Inexpensive Home Security

 

 

This book is not intended to be about security equipment to protect your home, it’s about becoming invisible and reclaiming privacy. To secure your home, I recommend consulting with an “experienced” security professional.

 

The above expressed, here’s some inexpensive options:

 

 

Cheap Security:

 

A Loud Air Horn … If you feel threatened for any reason, toot your Loud Air Horn repeatedly. Use a SOS Pattern (short - short - short … long - long - long … short - short - short … repeat the SOS pattern). You could also just do a bunch of short blasts (four or more short blasts is the official DANGER signal between boats).

 

When hundreds of pro burglars were interviewed inside prisons, this was the only security measure that 100% agreed would have them leaving immediately. Of course, this only works if you are home and you keep the horn(s) handy. You can buy a Loud Air Horn at marine supply houses such as West Marine or online. Avoid the inexpensive models and get the $20 to $30 models that are LOUDER and have a bigger eight-ounce air canister for more blasts. Pocket-sized air horns are available that you can carry on your person, in a purse, fanny pack, brief case, backpack, camera case, laptop case, etc. An air horn is far superior to any whistle you blow into.

 

WARNING:  Your hearing may be impaired for a short while if you use an air horn while indoors. An inexpensive set of foam earplugs kept attached to your air horn is not a bad idea if you have time to insert them into your ears before use.

 

 

More Cheap Security:

 

Most burglaries, home invasions, rapes, etc., occur under the cover of darkness. Most burglars interviewed in prisons admitted they shy away from well-lit properties. It’s safer for them to target another property that “is not well-lit”. Motion-detector security lights on each corner of a home, and especially in front of entry doors, and first floor windows, are your best investment. These provide deterrence from burglary, home invasion, sneak and peek artists, or bad people in general. You light them up before they get to your doors or windows. This works when you are NOT at home as well as when you are at home. Outside lighting is your “best buy” for 24/7/365 crime deterrent.

 

 

Even More Cheap Security:

 

BIG Video Camera warning signs posted about a property are another form of inexpensive crime deterrence. Just the signs or better yet, with inexpensive motion detector battery-operated fake video cameras that have a red LED light-up when you come within 20 or 30 feet of them. Of course, real video cameras are even better to capture video of any Bad Guy on your property. The el-cheapo fake video cameras with the motion detector red LED are about $5 on eBay, and the BIG warning signs are about $2.

 

 

Boat Security Measures:

 

The 40-watt loud hailer aboard my Yacht can be heard for half a mile or more. Security sensors can be added to it. This is true of most marine loud hailers. My floating home does have a separate security system any home ashore would be proud to have.

 

 

A True Story From The Files Of The Author

 

Once-upon-a-time, many moons ago while my girlfriend and I were sleeping aboard my yacht, we were awakened by strange noises. As a precaution, I hit the “All Lights On” button on the security keypad in my boat’s master stateroom. This turned on most of the interior lights of my boat and activated two 500 watt outside floodlights. I went up to the main deck to see what was making the strange noises. I spotted two guys running away from a neighboring boat and carrying the distinctive orange oars belonging to that boat’s dingy. I did not recognize these two guys and they DID NOT belong in a locked private marina at 3 AM. I had determined the intruders did not belong (thanks to the 500-watt security lights). The intruders had been startled when all those lights came on and the floodlights turned darkness into day. They were running to escape!

 

I grabbed the mike and used my yacht’s loud hailer siren feature to send a short alarm. I then keyed the mike so I could describe the men, in detail, to the entire neighborhood. I next hit the panic button on my boat’s security system. This activated a 140-decibel whoop-whoop siren and two bright strobe lights that are part of the security system. I woke everyone up in a half-mile radius and later learned that neighbor boats, neighboring houses, and businesses placed about two dozen calls to 911. Those neighbors, who were placed on high alert by my security measures, directed the police to my boat’s exact location thanks to the strobes and siren that pinpointed the location. Both men were in their late 20’s and were so unnerved by the security lights, loud hailer, siren, and strobes. They swamped the dingy they had stolen from my neighbor’s boat in their haste to escape. The dripping wet bad guys climbed back onto the dock, only to be blinded by a high-intensity spotlight I kept handy. Myself, Mr. 12 gauge Mossberg pump shotgun, and a neighbor with a large gaff hook who was accompanied by his big ferocious looking dog, detained said bad guys between us. I directed them to “lay face-down on the dock”. A couple of helpful neighbors agreed to standby at the security gate to let the police into the marina. After going face down on the dock, the bad guys were terrified of my neighbor’s big dog. Unfortunately, the friendly pooch blew his cover as a “ferocious guard dog” by going up to one of the bad guys and licked him on the face. After the guard dog wrecked his cover, Mr. Mossberg served to keep them face down on the dock. Mr. Mossberg was only pointed at the sky, and never was he pointed at the soggy guys.

 

After about 10 minutes of waiting for police to arrive, one bad guy threatened to get up and walk away. He said, “I don’t think you will shoot me in the back”. My thoughts were something like “Frak … He is correct in his assumption” … and so I …

 

Immediately performed the next level of “shotgun intimidation”.

 

There is something “very intimidating” about a shot shell being chambered in a pump shotgun … The “ka-chunk” sound everyone recognizes. The bad guy reconsidered and decided to stay prone on the dock. Mr. Mossberg stayed pointed at the sky but now had one of the 00-buckshot loads chambered.

 

The arresting police officers showed up about 15 minutes later and took the damp burglars into custody. The police officers were grinning ear-to-ear while taking several neighbors statements and mine.

 

It was almost hilarious when, for the police officers benefit, I shined my spotlight on the stolen and swamped dingy that had drifted away and beached itself at a nearby park. My neighbor with the gaff hook and big dog proclaimed, “Hey … That’s my dingy!” He had not been aware his dingy had been stolen until lit up by my spotlight.

 

Suffice to say, these two burglars went to jail for Criminal Trespass and Burglary as they had robbed two boats near to mine

 

Did I mention … I used to be in the security alarm business!

 

In hindsight, I could have been better prepared to handle this incident!

 

While well prepared to stop, repel, and even capture intruders, I was poorly prepared to “detain them”. A couple pairs of handcuffs or some large plastic wire ties (inexpensive handcuffs), would have been useful to secure the bad guys. My helpful neighbor or I could have easily secured them to a handy dock cleat or lamppost so any attempt to leave would have been foiled. I would not have needed to chamber a shot shell in Mr. 12 gage Mossberg. Further, Mr. Mossberg could have been retired to his secure locker once the bad guys were shackled.

 

LESSONS LEARNED: Even if you think you are prepared, know that you cannot possibly be prepared for all things that can happen. I was not prepared to shoot these guys unless they somehow threatened my life. I’ve never had to point a firearm at someone, or been placed in a situation where it would be necessary to defend life by pulling the trigger. I honestly don’t know if I could pull the trigger in such a situation. I  certainly don’t want the death of another on my conscience. Therefore, I now have both handcuffs and big wire ties stowed in Mr. Mossberg’s locker on my current floating home. Also in the locker is a large canister of pepper spray, which is a nonlethal choice to subdue uncooperative detainees. A legal (in my state) Taser is another nonlethal choice I’ve since added.

 

I guess you can consider me a Security Expert. After the first burglar hit me in my 20’s (he was arrested many weeks later), I went into the security alarm business. I have not been burgled since and my record for stopping or repelling future burglar attempts (four tries to date), has been 100%. I’ve put several previously convicted burglars back in jail and my security system scared the rest away when I was not at home. Unfortunately, the bad guys don’t stay in jail for long or are released by their parole officers to be back out there doing it again (because of a lack of jail space for nonviolent criminals!). Thanks to my Police Officer cousins, who kept me informed, I know this to be a sad reality. The two bad guys in the true tale above were both on parole for previous burglaries, and were released from jail by their parole officer a few days later. They were arrested for burglary again just a few weeks later.

 

FYI NOTES:  About one percent of our USA population is imprisoned in our overloaded jails and prisons. However, two percent should be! It’s that one percent that is released, paroled, signed out by parole officers, or never imprisoned, and still on our streets, that does most crimes.

 

Most know one or more people from the not-imprisoned one percent living among us.

 

About 90% of crimes are committed to get drug money. Those crimes are mostly committed by the one percent living among us.

 

The majority of criminals are drug addicts and/or alcoholics … They commit crimes to support their addictions to the substances they abuse.

 

If you know or are related to any of the one percent that are not imprisoned but should be imprisoned and living among us … You should never trust them! These members of the “one percent of criminals amongst us” pose a big threat to the rest of us.