Home Security Checklist

1. Are your doors locked whether you are in the house or not?
2. Is your front door locked while you are in the back yard (and vice versa)?
3. Do you lock your doors when you leave the house for even a few minutes?
4. Do you pin your windows? Are they locked when closed?
5. Are your basement windows locked or permanently secured with screws or bars?
6. Do you keep your garage doors closed and locked at all times?

Does your home look occupied?

1. When you are gone for the evening, do you leave an outdoor and outdoor light on?
2. Do you leave a radio or TV on when your home is not occupied?
3. When you go on vacation do you have someone:

• watch your house?
• move drapes, shades, and blinds?
• mow the lawn/shovel snow?
• collect mail and newspapers?

Do you practice yard security?

1. Do you keep valuables such as bicycles and lawn equipment locked up and out of sight?
2. Do you lock up tools and ladders after you use them?
3. Do you keep shrubbery and bushes well trimmed?
4. If you have a fence, can your neighbors see through it or over it?
5. If you have exterior lights, do they prevent shadows where burglars could hide at night?
6. Do you have lights on dusk to dawn at entrances?

Do you practice overall security?

1. Do you have a block contact list with neighbors’ names, phone numbers, and addresses by your phone?
2. Do you know how to report suspicious activity or crimes to the police? Do your children know how to report?
3. Do you ask strangers at your door for proper identification before talking to them?
4. Do your children tell strangers that you’re “busy” rather than you’re “not home”?
5. If someone came to the door needing help, would you make the phone call to the police (or other necessary calls) rather than letting the person come in?

For further crime prevention resources, please visit here.