[schotzyb]

A friend sent me the following email and if you do not have an alarm system in your home then this is a good alternative.

Great Idea for Use of Car Alarm



> Car Keys
>
> Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
> If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house,
> just press the panic button for your car.
> The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you
> turn it off or the car battery dies.
> This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator.
> Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think
> of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires
> no installation. Test it.
> It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until
> your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob
> chain.
> It works if you park in your driveway or garage If your car alarm goes off when
> someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't
> stick around... after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their
> windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.
> And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot.
> The alarm can work the same way there.....
> This is something that should really be shared with everyone.
> Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.
> P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would
> also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a
> phone.
> My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he
> falls outside and she doesn't hear him.
> He can activate the car alarm, and then she'll know there is a problem.

[beady]

Okay, here's my problem. I am an outdoor , fresh air kind of person. I do not want to live in a fortress. I just want to be sure that while I am not there my home is secure. Are you all suggesting I keep my windows closed even when I am home no matter what the weather?During the winter when the weather is cool I can't have my windows open?Are the villages that unsafe? Does having a dog make a difference?

[Frangyomory]

I wouldn't worry about windows being open in the daylight hours as much as I would at night. You shouldn't leave windows open when you sleep or when you leave home. That's a had-fast rule for us.

In late Fall and Winter, I have my front door screen door open and my lanai open so I get a full breeze but we are home. Even in Virginia, I kept my home locked even when I was home.

No place is perfect but the Villages is as close as we are going to get without armed guards at the gate like they have in Beverly Hills communities.

Yes, a dog can be a plus if they bark at strangers.

All you have to be is AWARE!

[chuckinca]

Get a Schipperke guard dog, 90-pound dog in a 9-pound body. Also known as the Townhouse German Shepard.

We had one years ago when we lived in an apartment. We lived off a stairwell that went to four units. The Schipperke knew the footsteps of the people who lived in the apartments and would bark vigerously only at strangers who didn't live there and tried to go up the stairs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schipperke

[geobar]

There is lock available that installs to the top of the sliding door. It prevents the movable door from being moved sideways or raised up and out of the bottom track.
You need to drill a hole in the top frame of the track where the lock when activated inserts a rod up into and through the top frame.
Its is activated with a key for security.
Try a locksmith locally as I did on moving into our condo.
And yes they also change all the locks on all your exterior doors. I had this done where I only need one key now for all of my entry doors and garage doors.Worth the $200.00 or so expense.
There are also locks that can be installed on windows that prevent them from being raised more than 10 to 12 inches or so. This way on a coole evening you can leave a window open.

[billethkid]

for a community the size of The Villages is insignificant. Granted, if you are one of them it is very significant.
Security systems are only as good as how you use them. If it is to "protect" while you are home, it means doors and windows closed...year round (too much beautiful fall and spring weather to do that).
If it is to use when away, it is a reasonable deterrent.
Most break ins are not spontaneous. The victims are usually scoped out and then ID as an easy mark....again based on your at home habits.

We keep all doors windows open all around the house during the cooler weather. At night we close all but the big sliders and doors visible from the family room.

The other deterrent that is almost 100% is a dog!!!! It doesn't take long to get pegged as a dog owner in the event of a scope of your residence is made by a potential thief.

Security is a lot of common sense.

I have a decal on the windows indicating dual security systems on this residence. #1 Spike the pitbull. #2 Smith & Wesson.

BTK