In one of my previous articles, I discussed the fact that one of my coworkers had his house broken into several times within a 24hour period. I also mentioned that this same coworker had a monitored alarm system. I believe I am not exaggerating when I say that his alarm went off five times. Each time it went off, the police came. Finally the police told him that if the alarm went off again, he would have to pay for them coming out. What am I saying? I’m saying that there are pros and cons to having your home security system monitored by a security company. And the cons just might outweigh the pros!

I have heard three different people tell me that when the monitored home security system went off in their homes and they were away from the house that they were notified on their cell phones by the alarm company. In each situation, as soon as they heard the news, they left what they were doing and went home. In each situation the home owners took some time to get home (I believe one individual took 20 minutes to get home, and of course he was closely following all the traffic laws ). The other individual, who lived on a farm raised llamas. Yeah! Llamas! He took 35 minutes to get home. I forgot how long it took the other one. Oh well. Guess what? They all beat the police to their homes. What if the intruders were still there? Now before you get all frustrated at another person bashing the police, just realize that that’s not what I’m doing. I have the utmost respect for our boys in blue, who have a thankless job, and do it to the best of their abilities. My complaint is with the “system”. In the situation I mentioned earlier, the homeowner determined that although very little if any, was taken, the intruders did come into his house. If it happened four or five times in a 24hour period, I’d venture a guess that it was the same individual(s), and they were timing the response of the police. Why would they do that? Because they wanted the big flat screen television he had just purchased and wanted to know they had enough time to get it even with an alarm going off (Keep in mind that most burglars go after small items they can carry easily).

I was supposed to be getting to the pros and the cons of the monitored home security system. We’ll go with the pros first:
1. For the regular, run-of-the-mill burglar, it will keep them away. Especially when you have a sign in your yard.
2. If your home when the alarm goes off, the company can call you and make sure you’re not in any duress by a simple pre-designated code.
3. You can push a “panic alarm” and the police will automatically respond at the behest of the alarm company (although it might take more than 20 minutes for them to get there…Oh, I forgot. We’re still on the “pros”).
4. Most are backed up by battery, so if the power goes out you still have a warning device.
5. Of course, like in our aforementioned situations, if the alarm goes off and you’re not at home, the company will call the appropriate authorities for you.
6. When the alarm goes off, the burglar usually runs off. Usually.
7. The insurance company will usually give you a discount for having a monitored system.

I know there are many more, and if you’d like to, you can let me know what they are! Before I get to the cons, Let me just say that having a security system is a means to an end. The “end” being, you want to deter a would-be burglar from stopping at your door. No system is perfect, but we’ll get to that. The companies that service your system are there for security reasons and to make a profit. Most are good companies that are really concerned about your safety and that of your household. Having said that, there are certain things you can do to minimize the likelihood of a break in. That is, you can make your house less appealing. We’ll cover those methods in a subsequent article. For now we’ll just cover the cons:
1. It’s predictable. After a while a pattern is set, and can be undermined by the intelligent thief (so can any other, if the thief is patient).
2. After a few false alarms, local law enforcement may think the system is crying wolf and may take longer to respond, or may begin to charge you for each visit!
3. Don’t forget how much it costs to have the system installed and monitored monthly.
4. For this to work you have to give someone working for the company, the password for the alarm and the duress code. There may even be dishonest people working for the alarm company (this is unlikely, I’m just sayin’).
5. When the alarm goes off, the burglar usually runs off. Usually (How can this be a pro and a con? You want the burglars to get caught by the police).
6. You could forget to set the alarm, thus rendering it ineffective (I’ve got to have one more so that the cons can outweigh the pros).
7. It must be monitored. If the system goes off and you’re out of town, unless you’ve designated a neighbor (whom you trust implicitly) or a relative to deactivate it, it’ll blare until you get home, unless the alarm company can cancel the alarm remotely.
8. You have to set it. For the alarm system to do what it’s supposed to do, you can’t forget to set it when you leave the house or it will be ineffective. Of course! (Whew! That was close. I had to pull that one out of a hat).

All joking aside, home security is a serious matter. You can chose to depend on the companies that furnish the service, which is perfectly fine, or you can be responsible for providing your own, if you’re resourceful. You can do this for pennies on the dollar compared to hiring a company to monitor your alarms for you. You could even provide earlier warning when your DIY system is linked to your cell phone.

Without reliable statistical data, it would be difficult to speculate how effective the preventative measures for home invasions and burglaries would be. However, if I were a betting man, I’d venture a wager that those measures would be 80% effective in warding off the would-be burglar. There are too many other homes that don’t present such a risk. That being said, if there is something in your home the intruder wants (I mean really wants), he may have the brains to overcome any obstacle you place in his way. Once again, there are measures you can take to minimize injury in the event of an assault as a result of a home invasion. Keep in mind that these are measures taken by individuals that are not comfortable defending their home with a firearm (with the element of surprise, there may not be time enough to get the firearm.

1. This is going to sound silly. Plan and conduct rehearsals. Pick a few scenarios, develop courses of action and implement them in your plan. Obviously you won’t be able to plan for every scenario. Let you courses of action encompass many scenarios with minor adjustments.
2. Unless you believe that you are going to be killed anyway, don’t resist. Cooperate. Your valuables can be replaced. You cannot. Having said that, if able, do not allow yourself to be transported to another location. The odds are against survival.
3. If the Invader doesn’t have a firearm you can try the wasp spray if you have it in a strategic location like the umbrella basket at the door in the intruder’s eyes (See “Alternatives to Pepper Spray”).
4. Prepare a safe (panic) room into which you can escape. The door to this room should be reinforced to prevent the attacker from gaining entrance long enough for you to call for help. Make sure a cell phone has a good signal in that room.
5. Pre-planned signals that the neighbors are aware of. Whistles, signs in the window, any type of noise that may be unusual.
6. Use the panic alarm for your monitored home security system. Many systems now have key fobs, which means you can activate the alarm without having to go to the keypad. An audible alarm may scare the invader away. A silent alarm may allow the police the catch the crook.
7. This is easier said than done. Force yourself to stay calm. You’ll be able to think more effectively to develop a plan of escape.
8. Make mental notes of the attacker’s appearance. Anything you can remember will assist the authorities in apprehending him quickly.

This list is not comprehensive. The measures that can be utilized are open to the imagination. I can’t stress the importance of planning enough. Without a plan, it will be difficult to stay calm in the midst of the chaos of a home invasion. Since every situation will be different, you’ll have to tailor your response accordingly. Remember, in all situations, cool heads prevail!