Three Surprising Facts About Burglaries

In this day and age, we’re all relatively educated when it comes to home safety.  We pretty much know we can’t leave our doors unlocked anymore and not to say we’re out of town on our answering machine.  What may surprise you, though, are the lesser-known facts about home burglaries and thefts.

Daytime vs. Nighttime

When most of us imagine a break-in, we think of the man in the ski mask at night sneaking around in the dark.  We are mistaken, however, if we believe this is how most burglaries occur.  The fact is that most home thefts happen between 9:00am and 3:00pm daily.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  During a typical day, most people are away from their homes at work, school, or running errands.  Daytime is the prime time for homes to be left empty, whereas, most people are at home during the evenings and at night.  No burglar wants to get caught, so the best time is when nobody’s around!

Trimming Matters

We all know that HOAs and OCD neighbors like us to keep a well-trimmed and maintained yard.  For more than just avoiding being Public Enemy No. 1 at the neighborhood barbecue, it is of utmost importance to keep a tidy yard for the purpose of preventing burglaries.  Thieves look for untrimmed bushes and hedges to hide in.  The more overgrown the foliage, the better.  Especially in acreage near your house, if you have any dark or hidden areas due to plants, trees, or any other kind of clutter, you will be a prime target for a break-in.

Front and Center

We’ve seen in the movies where the burglar is sneaking in the tiny bathroom window, maybe getting stuck or tripping over the toilet.  While it may seem more logical to maneuver a sneak attack through a difficult entry, the fact is that most burglars enter through the front or back door.  Even more surprising, almost half of those are not even forced!  This tells us that obvious points of entry are the easiest for a thief, most likely because the lock is inadequate or they are never even secured to start with.

Especially in this day and age, never make assumptions about or take for granted the safety of your home from theft.  If you place the security of your family and valuables at a high priority, you should know that homes without alarm systems are three times more likely to be broken into than those homes protected with electronic security systems.  If you would like more information on how Watch Guard can defend your home from often unpredictable intruders, please contact us today!

Who's Next Door?

When you were a kid, were you out playing in the neighborhood until you heard your mom calling for dinner?  Did you and your friends ride your bikes around town until dusk?  These may be pleasant memories for you, but unfortunately, kids these days have limited freedom.  Gone are the days where kids are safe to play in the streets by themselves without risk of predators stealing their innocence. As unfortunate as this sad fact is, the good news is that there are advances being made in locating and knowing if registered sex offenders are living or working in your neighborhood.  Although not a method of preventing crimes from occurring, knowledge of who is living next door can help to either reassure or warn you when it comes to the safety of your children.

By clicking the link below you are able to search by state or name to see registered sex offenders.  Information varies by state, but typically will include their pictures, homes addresses, offenses, and work addresses.

U.S. Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website

By looking through offenders in your area, you will be better able to recognize suspicious characters, stop your children from spending time with or near them, and have a knowledge that may end up protecting your loved ones from potential harm.  The G.I. Joes knew what they were talking about when they said, “Knowing is half the battle.”

If you are aware of sexual offenders living or working in your area and would like further assistance in safeguarding your kids while in your home, please contact Watch Guard today.  We’ll put a security system in place to protect your home from any unwanted neighbors from next door.

I See You!

Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched? That’s the premise behind many movies and television shows; but chances are, it happens more than you may think! More and more commercial and residential spaces are utilizing video surveillance as a security measure – and for good reason! There are many benefits to adding security cameras as part of your home or business security systems including acting as a theft deterrent, monitoring activities, and serving as evidence for any crimes committed.

Deterrent

If a potential thief sees you have video surveillance, they are far less likely to pick your house or place of business as a target. They know that the chances of them getting caught are increased, and they will move on to an option much “safer” for them. This also works internally. If your employees or home contractors are aware that you have cameras installed, chances are good they will resist the temptation to steal from you.

Monitoring

Beyond warding off potential threats, a camera surveillance system can serve multiple uses while you are away from your residence or business. If you are gone on vacation, you will be able to see what is going on in or around your house. While you are not physically at your business facility, you can still see what your employees are doing in all areas of your space (even from your tablet or mobile device). This helps not only alert you when theft or vandalism is occurring, but helps you keep an eye on pets, employees, and other liabilities and interests.

Evidence

Should a crime be committed despite a surveillance system being in place, the good news is that you can use the images collected as evidence. Countless times, footage taken from security cameras has been exactly what was needed to identify and convict criminals, whether it was theft or another crime committed on personal or corporate property.

All these reasons and more are why you should consider investing in a video surveillance system to accompany your other security measures. Watch Guard can help you decide what is best for you and will design a security system for your unique personal or business surveillance needs. We’ll give you peace of mind knowing you really can be two places at once, watching out for what’s important to you while being free to enjoy life!

Don't Forget to Shut the Garage Door

How many times have you been an hour down the road heading to your vacation, and you wonder, “Did I shut the garage door?” Along with clicking off the coffee pot and turning down the air conditioning, the garage can be one of those things that pulls at you all vacation long wondering if you took care of it before you left! What many people won’t think about, though, is how to secure your garage even beyond making sure the door is shut. People invest in securing their homes through door and window locks and home security systems, but what about the garage? What have you done to protect your possessions there and secure that access into your home?

Hide the Remotes

What is easier for a thief than clicking a button to gain access into your home? They know right where to look for your garage opener, too – your car’s visor. To avoid having easy access through your garage automatic opener, always bring the remote in with you. They even have keychain remotes now which make it easy to have on you at all times. If you do happen to lose your remote, be sure to reset the codes on your garage opener.

Secure the Doors

As far as your garage door, you should unplug the automatic lift unit while you are gone for an extended period. This way, it won’t open even if the thief somehow gains access to your passcode or remote. If you don’t have the automatic opener, you can still purchase deadbolt locks for your door to more firmly secure the garage door from being able to open. Additionally, always lock the door into your home from the garage and consider purchasing heavy-duty hinges and locks for added security.

Fortify the Windows

If your garage is large enough to have windows, you should consider concealing them with a film or other covering to prevent snooping eyes from seeing all your garage goodies. To help stop a break-in through these windows, consider using interior bars (you can even make these yourself!) as an additional security measure.

Beyond all these measures, you should consider utilizing a home security system to notify authorities of any break-in while you’re not at home (or even while you are!). Motion detector lights are also a good theft deterrent, as thieves typically don’t like to be in the spotlight while committing their crimes. If you’d like any more information on securing your garage, please contact Watch Guard today!

Back to Business

You may only think in terms of security companies as being those salesmen who come to your door and want to stick a sign in your yard or sticker on your window. Or you may have actually made the wise decision to invest in one of those home security systems and always rest easy while you’re away, knowing your home is protected. However, have you considered how a home security company can help protect your business? At Watch Guard, we are more than just intrusion and burglar alarms. We offer many services that will help guard your business both during and after office hours including Temperature Monitors, Commercial Fire Alarms, and Access Control.

Temperature Monitors

There are many companies who need specific temperature monitoring of certain areas of their commercial space. Restaurants need to ensure their refrigerated areas do not drop below certain temperatures to avoid food spoilage. IT server rooms have to maintain set temperatures to avoid overheating and possible data loss. Garden centers and nurseries have to keep certain plants at specific temperatures for proper growth. Our systems are able to monitor all this and notify you when temperatures drop or rise beyond your required range – protecting your investments from total loss.

Commercial Fire Alarms

Every building and commercial space is different, but typically fire alarms, smoke detectors, and sprinklers are standard code requirements. What is not always required, though, is monitoring of these systems. You may have your sprinklers going off, possibly ruining valuable business property, without you even being made aware. By installing our commercial fire alarm monitoring, you can always know what’s going on with your fire alarm and sprinkler system at all times.

Access Control

Depending on your business, controlled entrance may be a necessity. If you deal with highly sensitive data, you may need to allow only certain persons into designated areas. If you are a school or daycare, you are likely to only permit entrance for parents, faculty, and visitors you are expecting. Churches may have offices located away from main entrances and will need to have a controlled access system to allow for visitors. There are many unique needs for these types of secured commercial spaces, and Watch Guard can provide appropriate monitoring and security for each one.

No matter what your business, some things are universal. The need to protect your customers, corporate investments, and commercial property is a necessity and one that should not be overlooked when it comes to budgeting. Talk to Watch Guard today for ways we can help make your business safe and secure, allowing you to get back to business!