The Survivalist Pledge:

To help all that can be helped,
To defend all that can be defended,
To save all that can be saved,
To free all that seek freedom,
To stay alive as long as I can and stay free as long as I live.

Home is where the heart is, is how an old sage put it. Today, home is where your survival stores are. It also is where your family sleeps unprotected by anyone but those in the family. Today's home is where your fortress is. Your survival may someday depend on how good of a fortress you've made your of your home. A fortress is no good if it's located in a poor position. Sometimes, the best way to deal with a problem is to avoid it entirely. Avoidance of problems can save a lot of time and money. Avoiding some crimes will even save your life.

Some thought needs to be given to the location of a house or apartment BEFORE you move into it. Look at the area the house is in. Does it look like the trend is toward safer or less safe conditions? Too, you need to consider how safe the community has become for criminals. Does the area have a lot of restrictions that make it hard to defend yourself from criminals or does the local legal system seem to favor the law-abiding citizen?

Sometimes a fortress that was once in a good are can gradually become too hard to defend because of changes in the environment. You might take a good look at the area you've been living in and discover that the crime rate has gone up or that laws are being passed that are more and more restrictive on individual freedoms while often making things easier for criminals. If so, you should consider moving; things will probably only get worse. A move is easier than trying to pick up the pieces after a riot or after a major break in.

The best fortresses are those that don't "stick out" and invite an attack. The same is true of your home. If it looks like an easy target or like a treasure house, it can attract trouble. If you're rich, that's fine; but don't flaunt it; you're just asking for trouble. And if you're not overly well to do, don't make the outside of your house look as if you're rich. A fortress that is not defended is not safe. Self-defense is an important consideration in keeping your home safe. It's something you should give a lot of thought to. Are you prepared to fight back when you have no other choice but to do so? And what are the legal and moral aspects of defending your home if you do fight back?

Laws vary from one place to another and the time to find out about them is BEFORE you've defended yourself and injured or killed a criminal in the process. Consult a good lawyer and/or the state and city attorneys to see just what the laws are. Find out what the consequences would be if someone broke into your house and you were forced to kill them when they threatened you with a deadly weapon. What would happen next?

In the US, you are generally within the law if you defend yourself or any member of your family from what you perceive as being an immediate threat of grave bodily harm or death. But the laws vary greatly from one state to another and--in some states--even from one city to another. "Ignorance of the law is not a defense" but it can be a great "offense" if your city has a hot-shot prosecutor. Find out before you're in hot water for trying to protect yourself. Don't settle in an area which hamstrings the law-abiding citizens and/or pampers the criminals.

As keeper of your fortress, where do you stand morally in defending it? If the time comes, can you defend your family without hesitation? Give it some thought. (It should be noted that many Christians who wish to defend themselves are afraid to do so because of their interpretation of the Biblical passage, "Thou shalt not kill." They may take this to mean killing even in self-defense. In reality, the passage was not translated correctly by the scholars hired to do the job by

King James. The passage should read, "Thou shalt not murder." If you're one of the people who have been misinterpreting this, check out the passage in a modern language translation of the Bible or--better yet--with someone who knows Hebrew. This Bible passage deals with murder, not self-defense is a mistake to interpret is as prohibiting self-defense. Though self-defense is a matter of conscience, this passage does NOT give an injunction against defending yourself.)

Another moral point that should be kept in mind is that anyone who would assault or kill you if you didn't defend yourself will probably do the same thing to another innocent victim if you let the criminal assault or kill you. Any inaction on your part will--in effect--cause other innocent people to be hurt or killed. Anyone interested in being "his brother's keeper" should realize that stopping a criminal with force will very possible save a number of other people untold misery and possibly even their lives. Know whether or not you'll be willing to defend yourself and your family through the use of force. If you are willing, then plan accordingly. If you have doubts, then make realistic plans to deal with the possible problems you may have to deal with. Face up to the problem now. Hesitating when someone is trying to kill you will enable them to succeed.

There are a lot of effective ways to discourage burglars or others who might do you harm. Like the ancient castles, the first worry is the doorway to your fortress. You must be sure all doors are strong enough to resist a modest attack and that they have good locks on them. Locks only keep honest people out of your home. But they do slow down a criminal and allow you time to act or--possibly--for a passerby to see the criminal breaking in and report the event to the police. Thus, though a criminal may be able to get past a lock, it often will deter him since he can't risk taking long enough to defeat it.

The best locks for doors leading into the house are dead bolts. (And be sure that you have a locksmith rekey the locks when you move into a home if it has good locks on it. There's no telling who all has a key to your door otherwise. Just because the previous owner says he gave you all existing keys to the doors doesn't make it so.) If at all possible, all the locks on your home should be keyed to the same key. A good locksmith can do this for you, too. Having one key for all the locks allows you to enter your house quickly if you need to rather than fumbling around for the key.

Each family member's key ring should NOT have your home address on it and should not be kept in purses or other places where your home address is easily found. If you lose a key which does not have your home address with it, you may avoid an immediate break-in to your house. (But do get the house locks rekeyed anytime you lose a key to be on the safe side.) If you have to install new locks, have them placed in a high position on the door. Since many criminals simply kick in a door to defeat the lock, the higher the locks are placed on the door, the harder it is to kick them in.

On doors with windows in them or doors which are near windows, you should be sure that the lock can't be released by knocking out the window and reaching through to release the lock from inside. If the lock can be defeated in this manner, then the lock should be the type that is needs a key to open/lock it from both sides of the door. The key should be kept inside, near the door, but where it can't be reached if that same window is knocked out--otherwise a house fire might find everyone trapped behind the door because the key can't be found! Manual locks to secure the doors from the inside also add a level of safety provided they can quickly be released in an emergency. Deadbolt arrangements are the best for this. Chain locks are almost worthless since they are flimsy. If possible, place this lock as high as is practical so that it can't be easily defeated if the door is kicked (it will also help to keep young children from going outside by themselves or locking someone out of the house).

Get good locks for every door--not just the front one. Too, be sure that you have heavy locks on back porches, garages, tool sheds, or the like which might provide a hiding place for a criminal or even allow him to enter the area and then "tunnel" into your home by removing siding. The most easily defended fortress has no place for attackers to find cover outside it. The same is true of your home. You should be sure that there are a minimum of bushes and dense shrubbery or dark spots that could provide concealment for a criminal. Entrances to your house should be well lit. (Lighting around the entrance will also help you to see anyone hidden around the house as well as aid you in getting your door open quickly.) Your front door should have a peep hole in it (or be monitored by a TV camera which you can quickly check).

A bad peep hole is dangerous. Get one that doesn't allow the guy at the door to know you're looking out. The best ones contain a fisheye lens which gives you a wide view of the outside area (these are usually available from a locksmith). You should be sure that the area outside the door is well lit and the area inside--on your side--is dark so that you can't be seen approaching the door from inside. (To keep from being seen inside it may be necessary to paint the walls a dark color or keep the view hole covered until you are right up to it.) The front entrance to your house should have an outer screen or glass door with a manual lock on it. This door need not be overly strong bit should allow you to open your front door and talk to the person outside through the lighter outer door while slowing the person down enough for you to slam and lock the inner door if they suddenly try to get in. And be sure to keep the outer door locked all the time. Don't open the outer door for anyone you have doubts about and be ready to slam and lock the inner door it at a moment's notice if someone should try to force their way through the light-weight door talking through.

Few--if any--who come to your door will be a criminal. But if you have doubts, don't let them in. You can politely offer to telephone for help or whatever if they seem to have a legitimate problem. Don't fool with uninvited salesmen and call the home office of any maintenance people who arrive at your door unannounced. Just because someone has a uniform or good story doesn't mean he won't do you harm when he gets into the house. Don't let anyone suspicious into the house.

While an alligator infested moat around a fortress is an option that might be available to you (especially if you live in Florida), it isn't legal. There are a lot of things that aren't as well: traps that might kill an innocent person if they should wander into your home by mistake aren't, either. While it might seem like a remote possibility that an innocent person would wander into your locked house, it has happened: people have gotten drunk and kicked their way into the wrong house, children may enter a home out of curiosity... A lethal trap of some sort could kill a person who only deserved a reprimand and YOU would be guilty of having killed the person. Don't try booby traps which can kill or maim.

There are a number of ways that can warn you of illegal entry is being made into your home. A good alarm system can give you the warning you need to protect your family and to deal with an intruder. A good alarm system also pays for itself even if you never need it by allowing you to sleep peacefully without worrying about every little noise in the night (and that's worth a lot). Ultrasonic alarms are inexpensive and easily set up. Several good alarms could be set up at strategic spots in your home and could give you the warning you would need to counter an illegal entry into your house. Ultrasonic alarms are not trouble free: they can be set off by low vibrations, house plants blown in a breeze, or even an insect crawling near the alarm. But after a little tinkering with the adjustments, most people find an ultrasonic alarm system easy to use and relatively trouble free. (Check Radio Shack for several good systems.)

One real plus of the ultrasonic system is that it's portable. When you move or travel you can easily take the alarm system with you. The most reliable alarm systems use pressure sensitive strips or infrared detectors. They work well and have fewer false alarms but are more expensive and require a lot of work to be set up properly. Whatever system you get, be sure that the bugs are worked out of it before you install outside gongs or automatic "police" dialers. Remember the Little Boy Who Cried, Wolf.

It has been my experience that animals are too unreliable--and a lot of bother--for "alarm systems." Dogs are not as reliable as most good electrical alarms and the best watch dog can be drugged or poisoned by experienced criminals.

Too, the "body guard" breeds like Doberman pinschers or German shepherds are too dangerous and unpredictable for most needs. There are too many true stories of guard dogs that get out of control and kill or seriously injure innocent people. Want some legal problems that go on for years? Get one of these dogs and train it to protect your home. Despite what those who sell and train the animals may tell you, I, for one, can't recommend these animals both from a safety standpoint as well as from a reliability standpoint. If you MUST have a watch dog, a small one that will create a ruckus when a stranger is about is a better choice.

Many a fortress falls because enemy spies obtain information about its defenses and wealth. The same sort of thing can happen if you brag about your valuables to your barber, hair dresser, TV repairman, or whoever. Though those people may be perfectly good citizens, they may repeat your story which may spread until it finally reaches the ears of someone who may break into your house. And there is no way of knowing that a serviceman or hair dresser isn't making money on the side by giving a criminal tips on where the valuables are or when you're going on vacation. A "spy" may come as a door-todoor salesman (who should not be allowed into your home since he may be a criminal), Jehovah's Witness (ditto as with the salesman), postman, delivery man, or plumber who comes to your house. And don't have valuable guns, collections, or other expensive objects displayed where they are in view from the front door. Maids, lawn boys, etc., are also possible sources of information that may be "tapped" by criminals. While the people who work for you may not knowingly be spies, that doesn't prevent them from talking. Again, keep valuables out of sight when possible so your hired help has little to talk about.

The last area used by criminal "spies" is to conduct over-the-phone or door-to-door polls which glean information which can be used by many criminals to "case" homes. Don't talk to "pollsters." Royal displays of wealth have led to many a downfall of a fortress kingdom. Likewise, parties which you have at your house are also a time when people can be impressed with what you have and then go about town telling of the splendors in your fortress. Try to resist making lavish displays which may make you known as a good target. Just as a high wall protected ancient fortresses, a good fence can do a lot to keep dangerous animals of the four- and two-legged varieties out of your home. Fences can also be used for privacy. Unfortunately, fences that block out the neighbor's view of your yard make it possible for someone to stand in your yard unseen by the neighbors. Therefore, the best fences for privacy can be the very worst for preventing a break in.

The best fence for creating a modern fortress wall is the chain-- link fence. It is ideal from a security standpoint since it will slow people down who are trying to get into your yard, doesn't allow someone to hide behind it, and will allow you to see suspicious characters before they can even get near the fence. And if you're away from home, your neighbors can still see your house through the fence or see anyone who doesn't belong inside the fence.

But chain link fences aren't pretty and--in many areas—privacy is a desirable thing. If you need privacy, then you should get a high privacy fence that is hard to scale and top it with one of the new alarm wires which detect an intruder by his proximity and sound the alarm before he can get over the fence. Though this set up is somewhat expensive, it is worth it if you value you both your privacy and your safety. One of the best systems is the GTE G-Line (available from GTE Systems, Security Products Dept., P.O. Box 1448, Mountain View, CA 94042). The G-Line detects anyone who is trying to climb over a fence by sensing the change in the electrical differential when the person touches--or even almost touches--the wire. While ancient fortresses could be protected with all sorts of barbarous entanglements atop their walls, they didn't have to contend with modern legal systems (the king was the law in many cases). You do.

There are some things that you should NOT do unless you're trying to get someone to take you to court. Fences topped with broken glass, barbed wire (which is partially concealed), or the like can all lead to law suites if someone like a child decides to scale them. Likewise, fences which look ornamental but have dangerous spikes on them are also a good way to get into legal trouble. If you really need a dangerous fence, then make it obviously dangerous and don't have "barbs" or sharp objects where they can be reached by anyone other than an adult. You should also have warning signs and make it hard to approach the fence's dangerous area. Try to think of your fence as a way of slowing down or discouraging an intruder rather than as a way of stopping or injuring him.

Biological "fences" have been a consideration since the time the tale of Sleeping Beauty's castle being surrounded by thorn bushes was spun. Take a cue from the old story and consider adding rose bushes, cactus plants, or other thorns plants to discourage burglars from entering areas that might otherwise provide easy access to your house.

Good lighting can do a lot to prevent break-ins during the night. A large flood light (behind a protective cover) in your back yard is a good deterrent against crime.

A fortress which has guards watching at all times may keep would-be attackers from trying to breach it since they can't take advantage of the element of surprise. The same effect can be gained if you make your house appear to always have someone inside it, alert and ready to react to a break in. To achieve this when you are not at home, there are several things to do. At night, lights that go on or off in various rooms of the house should be set up on electrical timers. During the day (and perhaps the night if you're away from home), a TV or radio can be used to create the illusion that someone is in the house. Of course the effect is lost if you have a stack of newspapers lying in the lawn, the lawn is unmowed, only the porch light is on, the mail is still in the mail box, or you've left a note on the front door saying you'll be gone for a day or two (don't laugh...it's been done). Such events are like a fortress being guarded by a manikin.

Other "give aways" become obvious through the criminal's use of a phone. You'd be wise to take it off of the hook, get an unlisted phone number, or get a phone answering machine for the times you're away from home. Otherwise a would-be burglar can call you house from a pay phone and then leave the phone off the hook after no one answers. He then goes to your house and listens. If the phone is still ringing, he can be pretty sure that no one is home and that no one will bother him when he breaks in. An unlisted number is a good move to prevent this from happening, though occasionally a crafty criminal will get your number even if it is unlisted. So to complete the illusion of someone being at your house, you need to either leave the phone off the hook or get a phone answering/message machine which tells the caller that you are busy but will get back to them shortly. Either of these gives a would-be burglar enough doubt for him to stay away from your home.

Doors on your house should be locked anytime someone is not using them. If you're inside, you need to be protected. If you're outside the house, even a few minutes, the doors should be locked. (Houses have even been looted while the owners sat serenely out in the back yard.) Keep the doors locked. Just as many a fortress has been breached by traitors who tell enemies of weaknesses in its defenses, so many homes are "invaded" when those having inside information give it out. In recent years, some criminals have received information about which houses would be empty from newspaper delivery services. If you have to have a paper delivered to your house, arrange for a neighbor or someone you trust to pick up the papers each day while you are gone. A trustworthy neighbor should also pick up your mail (if you have not had the delivery of it halted) and should check to see that some clown hasn't hung a tell-tale flier in your front door or placed a note on it. If you're going to be gone for a week or more, arrange for the lawn to be cared for (or the snow shoveled in the winter), and maybe even have a neighbor leave some of his trash in your trash pick-up area so that a burglar who keeps track of such things won't be tipped off that you're out of town. When you're traveling, give some thought as to what things you do every week when you're in town and try to have the services continued when you're out of town.

Don't let criminals know that you're getting ready for a long vacation through a big show of packing luggage on the car roof, a lot of "good-byes" to the neighbors, etc. Pack up the car in the garage and leave with little fanfare. A recreational vehicle, trailer, or boat should be kept in an area where it can not be seen from the street so that its absence won't be noticed. Ancient rulers often traveled incognito. This was partly for their own protection but also to keep the fortress from being attacked in their absence. So too, you must be careful not to give out information while you're away from home. In tourist areas, there are a few people who supplement their income by selling information to criminals. Your home address as listed on a passport, ticket, or other identification, or your address on your luggage may cause you to have your house burglarized if the information gets into a criminal information network. Use your business address or a box number if you must give out such information.

Many otherwise safe fortresses are vulnerable during a time of internal crisis or emergency. So, too, is your home. A newspaper which lists you as part of a marriage ceremony, a member of special party thrown in for someone, a funeral service, or tells that you or a family member have been admitted to a hospital will give a criminal just the information he needs to know when it's safe to ransack your home. Avoid letting strangers know that there is something going on that may cause your house to be empty. If that is not possible, then you should have a "house sitter" for funerals or other times when the house might be expected to be empty.

The best of fortresses may be breached; but all is not lost if the defenders do a good job. Likewise, even if a burglar gets into your home, all is not lost. The first concern is your safety. A lot of criminals use drugs to pep themselves up for break-ins and a large percentage also carry weapons which they have little compunction about using. Be cautious. If you come home to a house that has been broken into, don't enter it. There may be a nervous criminal hiding there. Phone the police from a neighbor's house and stay outside of your house at a safe distance while you're waiting for the police to come. They know how to go through a house and apprehend anyone that might still be inside. If you're inside the house and a criminal breaks in, you must be extra careful if you're to avoid injury. Again, your first concern is your family's safety. You can get a new TV or whatever but can't replace yourself. Be careful. You should have a safe room that can be locked up while you phone the police.

Let's back up a bit. The normal practice of many of those who break into homes is to cut off the electricity and phone wires. Therefore, you need to be prepared ahead of time in order to phone the police. When making your home safe to live in, one thing you should do is be sure all phone cables entering your home are "armored" outside. This is easily done by placing them in an electrical conduit like that normally used for AC wiring. (Any electrician can do the work for you for very little expense.) Another good idea is to have the wires leading to the house buried so that it is hard for a criminal to locate them and disconnect them. Just to be on the safe side, you should be able to operate if a criminal does succeed in severing the lights and phone. Get a good flashlight and have it where you can find it then make some plans for the very worst of possibilities.

OK. What is a "safe room"? It should be a bedroom or other place that you'll likely be in or can get to quickly when someone breaks into your home. If you have a large house, you may need more than one "safe room." Often one of the family bedrooms makes the ideal safe room. A safe room should have a door that can be locked from inside and should have a phone in it. If you have a number of extension phones, then the safe room would ideally have a phone on a separate line. This would keep someone breaking into the house from being able to take the phone off the hook and cancel out your ability to contact the police. When you call, be sure to tell the police where you are, what appears to be happening, and describe yourself. Be sure to tell whether you are armed: home owners have been killed when mistaken for criminals by misinformed policemen.

When the police arrive, they need to be able to get into your home. Since going through the house to open the door will defeat the purpose of having a safe room, you should have some way to throw a key to your door to the police from a window in the safe room. Be sure the keys are on a large keychain that can be easily found in tall grass. Just as fortresses often have barriers inside the main wall, you should have a barrier that is between your safe room and the area where a break-in may occur. Many houses have a hall leading to the bedrooms. Placing a heavy, locking door at the entrance to the hall (and locking the door each night before your family goes to sleep) will give you an extra amount of time and protection if someone breaks into your home.

If possible, your burglar alarm system should have switches in the safe room so that the alarms can be reset without leaving the protected area. This will help you to quickly find out if the alarm is false or if there really is someone in the house and—if you have several alarms--may tell you what parts of the house the intruder is in. (Sears, Radio Shack and others sell remote switches for appliances which work through the wiring in the house so that no new wiring needs to be added for the remote control.) When you and your family are in the safe room you should get everyone into one area of the room so that you will be able to use a firearm if you should need to. If a criminal is foolish enough to try to break into the safe room, then you must be aware of your local laws. In some areas you must warn him that you are armed, etc., while in others, it would be assumed that anyone who was in your house with an alarm going and who then tried to break into a locked room was up to no good. In any event, you must know what the laws are and you must know whether or not to fire. If you are able to do so, firing through the door rather than waiting for the intruder to actually break it down is an option you should consider. Just BE SURE before you fire; spouses and children have all been shot by panicked home owners! Don't leave the safe room when an intruder is in the house unless it is absolutely necessary. All the advantages go to the person who is sitting tight. The moment you start moving through the house, the intruder gains the upper hand. It's better to wait a criminal out if at all possible.

If you find that you must move through the house, then a pistol is much better than a rifle or a shotgun. It is small and easily carried and fired from awkward positions. If you should stumble into the criminal, a pistol is less apt to be torn from your grasp than is a rifle or shotgun. If you have to use a shotgun, use a 20- or 12-gauge repeating shotgun loaded with birdshot indoors. Birdshot is pretty much stopped by SEVERAL walls so that, if you are forced to fire the shotgun, the pellets are less apt to go through a wall and hurt someone you aren't aiming at. (But care must still be exercised since sheet rock and other materials WILL be penetrated by bird shot and most certainly with larger shot, slugs, or buck shot. For a closer look at shotguns and their effectiveness in combat, see my book, STREETSWEEPERS, available from Paladin Press, P. O. Box 1307-LF, Boulder, CO 80306 (303) 443-7250 for $18.)

Most rifles are NOT good indoors. Rifle bullets over-penetrate walls. If you use a rifle with standard bullets the bullets will go through walls and may hit family members or the bullets may even travel out into the street and still have enough force to go through a house--and a neighbor--on down the block. [A .223 rifle with a fast twist--like the new AR-15A2 and newest Mini-15s--can be used with the new Federal "Blitz" cartridge. These bullets break apart upon impact and don't penetrate much more than a standard hollowpoint pistol bullet. But extreme care must be taken to use the ammunition and to avoid firing in a direction in which there might be innocent bystanders).

Any type of firearm should be used only when there is no other way to protect you or a family member. You should have a good insurance policy to protect your TV or toaster. Insurance by Smith and Wesson is only for family members in mortal danger. Do yourself a favor and take some pressure off yourself by getting a good home owner's insurance policy. Then take an inventory of all the valuable things in your home. If possible, take pictures of expensive items and get any serial numbers that they may have. This information should then be placed in a safe deposit box in a bank. Many of the valuables in ancient fortresses were hidden in secret hiding places. When a burglar breaks into a house, especially if doing so sets off an alarm or he suspects that people may be in the house--then he must work quickly or face the possibility of being caught. If you've done things right by using proper alarms, lighting, etc., he'll be in a hurry and this can create a big advantage in your favor since he may miss many valuables--especially if they are hidden.

You should set things up in your house so that anything worth stealing is hard or impossible to find in a hurry. Too, you can slow the intruder down at every turn so that he will lose more and more time and gradually panic. Even if you use simple hiding places and inexpensive locks that are easily broken, every little hassle you add to his work will mean big savings to you (and your insurance company). You can strain your brain in thinking up hiding places or take the easy way out and study what expert "hiders" have come up with. A number of books have been written which give excellent ways of hiding things. These are all available from Loompanics Unlimited, P.O. Box 1197, Port Townshend, WA 98368. The books and manuals are: CONSTRUCTION OF SECRET HIDING PLACES by Charles Robinson ($4.94), HOW TO HIDE ALMOST ANYTHING by David Krotz ($5.95), ONE HUNDRED SECRET HIDING PLACES IN AND AROUND THE HOME by Laird Wilcox ($2.00), and THE STASH BOOK by Peter Hjersman ($4.95). These books will give you a wealth of ideas for hiding your wealth of goodies and will give you ideas that are far beyond those most of us could come up with.

A treasure closet where you can store valuables is also a consideration for your home. This can simply be a regular closet that you place a good lock on or a closet in which you place a safe. Currently, safes designed to lock rifles in are pretty good buys and are large enough to store a number of rifles plus a lot of other fairly large valuables in. The rifle safes are also large enough to be hard to carry off and--additionally--can be bolted to the house so that they can't be moved easily even if the criminals were willing to carry the heavy safe off. These safes only cost several hundred dollars for small models that will hold a wealth of valuables. Several companies that sell a number of different styles and sizes of these rifle safes are: A.G. English Sales, 7224 S. Henry St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014; Fort Knox Security Products, 1051 N. Industrial Park Rd., Orem, UT 84057; and Fowler Shooters' Supply, Box 6421-ATS, Midland, TX 79701.

Make no mistake about it, any of these safes CAN be defeated. Remember that their purpose is to slow down a criminal so that it takes a lot of time to get into them. During that time the criminal must be put under time pressure of an alarm that is being sounded. A good gun safe or treasure closet must be augmented with a good alarm system. Small floor safes are also good to protect valuables in IF they are in places where a burglar won't think of looking for them. Behind pictures, anywhere in the bedroom, or in a closet is the worst place. These are the first places experienced criminals check so try to find a more original spot.

Burglars quickly go out of business if they can't sell their stolen ware. Inscribe your Social Security number onto valuables like TV's, computers, or other equipment that might easily find its way into a pawn shop, and you'll make it hard to sell the item. Since these Social Security numbers are easy to trace, a thief will have a harder time getting rid of your property and you are more apt to get it back if it is stolen. If you can place a warning decal on your door or windows which tells that the things worth stealing are inscribed with your social security number, a criminal may not even break into your house. Engravers are available for a small price at Radio Shack or most hardware stores; many local police departments have one which they'll lone to you to use just for this purpose (and may have stickers for your windows warning that you've marked your appliances).

A fortress can be breached from points other than its front door. When your burglar alarm is in place and the doors have good locks on them, the next step is to go around the outside of the house and take a good look at windows and any other possible entrances into your house. Try to find weak points where a burglar might enter your house unseen by neighbors or from the street. Once the easiest spots are located, you should then decide how to make them less accessible. One way of doing this is by replacing glass in windows with shatter-proof plastic or glass with wire embedded in it. Basement windows can be spray painted so that it is impossible to see through them and then bars or boards placed across the inside of them to prevent anyone from entering (be careful not to block off all fire exits from the basement).

Dating back to the days of castles, decorative iron bars have offered protection. Many modern bars that blends in with many styles of homes are available today, too. Like most other precautions, decorative bars are not a 100 percent sure thing as most can be cut with a large bolt cutter. They do slow down the professional burglar's entrance to your home and may even stop the amateur. Be sure bars are mounted with one-way screws so that they can't be easily removed and don't block fire exits with the bars (special mounts are available for the bars so that they can be released from inside the house if you need to have one over a fire exit). On homes that don't allow the use of bars on the windows, you may need to add locks to the window frames. A cheap and simple way to lock a window is to drill a small hole through the window frame so that a nail can be pushed into the hole to "lock" it shut. If a small length of the nail extends out of the hole, it is easy to pull it out and open the window for ventilation. This lock makes it nearly impossible to open the window without removing the nail.

Double- or triple-paned windows or storm windows can also help to secure a window. Breaking all the glass out is noisy and often more dangerous than many amateur criminals care to tackle. If you use storm windows, be sure to keep them closed if they are not being used for ventilation and paint over the lower screws holding the storm windows in place so that they are difficult to remove in a hurry. Once the obvious entrances to your fortress home are taken care of, start looking at less obvious ones. Sky lights, windows by trees, window air-conditioners (which can be pulled out to leave a person-sized hole), etc., should all be modified or changed to make entry next to impossible.

No fortress ever becomes totally secure. But once you've ALMOST totally burglar-proofed your home, you'll also have greatly improved your chances for avoiding the hardships of being a victim of crime and may even prevent the bodily harm which you or a member of your family might otherwise suffer. And that makes it all worthwhile. Now, start working on perfecting your fortress. 

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