_ Save your laptop and flat screen: We take renters!

US Security will install a security system in a rental home or apartment. Not sure about the area you’re moving into to be close to campus? Why take a chance?  We can protect your new home and belongings with a monitored security system for just $199.00 for a wireless system, and monitoring of just $19.99 a month. No long term contract to sign.

Most alarm companies won’t take renters. We will! If there is already a working system there we will monitor it for just $19.99.

You are 3 times less likely to be broken into with a monitored security system. Thieves will skip your place because they know that when they break in the police are on the way there.

Don’t take a chance on loosing your computer and all your reports, notes, and hard work.
It could also be a real downer if you had to get through the semester without a flat screen to chill out with and don’t forget about your games.

Also, if you have rental insurance you should get a discount for having a monitored system.

 

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Home security: What you need to do for better security.

Doors and Locks

The first step is to "harden the target" or make your home more difficult to enter. Remember the burglar will simply bypass your home if it requires too much effort or requires more skill and tools than they possess. Most burglars enter via the front, back, or garage doors. Experienced burglars know that the garage door is usually the weakest followed by the back door. The garage and back doors also provide the most cover. Burglars know to look inside your car for keys and other valuables so keep it locked, even inside your garage. Use high quality Grade-1 or Grade-2 locks on exterior doors to resist twisting, prying, and lock-picking attempts. A quality deadbolt lock will have a beveled casing to inhibit the use of channel-lock pliers used for forced entry. A quality door knob-in-lock set will have a 'dead latch' mechanism to prevent slipping the lock with a shim or credit card.

• Use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points
• Use a quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt
 
• Use a quality, heavy-duty, knob-in-lock set with a dead latch mechanism
 
• Use a heavy-duty strike plate with 3-inch screws to penetrate into a
         wooden door frame  
• Use a wide-angle 160° peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches
 

The most common way used to force entry through a door with a wooden frame is to kick it open. The weakest point is almost always the strike plate that holds the latch or lock bolt in place. The average door strike plate is secured with only one-half inch screws set into the door frame molding. These lightweight moldings are often tacked on to the door frame and can be torn away with a firm kick. Because of this construction flaw, it makes sense to upgrade to a four-screw, heavy-duty, high security strike plate. They are available in most quality hardware stores and home improvement centers and are definitely worth the extra expense. Install this strike plate using 3-inch screws to cut deep into the door frame stud. This one step alone will deter or prevent most through-the-door forced entries. You and your family will sleep safer in the future.

• Sliding Glass Doors
  
  

Sliding glass doors are usually installed at the rear of a home or apartment making them good candidates for entry by a burglar. In warm climates, an experienced burglar knows that sliding glass doors are often left standing open for ventilation or for pet access. Since they slide horizontally, it is important to have a blocking device in place to prevent sliding the door fully open from the outside. This can be easily accomplished by inserting a wooden dowel or stick into the track thus preventing or limiting movement. Other blocking devices available are metal fold-down blocking devices called "charley bars" and various track-blockers that can be screwed down.

Sliding glass doors are notorious for failing to prevent a forced entry attempt especially in apartment buildings. This is because of the wear and tear they receive and due to the inadequate nature of many of the latching mechanisms. Sliding glass doors usually do not have locks on them, only latches. The latches are often made of aluminum and can become worn or out of adjustment. The most common methods used to force entry, aside from breaking the glass, is by prying the door near the latch or lifting the door off the track. The blocking devices described above solve half the equation. To prevent lifting, you need to keep the door rollers in good condition and properly adjusted. You can also install anti-lift devices such as a pin that extends through both the sliding and fixed portion of the door. There are also numerous locking and blocking devices available in any good quality hardware store that will prevent a sliding door from being lifted or forced horizontally. Place highly visible decals on the glass door near the latch mechanism that indicates that an alarm system, a dog, or block watch/operation identification is in place. Burglars dislike alarm systems and definitely dogs.

• Use a secondary blocking device on all sliding glass doors
• Keep the latch mechanism in good condition and properly adjusted
 
• Keep sliding door rollers in good condition and properly adjusted
 
• Use anti-lift devices such as through-the-door pins
 
• Use highly visible alarm decals, beware of dog decals or block watch decal 
  

• Windows
  
  

Windows are left unlocked and open at a much higher rate than doors. An open window, visible from the street or alley, may be the sole reason for your home to be selected by a burglar. Ground floor windows are more susceptible to break-ins for obvious reasons. Upper floor windows become attractive if they can be accessed from a stairway, tree, fence, or by climbing on balconies. Windows have latches, not locks, therefore should have secondary blocking devices to prevent sliding them open from the outside. Inexpensive wooden dowels and sticks work well for horizontal sliding windows and through-the-frame pins work well for vertical sliding windows. For ventilation, block the window open no more than six inches and make sure you can't reach in from the outside and remove the blocking device. These window blocking devices should be capable of being removed easily from the inside to comply with fire codes. Like sliding glass doors, anti-lift devices are necessary for ground level and accessible aluminum windows that slide horizontally. The least expensive and easiest method is to install screws half-way into the upper track of the movable glass panel to prevent it from being lifted out in the closed position. Place highly visible decals on the glass door near the latch mechanism that indicates that an alarm system, a dog, or block watch/operation identification system is in place.

• Secure all accessible windows with secondary blocking devices
• Block accessible windows open no more than 6 inches for ventilation
 
• Use anti-lift devices to prevent window from being lifted out
 
• Use crime prevention or alarm decals on accessible windows

_Some Companies have Timed response delay   

   Some security companies have a policy of waiting up to 3 minutes before responding to your alarm. They wait to see if someone is going to call back and cancel a false alarm. While this is within the limits of the alarm industries standards, we disagree with the delayed response practice. We believe that whenever your alarm is activated seconds matter.
   By waiting for you to call back to cancel an alarm they save personnel time for cancelling an alarm and dispatching the police, while this saves them money over time, we believe it is not the right way to respond to your emergency.

At U.S. Security we believe that seconds matter

   U.S. Security averages one of the fastest response times in the nation. Our response time week after week averages 10 seconds. How do we do this? We always strive for excellence, we train and drill our operators to respond to each alarm as fast as possible.
   When your alarm is activated our responders will be calling you (usually within 10 seconds) to see if you opened a door by mistake. If you answer and give the correct password and tell us it was a mistake we don't dispatch the police. However, if no one answers we immediately dispatch the police and follow up with a call to your call list to let you know there was a break in and  that the police are on the way.
   We believe that when an emergency arises seconds matter !  

What are Carbon monoxide (CO) Detectors?

    Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. Products and equipment powered by internal combustion engines such as portable generators, cars, lawn mowers, and power washers also produce CO.

   CO alarms always have been and still are designed to alarm before potentially life-threatening levels of CO are reached. The safety standards for CO alarms have been continually improved and currently marketed CO alarms are not as susceptible to nuisance alarms as earlier models.

What is Carbon Monoxide and How Can it Harm you?
  
   Carbon monoxide is harmful when inhaled because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen. Large amounts of CO can overcome a person in minutes without warning—causing them to lose consciousness and suffocate.

   A CO detector monitored by your home security system could be a life saver. When the CO detector alarms it also sends a signal to the monitoring station and they  immediately dispatch the fire department. We offer both the wired and wirelesses types of CO detectors for your alarm system.
  
   Both the wired and the wireless detector consists of an electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor assembly.   The wireless detector is coupled with a wireless transmitter. The transmitter can send alarm, trouble, end-of-life, tamper and low battery condition messages to the alarm panel.
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Oklahoma City Police recommend a Home security system

This is straight from the Oklahoma City Police web site.
http://www.okc.gov/okcpd/neighborhoods/crimeprevention.html


Alarm Systems

Alarm systems definitely have a place in a home security plan and are effective, if used properly. The reason why alarms systems deter burglaries is because they increase the potential and fear of being caught and arrested by the police. The deterrent value comes from the alarm company lawn sign and from the alarm decals on the windows. Home and apartment burglars will usually bypass a property with visible alarm signs and will go to another property without such a sign. Some people, with alarm systems, feel that these signs and decals are unsightly and will not display them. The risk here is that an uninformed burglar might break a window or door and grab a few quick items before the police can respond. Also, don't write your alarm passcode on or near the alarm keypad.

Alarm systems need to be properly installed and maintained. Alarms systems can monitor for fire as well as burglary for the same price. All systems should have an audible horn or bell to be effective in case someone does break in. However, these audible alarms should be programmed to reset automatically after one or two minutes. The criminal got the message and will be long gone but your neighbors will have to listen to the alarm bell, sometimes for hours, until it is shut off. If you use a central station to monitor your alarm, make sure your response call list is up to date. Home alarms, like car alarms, are generally ignored except for a brief glance. However, if you have established and nurtured your neighborhood watch buddy system, you will experience a genuine concern by your neighbor. It is not unusual to have a neighbor wait for the police, allow them inside for an inspection, and secure the residence. A good neighbor can also call the glass company or locksmith to repair any damage, if pre-authorized by you.

The biggest difficulty getting to this level of concern is taking the first step. You can take it by calling your local crime prevention unit at the police department. Most police departments in large cities have neighborhood watch coordinators to help you set this up. You should invite your adjacent neighbors over to your home for coffee and begin the information exchange. You'll be amazed how the process runs on automatic from there.

    Alarm systems are effective deterrents with visible signage
        
    Alarm systems to be properly installed, programmed and maintained
        
    Alarm systems need to have an audible horn or bell to be effective
        
    Make sure your alarm response call list is up to date
        
    Instruct your neighbor on how to respond to an alarm bell

Welcome to our blog.

Please check in regularly, we will be blogging about everything related to home security.

The staff at U.S. Security, Inc.