ADT Security Services, the world’s largest supplier of electronic security services and home security systems, is raising awareness during National Crime Prevention Month this October by encouraging Americans to examine their home security habits. With the FBI and Unites States Department of Justice reporting that there’s a break-in every 14.6 seconds in the U.S., taking a good look at your home’s protection is time well spent. ADT advises homeowners to take the following steps to make the best use of their home security systems and minimize the risk of false alarms:
- Give every member of your household a personal identification code or the master pass code to your home security system. Also make sure nobody else has access to these codes.
- Change your master code and other codes intermittently.
- If your security system has a silent code, don’t use it. Experience teaches that many people forget it in stressful situations, thereby sending false alarms to the monitoring center.
- Regularly request that your monitoring service test your system to check whether it’s communicating correctly with the monitoring center. This way, any technical problems become apparent during a test and not during an actual emergency.
In addition to these tips, ADT recommends that homeowners take a layered approach to their home security. This means making sure all your locks are adequate and in good working order, your landscaping is maintained, all exterior lights are motion activated, and you arm your home security system both when you’re at home and away. Surprisingly, many people are afraid to use their burglar alarms due to unfamiliarity with the equipment and a fear of setting off false alarms. However, a regular use of your home security system makes it part of your daily routine and minimizes the risk of false alarms.
In an interview, ADT Security Advisor Anne-Marie Rouse said that a good way to make the best of a home security system is to actually use it. “That means arming it when you leave home and even when you are at home,” she stated. She went on to say that many people only think of arming their security system to guard against property theft when they leave the house, but crime doesn’t only happen in the homeowner’s absence. According to Rouse, “Arming your system in ‘stay’ mode can be the first line of defense to help protect the lives and safety of our loved ones.”
Photo via Juan M Casillas
