks in, then it's not about "looking for trouble" - well I guess if someone breaks into a home with such a sign, they are certainly looking for trouble. .. or trying to commit suicide.
I'd say try to have your house look better inside then out I'm not saying it needs to look run down or trashy just rough around the edges in spots because hypothetically speaking if we think like a criminal for a second if it looks like there's nothing worth stealing why bother right? Also don't flaunt that you have nice things because you just make yourself a target for the criminals
I have an Australian Shepherd which barks when something goes bump in the night or if a stranger approaches in the daytime. People respect her. They respect her wishes because standing just behind her is my Canadian Eskimo Dog who does not say a word but has bitten two people coming over the fence ---and the whole neighborhood is terrified of this dog.
I live in a totally different part of the world. Prosecutors, police and the sheriff are indeed my friends and neighbors. First name basis. Very low population and very strong castile laws. Very low crime rate. Violent crime is almost unheard of. A jury would laugh a prosecutor right out of office if he wasted money trying to a convict a citizen for defending his home or family. I don't put signs up, but if I put that one up everyone would have a good laugh.
Mine make a lot of noise, even it is me or the wife coming home.
I have 1/2 Pitbull half mastiff.... hes a awesome dog!!
I can not understand this hate and fear of Pit Bulls. It is true they have powerful jaws and not afraid of a fight. Many dogs are like that. Any dog can be dangerous. Probably the most aggressive dog I ever saw was a little Mexican dog. He was so small no one was afraid of him, but he could give a painful nip. I have a Pit Bull/Doberman and he loves everybody.
This! This is why pit bulls have a bad rep...
dont get me wrong, I don’t hate the breed, but genetics and breeding have a lot to do with their disposition
Pit bulls are amazing dogs that get a bad rap but you usually can’t rent an apartment here if you have one. I’ve never met a mean one myself, but they are used for fighting a lot where I live. You can’t even leave your dog outside or it will be stolen. Chihuahuas are definitely more aggressive. Lol. I rescued our Ollie-pop from the streets and he is a chihuahua mix, even though I said I would never own one. At first I thought he couldn’t protect ****, but now he is loud and if I pretend to attack and kidnap my kids, he will bite me. He also learned the sound my phone makes when a security cam detects motion and he runs to the door and all windows every time.
