SEAL Survival Guide (29 page)

POINT OF ENTRY

While in the field, there were many times our ops required days or even weeks to complete, so we had to set up defensive positions. The first rule of defense is to limit vulnerabilities. If we were holed up in a cave or had our backs against a mountain, we chose locations that would force any would-be attackers to come at us from a limited number of directions. This applies when securing your home, so that the opportunity to violate it is limited. Remote garage doors are easily activated with a master opener, and thieves can drive up and down a block to see which doors open with their device. Side or back doors often have fewer locks than the front door, and many sliding glass doors can be simply lifted off their tracks.

Of course, while we were in the field, we always had at least one of us on security watch, focusing on the place from which the threat was most likely to come. For the home, lighting and motion detectors can be used as sentries. Exterior defense, such as outdoor lighting that makes a clearly lit perimeter of one hundred feet, forces the home invaders to attempt only the front door. A security door or grate that remains closed while the main front door is open is the best way not to be tricked by the fake-deliveryman scheme. In lieu of that, there are now several inexpensive camera kits that allow you to view a live feed from a camera on your laptop anywhere with an Internet connection. These sentries are easy to install, come in stylish options, and let you know who is knocking on your door even if you are away on vacation. Even a dummy camera, not actually wired, makes home invaders think twice.

BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Once you establish that a neighbor can be a trusted ally, they can be one of the very best deterrents to potential crime at your residence.

How to form a neighborhood watch:

• Get to know all your adjacent neighbors: Make friends, or at least form a common bond for the good of neighborhood protection, with the occupants of the house on each side of your home and the three directly across the street.

• Invite them into your home and establish trust.

• Agree to watch out for one another’s homes.

• Allow a neighbor to have a key. (This solves the problem of hiding a key outside the door, where most experienced criminals will find it.)

• Do small tasks for one another to improve territoriality.

• Offer to pick up newspapers and mail while they are on vacation.

• If they are away, occasionally park your car in their driveway to make it seem that someone is home.

• Return favors and communicate often.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The proper outdoor lighting is definitely a deterrent to criminals, since they know it makes them more easily noticed and identifiable.

• Attempt to light the entire perimeter of your home or apartment.

• Make it bright enough for you to see within a hundred-foot radius. Illuminate the area strongly enough to identify colors.

• Use good lighting along the pathway and at your door.

• Use light timers or photo cells to turn lights on or off automatically.

• Use infrared motion-sensor lights on the rear of a single-family home.

• 
Do not
leave the garage or porch light turned on all day; that is a dead giveaway that you are out of town.

DOORS AND LOCKS

As mentioned, most forced entries are made via the front, back, or garage door. Experienced burglars know that the garage door is usually the weakest point of entry, followed by the back door.

• Use a solid-core or metal door for all entrance points.

• Use a quality, heavy-duty deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt.

• Use high-quality Grade 1 or Grade 2 locks on exterior doors to resist twisting, prying, and lock-picking attempts.

• Use a quality, heavy-duty knob-in-lock set with a dead-latch mechanism.

• Use a heavy-duty, four-screw strike plate with three-inch screws to penetrate into a wooden door frame. Lightweight moldings are often tacked on to the door frame and can be torn away with a firm kick.

• Use a wide-angle 160-degree peephole mounted no higher than fifty-eight inches.

SLIDING GLASS PATIO DOORS

These are very vulnerable to being forced open from the outside because of inherently defective latch mechanisms.

• Use a secondary blocking device on all sliding glass doors, like a wood dowel, a sturdy pole, a two-by-four, etc., laid in the bottom of the track, or a pin that goes through the
door and frame. These pins and secondary latch devices are sold in all hardware stores and are easy to install.

• Keep the latch mechanism in good condition and properly adjusted.

• Keep sliding-door rollers in good condition and functioning.

• Use antilift devices such as through-the-door pins or upper-track screws.

• Use highly visible alarm decals, BEWARE OF DOG signs, or block-watch placards.

WINDOWS

An open window, visible from the street or alley, may be the sole reason your home gets chosen for a burglary.

• Secure all accessible windows with secondary blocking devices.

• When you do wish to open windows for ventilation, open them no more than six inches and use a blocking device to prevent them from getting pried open further.

• Make sure someone cannot reach through an open window and undo the blocking device or unlock a door.

• Use antilift devices to prevent windows from being lifted out. The least expensive and easiest method is to install screws halfway into the upper track of the movable glass panel to prevent it from being lifted out in the closed position.

• Use crime-prevention or alarm decals on ground-accessible windows.

INTERIOR LIGHTING

To create the illusion of signs of life and activity inside a residence at night, interior lighting is necessary. A darkened home night after night sends the message to burglars that you are away on a trip.

• Use light timers on a daily basis, not just when you are away.

• Light timers are best used near front and back windows with the curtains closed to simulate actual occupancy.

• Light timers can also be used to turn on radios or television sets to further enhance the illusion of occupancy.

ALARM SYSTEMS

Alarm systems definitely have a place in a home security plan and are effective if used properly.

• Alarm systems are effective when used with ample and visible signage. The deterrent value comes from the alarm company lawn sign and from the alarm decals on the windows, generally causing criminals to bypass that property and go to another property without such signage.

• Alarm systems need to have an audible horn or bell to be effective.

• Alarm systems must be properly installed, programmed, maintained, and tested with your alarm company on a monthly basis.

• Consider adding a front-door camera to your system.

• If you don’t add an active camera system, use of a dummy camera can also be very effective. For purposes of safety, deterrence is better than after-the-fact evidence gathering anyhow.

• Make sure your alarm response call list is up to date.

• Inform your neighbor how to respond to an alarm bell.

DOGS

Dogs can be one of the most useful deterrents to someone thinking about breaking into your home. A barking dog, even a smaller one, is about as inviting to an intruder as a shotgun being pointed at his face.

Burglary

Of course, the goal of a burglar is to steal something of value without getting caught and to do so with the least resistance. Sometimes, simple burglary turns confrontational when a homeowner or occupant happens to be present when the thief had mistakenly believed the premises vacant. Burglaries occur mostly during the day, when people are generally at work or doing errands. Most burglars work alone and tend to prowl a neighborhood looking for the right residence and the right opportunity. Many of these operations are not highly planned, so a house is often targeted if it looks like it would be easy to get in and out without detection.

In general, these petty burglars want to avoid getting recognized or having to deal with physical conflict and will usually flee when approached. Remember, most burglaries do not result in violence unless the criminal is cornered and then resorts to force in order to escape.

If you encounter a burglar in your home, you should perform a
threat assessment.
Although you will understandably be surprised to encounter a stranger in your home, remain calm in order to immediately determine the level of threat the intruder presents.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS CHECKLIST
for encountering a burglar:

 What is in their hands? Do they have a weapon?

 What do they want, or what item does it seem they are in your house trying to steal?

 What is their physical condition and general appearance?

 Do they seem drunk or on drugs? If so, then they will be completely unpredictable and utterly irrational—
very dangerous
.