DIY Home Security Plan

To many, homeownership is the pinnacle of the American dream. Whether a new homeowner or someone that has resided in their home for over twenty years, physical security should be an ingrained part of your home security plan. While most mortgage companies require insurance to replace your losses after an event, what about the things that you cannot replace, like heirlooms, loss of life, and peace of mind? By implementing your home security plan, you are taking the first steps to protect your most important assets.

Physical security is the part of security concerned with physical measures that have been designed to protect people, equipment, materials, and documents from damage, loss, or unauthorized access. One of the first steps when addressing a home security plan is to identify what are the assets. An asset is anything of value to an individual or organization. It can be tangible and/or intangible properties such as people (family), physical objects (jewelry or art), or information (bank account information, hard drive with passwords on it). Simply put, assets are what someone is trying to protect.

We always ask, “If your house was on fire and you had five minutes, what would be the things in the house you would want to protect?” Family members, pets, irreplaceable heirlooms, like photo albums or hardrives.  Or another question to help identify what an asset is, “What keeps you up at night regarding the valuables in your home?” Once an individual has identified their assets, they need to determine what threats, vulnerabilities, and risks are present. A threat is an indication or event that can result in a loss, damage, or unauthorized access to an asset. Think home invasions, natural disasters, ransomware, etc. A risk is the likelihood of a loss from a threat, security incident, or event. Think of the likelihood of the event occurring.  Vulnerabilities are a weakness or organizational practice that may allow a threat to be realized or increases the magnitude of a loss event. This would be something like an open window or unlocked door.

Now that the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities are identified, it is important to conduct due diligence to determine what the threats are. For home physical security, this includes looking at the neighborhood and surrounding area to determine crime rates and current crime trends. This can be done by using applications such as Neighborhood Scout (https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/), LexisNexis Community Crime Map (https://communitycrimemap.com/), or Area Vibes (https://www.areavibes.com/) to name a few. You can also receive information about your neighborhood by contacting your local law enforcement department.

Once the assets, risks, threats, and vulnerabilities have been identified, now the homeowner can begin the home physical security plan.  A home physical security plan is not complicated it merely takes time and effort. In 2020 according to www.statista.com, there were 128.45 million homes throughout the United States. Alarms.org reports that there is a burglary every 13 seconds resulting in property crime losses estimated at $14.3 billion.  Some neighborhoods are safer than others therefore each homeowner should customize their home security assessment based on the environment of their home.

Both cyber and physical security protect assets by taking a layered security approach. In physical security, this is done by what ASIS refers to as the 4 D’s. The 4 D’s are deter, detect, delay, and defend. Below are the definitions and examples for each of the 4 D’s.

1. Deterrence – Presenting an obviously secure posture to those looking to exploit weaknesses. Having visible cameras and alarm monitoring signs are examples of deterrence.
2. Detection – Discovery of an adversary’s attempt to breach a secured area. Detection includes an assessment of the attack-whether it is a human, animal, or nuisance alarm. This could be something like a broken door frame which would indicate the door had been breached.
3. Delay – This means to forestall an eventual outcome of an attack that can lead to the loss of lives, properties, or materials. An example of this is having interior doors locked, and placing your valuables in a secure safe, which will delay the perpetrator after the initial breach.
4. Defend – These are the critical measures needed to protect valuable items inside your home. This is a matter of personal choice and comfort level for the individual. Many people are not properly trained or equipped to defend against a threat such as a home invasion. For those people, I suggest getting to a level of comfort and then using compensatory measures to assist in home defense. This can range from weapons to dogs. Just be aware of the laws in your jurisdiction and have and train with the right mindset.

Security in layers is beneficial when creating a home security plan. It is recommended to look at the threats from the outside in and inside out. When addressing delaying a criminal act it is important to determine the response time of the local first responders. This can be done by calling the local law enforcement office and asking what the worst-case response time would be for an officer to arrive at the residence. Ideally, the goal is to deter a criminal act at the property. If deterrence did not prevent the criminal act, then the next step is to detect the criminal and then delay the criminal long enough for the local authorities to arrive using the worst-case timing scenario.

Below are some easy steps you can take to help secure your residence:

• Lock your doors and windows – this is a simple step to take each night or before you leave the house. Many crimes are crimes of opportunity and taking this simple step will help to mitigate them.
• Light it up – By lighting the outside of a home, it reduces the places for someone to hide, limiting either time or location of possible breaches.
• Make it look like someone is home – When leaving for work or a trip, make it look like someone is home.
• Rely on neighbors – By knowing and having a relationship with your neighbors, you create a “community watch” where everyone looks out for each other and their property.
• CPTED – Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – Proper use of landscaping, lighting, and fencing can help deter possible break-ins.
• Security systems – Proper use of a security system can not only deter, but also detect any type of unwanted entry into your house. Even something as simple as having a sign or sticker from a security system can help deter a bad actor.
• Dogs – Dogs are great at alerting a homeowner to anything that is out of the ordinary. They are also great deterrents. Not only do they alert bystanders by barking, but they also present the possibility of bodily harm to an unwanted intruder.
• Do not flaunt high dollar items – Close the blinds when away or at night to prevent people from seeing in. When purchasing high dollar items, be aware of leaving the trash on the side of the road in the open. This informs and advertises your new purchase for criminals.

Some ways to help secure the inside of your house include:

• Research and use a reputable home monitoring system.
• Make it difficult to locate the assets. Do not leave them out in the open making them easy to grab quickly.
• Placing high-value items in a safe or secure area is best practice. Ensure the safe is secure and cannot be removed easily.
• Use motion sensors as part of your security system.
• Have a plan for fire, theft, robbery, or medical emergency.

These are just some of the ways to create a home security plan. Remember when planning, to also have an evacuation plan. Whether it is a fire, CO2, or a home invasion, it is a good idea to know what to do when a crisis occurs. For more information listen and follow us at www.coffeesquadpodcast.com or watch our web-series at www.fc-llc.org.

Freedom Consulting – WR