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The home defense strategy includes tactics that may be used to protect the home. Burglars hit a home every 15 seconds. Why does a burglar pick one home instead of another? Burglars look for inviting "targets of opportunity," homes that are easy targets. To minimize the chances of being caught and to minimize the punishment if caught, burglars prefer to pick unoccupied homes. So one of the first things to do to protect your home from a burglar is to insure it always appears occupied.

Other tips

• If you lose your keys or move into a new home, install new locks.

• List first initial and last name on mailbox or door and in phone book.

• Hang curtains or blinds on every window.

• Leave lights on if you are going to return home after dark.

• Beware of places strangers might hide, such as under stairs, in doorways, and behind bushes. Trim shrubbery that hides doors or windows.

• Get to know a neighbor you can trust in an emergency.

• Ask service people for identification.

• Vary your routine a little each day.

• Have key ready when approaching entrance door.

• Detour if someone is following, so they will not find out where you live.

• Never let anyone know you are home alone.

• Ensure yards, porches, and entrances are well lit.

• Avoid fences that are difficult to see through, they enable burglars to work in secrecy.

• Do not hide house keys in mailboxes, planters, or under doormats. Instead, give a duplicate to a neighbor or friend.

• Buy a dog. A 1992 Special Report poll of 191 burglars found that criminals were more likely to be deterred by barking animals either inside or outside a house or near by, than any other crime prevention tactic.

• Use a locking bar or Insert dowel or broomstick length wise into the bottom track of sliding glass door. Screw two or three screws into the overhead track to reduce the chance of the door being lifted out of the track.

• Keep close. Disable power if possible. Put padlocks on tracks.

• Ask a neighbor to use your garbage cans. Some burglary teams use refuse collectors as spotters to alert them when the cans are not being used.

• Park second car in driveway or ask a neighbor to park there so it appears someone is home. It also prevents burglars from backing a vehicle up to the house.

• Keep shrubs trimmed so a person may not hide behind them. Privacy is a burglar's accomplice.

• Use deadbolt locks. Change locks when you move.

• Approximately one-third of all burglaries occur through unlocked windows and doors, so keep them locked. This includes garage doors.

• Install window locks or drill holes from one sash into the next and put headless nails in the holes. The nails may be easily removed from inside, but not from the outside.

• Use steel doors whenever possible. Ensure doorframe is securely attached to the house framing. The door may resist breaking but the frame may give way.

• Reinforce your bedroom door with a secure lock to slow down an intruder.

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