We love them all so much and our family is our life. Even when they grate us just a little bit on our nerves we still want them to be safe. Sure, locking the doors at night, asking neighbors to check on them, keeping them always in your view, and teaching them stranger danger are all important but is that enough? Will it be enough to keep your family safe?

We can’t always be there to keep an eye on them or listen for even the slightest noise outside in the middle of the night. What to do? We here at 1st Choice Protection take family security seriously. It’s more than our business it’s our life because you know what, we have families too. If these security tips we’ve researched gives you another moment of peace or better yet, keeps your family safe, then we have done our job.

Maintain Outside to Protect What’s Inside

Here we found some surprisingly good advice from the TODAY Show thanks to recent guest, “Safety Chick” Kathleen Baty. The “Safety Chick” gave 3 initial suggestions pertaining to the exterior of our homes and they’re well worth taking note of for spring landscaping.

1.Site survey: Walk around the outside of your property and make a note of everything that needs to be corrected. Some points will be obvious like opening up the coverage of a light others not so much.

2. Make a clear path: Remove any plants or shrubs that obscure the entrance to your home. Make sure you can see your door clearly from the street. Officers who patrol your neighborhood need to be able to view your property from their cars. Plants that screen the entrance of your home make it possible for robbers to break in without being seen. Hedges or bushes around your house make perfect hiding places for criminals. The back of the house should be clear as well. If you have a separate garage, keep the path clear from the garage to the back door.

3. Use landscaping as safety tool: Plant thorny bushes, such as roses or bougainvillea, under windows and along fences; this puts someone trying to “break and enter” in a “stick-y” situation. It also deters an intruder from hopping the fence onto your property.

To watch the “Safety Chick’s” appearance on the TODAY show check out this article, 8 tips to keep your home, family safe from theives.

 Staying Safe at Home Means Being Smart Online

Sure, online bullying is terrible as is identify theft but we’re talking about safety at home, right? Well, what better way for those that wish to put your family in harm’s way to case a house for a burglary or see what’s happening then online. We post everything online, from our kids sports, dance recitals, to where we eat and when we eat. Follow these 3 social media security tips from StaySafeOnline.org:

1. Privacy and security settings exist for a reason: Learn about and use the privacy and security settings on social networks.

2. Keep personal info personal: Be cautious about how much personal information you provide on social networking sites.

3. Know and manage your friends: Know that a bigger network only means more cracks for thieves to get access to you & your family.

Here’s more of these tips on social media safety for you and your family here. Visit Google’s tips on security online for more advice and tips straight from the those that know.

Keeping Our Home Secure

Most of us may feel we’re in the minority for being targeted personally for harm by others. The truth is the random theft and home break-in could be the most dangerous situation to be in. The thief didn’t expect anyone to be home so when they opened the unlocked door, broke a window, or simply used a crow bar to make a quick ‘grab & go’ they’re surprised when they find you and your family sitting upstairs playing.

The random break-in could be the most dangerous situation and one you should seek to avoid. Here’re a few ideas to keep your home safe from this random event that can often have the worst consequences:

1.  Secure Entry Points: Have deadbolts on all external doors and make sure windows are ‘jimmy’ proof. For just a couple dollars per window adding these security locks from Home Depot on your 1st floor windows could be the difference. Make it a habit to keep the garage door closed and avoid placing keys under ‘that’ rock or under a welcome mat. Don’t forget those sliding doors with simple locks, keep a bar in place when you’re not using it to ensure it can only be opened when you want it to.

2. Be Neighborly & Be a Thief:  Odd combination maybe, but if you can develop neighbors that keep an eye on each others homes it might help. Sure, you may have to put up with mowing or landscaping that isn’t perfect, but being neighborly is a good decision for your family’s safety. The thief part is a little easier. Walk in front or in back of your home, go to the front door and see what you can see. Are valuables in easy sight? If they are design a way to keep them out of sight and thus less likely to be easy pickings for those random thieves.

3. Home Security System: For often as little as $100 and a reasonable monthly monitoring fee you can secure all points of entry in your home and sleep better knowing the family is secure when you’re away. Burglars don’t like to get caught and if they’re stupid enough, they are, to break into to a home with a security system the loud alarm and police being dispatched quickly will send them on their way before they pose a threat to your family.

Having your home security threatened is a real statistic. With a home being burglarized every 14.6 seconds & 73.9% of all thefts are on homes (versus places of business) odds are your family will be the victim of a home theft at one point or another in your lives.  (theft statistics via the FBI as cited in this article, 8 Surprising Burglary Statistics, for data from 2010.)

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