Hello All, There are lots of things to think about after the events of the last few days.
I think its important to find a few takeaways, so we are not just left traumatized to whatever degree the news has impacted us. Even the smallest step in a positive direction moves us towards recovery. Trim a hedge (to increase visibility and reduce hiding spots, especially near front porches), replace a light bulb, learn the name of a neighbor that you haven't introduced yourself to before..... anything and all will be a step that will move all of us towards greater safety and awareness. With the arrest of this young man ( http://www.westphillylocal.com/2014/10/21/18-year-old-arrested-after-home-invasions-on-s-47th-s-48th-streets/ ), for which we are very relieved and grateful, there will be more that I will be asking of all of you. I think it will be important to follow this case through the courts, so you may find yourself being one of the people who comes to court with us to show support for the victims, and to represent the community to the courtroom. We have found that to be significant in the healing of the victims and of our community, and to be a powerful statement of the community's place in the judicial system. Also, there are those of us who will be there praying for the defendant and his family as well.... Keep all of that in the back of your mind, in case any of it interests you. I will let you know when the need arises. Below you will find one of our members' thoughts on locks for homes. He makes his livelihood being an expert on security, and I thought his input would be especially useful after the home invasions that occurred on Monday night. If you have any questions I can forward them to him. Those of you in the 48th St. Neighbors google group can discuss directly with him. Thanks Dev!! Yours, Patty There has been a lot of talk on the mailing lists regarding home security and since my profession is physical security, I've been fielding a few requests for advice. Patty asked me if I'd put together a small write-up and the following is what I can offer in terms of lock knowledge, etc. Bear in mind, please, that my background and primary focus is on commercial and corporate environments whose needs often far exceed ours in a small neighborhood. In a residential setting, criminals are essentially never going to pick a lock. They are either going to... (a) make a crime of opportunity, just trying doorknobs and car door handles until one opens (b) jimmy or force their way in, relying on weak installation, poor door fitment, or shoddy hardware ... and it's quite possible to address the above considerations with common sense and a trip just to Home Depot for longer screws, tight-fitting strike plates, etc. A decent community-based locksmith can often help with just about all of those considerations and they would also be able to outfit a home with updated locks if the desire were to strike. So often, given my reputation and presence online, I am asked the question "what is the best lock" or "what is a very good lock I can use" etc etc. That's more or less like asking "what is the best golf club" and the reality is that depending on the situation, there's a lot of clubs in a bag for a reason. You swing with the one that's right for where you are and what you face. (Or whatever your caddy hands you, I guess... I'm not a golfer.) If pressed, I often discuss the following two options for lock brands that I tend to really really love on the market today: [A] high-end Schlage locks that are pretty damn solid and also offer you the means to have other "lower priority" locks in the same key system (i.e. door to a trash cabinet outside, small padlocks on a shed, other things like that)... the Schlage Primus is great for a deadbolt and standard "residential grade" Schlage locks are backwards-compatible in that system... so a local locksmith can cut you some of your "lower level" keys and service those locks easily. [B] ASSA Abloy style locks such as the Protec which are utterly unbeatable but have a somewhat higher per-lock-cost. You can have different levels of hierarchy and both door locks as well as padlocks on a single system with the Protec, but the cost goes up. Also, getting additional keys and whatnot becomes a task for a specialized supplier and not your local store. ... ultimately it comes down to questions such as: 1. How many doors or other items are you trying to secure? Just one front door and that's it? Or do you want the convenience of multiple doors that are operable by the same key or a system of hierarchical master keys? 2. Are you interested in a lock (or a system of locks) that can easily be serviced and for which additional keys can be cut at only moderate expense? Or are you OK with super-strong locks but ones that require a specialist to do a lot of expensive servicing if changes are needed? 3. What, exactly, is the risk that you feel you are facing and how are such perpetrators really likely to attempt entry? As referenced at the very beginning, people who want to break into your home are not picking the locks. Far more effective than "new locks" on a door would be the kinds of tactics and suggestions covered in most Community-and-Police advising nights where discussions of motion-activated lights, proper door jambs, and well-fitting windows are all covered, among much else. Depending on your budget, frankly, it might make a lot more sense to replace a glass window in your front door with Security Glass rather than replacing the deadbolt set into the door inches away from it. The security glass world is pretty amazing, frankly. Have a look at this video clip... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_CiLZY-HGw ... the heights to which that industry has evolved are pretty remarkable. Most people's needs are adequately served with glass that withstands just a thrown brick or the swing of a hammer. That can even be achieved with after-market applied film like the ones offed by 3M... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96x2tO9Xuxw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXRmvtfK3-4 ... which is also a good option, depending on where you live. Those who have met me at social gatherings know that I tend to trust names like Mossberg and Walther more than Schlage or 3M when it comes to investing in security hardware. :-) Overall, the /best/ option is what we are all already doing. We are keeping an eye out for one another, cooperating and sharing information with local authorities, and taking an active stance against crime in our neighborhood as opposed to installing a new product and then passively hoping for it to protect us from whatever is out there. - - dev
