Securing Your Home

Homeowners frequently think of security only when planning a vacation.¹ Leaving home for a week or two, they install additional locks, set timers to trigger lights, purchase sophisticated monitoring systems, alert neighbors, and hope their homes will not be robbed in their absence. But most homes are not burglarized while their owners out thousands of miles away. And most burglaries do not occur in the dead of night. Most houses are robbed before 9 p.m., often while their owners are near or inside the residence.² Your house is more likely to be robbed while you are grilling in the backyard or watching a football game than when you are on a cruise or a camping trip.

Although it is impossible to make any home "burglar proof," there are some actions you can take to protect your home and property: ³

1. Document your assets⁴
   
   Make a list of your valuables. Photograph or videotape each room in your home. Keep receipts of major purchases. Store these and other records in a safe deposit box so you can prove any losses. Review your insurance policies to see if special items such as furs, artwork, or coin collections are covered.
   
   
2. Identify valuables⁵
   
   Engrave computers, televisions, cameras, stereos, and VCR's with your name or an identifying number. Police often discover stolen property but have no way of contacting the owners.
   
   
3. Always lock your doors.
   
   Nothing attracts a thief more than an open garage or unlatched screen door. Lock up even when you plan to visit a neighbor for "just a minute." That "minute" can easily become half an hour, plenty of time for a burglary to occur. Don't leave doors open if you are going to be upstairs or in the basement.
   
   
4. Install only security systems you will use
   
   Many homeowners invest in expensive, high-tech systems that are so cumbersome they leave them off most of the time. A cheap alarm system used twenty-four hours a day provides more protection that a state-of-the art system used randomly.
   
   
5. Trim shrubbery around entrances and windows
   
   Don't provide camouflage for burglars. Thieves can easily conceal themselves behind foliage while jimmying doors and windows.
   
   
6. Network with neighbors
   
   Let neighbors know if you expect deliveries, house guests, or contractors. Thieves have posed as moving crews, casually looting a house and loading a truck while neighbors looked on.
   
   
7. Store valuables in attics and basements
   
   Thieves are reluctant to venture beyond the ground floor, which usually offers numerous exits in case of detection.
   
   Finally, call the police the moment you discover that a burglary has occurred. If you return home and find evidence of a break-in - do not go inside!⁶
   
   The thieves, who might be armed, could still be on the premises. Go to a neighbor's and call the police. Never attempt to confront a burglar yourself. No personal possession is worth risking death or a disabling injury.

Question for Review and Revision

1. The student offers seven directions. Would these be easier to recall if emphasized by a title such as, "Seven Ways to Protect Your Home"
2. What misconceptions does the student address?
3. How important is the final warning?
4. The student writes in second person, directly addressing readers. Would this essay be as effective if stated in third person?
5. Read this paper aloud. Is the essay easier to read and remember? Can you remember the seven suggestions after a single reading?

Key to Highlighted Passages

1. Common misconception
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2. Facts about burglaries.
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3. Qualification, admitting nothing can fully prevent burglaries.
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4. Use of numbered points for easier reading.
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5. Use of verb phrases to emphasize action.
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6. Final warning.
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