FAMILY AND HOME SAFETY
I do not feel that any self protection guide is complete without covering some basic information and providing some
basic tips that everyone can use to protect their home and those inside. Home invasions are on the rise in the
United States along with drug use. Combine these ingredients with the economic struggles some are facing, and
you have disaster. Now more than ever, people are desperate for money to feed their families, or in many cases
people are desperate to support a drug habit. Until recently, home invasions were virtually unheard of, as the thief
usually waited until no one was home before they broke in. Now desperate, thieves are kicking in the front doors of
unsuspecting people’s homes in the middle of the night and entering when everyone is asleep. They are usually
armed and motivated to seek out money and other valuables at any cost. Having read this guide up to this point, I
hope you are more aware of these types of situations and how to quickly and effectively handle them should the
need arise.
After reading the following scenario, ask yourself how you would handle the situation from each room of your house.
What would you use as a weapon? Where are your kids? Where is your spouse? Are the intruders between you
and your family? These are all very important questions that need to be addressed prior to something happening.
If you are prepared, you will be able to act quickly and without hesitation. Much like if your house is on fire, there is
no time to think, there is only time for action. If you and your family are prepared you stand a much better chance of
survival than if you had never rehearsed a fire escape or home invasion plan repeatedly.
Here’s another scenario for you to ponder: It is 1:00 a.m. and you and your family are asleep. You hear a loud
crashing sound coming from the living room area of your house. Your children are asleep in their beds across the
hall from your bed room.
Think about this scenario for a moment. It sounds fairly simple at first, until you actually put yourself in the situation
mentally. You may be saying that you would get your pistol from the night stand, unlock the trigger guard and go
investigate the situation while your wife calls 911. Not bad until you realize that the intruders know you are there and
know that you are in the bedroom. They now know they have caused a lot of noise and that you have more than
likely heard them in the house. They are already prepared and have an action plan lined out – just in case. It takes
less than 5 seconds to run down a hallway, can you get out of bed and get your weapon of choice ready to use in 5
seconds? In this case you have a pistol with a trigger guard in place, can you get out of bed and unlock it in 5
seconds? Okay, you are up, unlocking your pistol, your wife has called 911, and you are on your way down the hall
to investigate the loud noise. What does your wife do? Where are your kids now? What do they do? What
happens if the attackers take control of you and your weapon? Who is now in control?
I hope this has you thinking now. Most people think they are prepared for just about anything that comes their way,
when in fact most people do not have a clue because they do not think anything like this will ever happen to them.
The thousands of people who are victims of crime and home invasions did not think it would ever happen to them
either – but it did.
During all of my classes I ask the students the above scenario and we usually spend a great deal of time talking
about it. I also like to throw in the scenario that you are home and sitting on the couch watching television in the
afternoon and 2 masked men open the front screen door and walk straight in. The screen door in the summeroffers
a quick entry point because people usually do not keep them locked. Most of the students reply that they keep a
hand gun in the night stand. Good for them, but the problem is that without preparation and training your mind will
automatically call upon the hand gun. This is a great weapon of choice, however, the gun is in the bedroom and you
are in the living room with two masked men standing there in front of you. The point here is that you must prepare
yourself for situations that may arise at anytime and anywhere.
There are endless scenarios, far too many to put on paper. The main takeaway here is that you and your family
must be prepared. I cannot tell you exactly how to defend yourself and your family, it is up to you to take this
information and formulate a plan of action that fits your needs and lifestyle. Not everyone is open to gun ownership.
Personally, I believe that it is my duty to protect my family by the quickest as most effective means necessary;
therefore, my choice and first line of home protection is a firearm. I also have a 4-step action plan in place should I
become a victim of a home invasion or robbery. Everyone in my family knows this action plan and we practice it just
as we do a fire escape plan.
Earlier, I mentioned the trigger lock on the firearm. It is a legal and ethical responsibility of every gun owner to keep
those in their house safe from accidental discharge of a firearm. A reliable means to accomplishing this is in fact a
trigger lock; however, the problem is that they are slow to unlock when needed. Other reliable methods include a
gun safe that is activated by placing your hand on the combination pad. They are quick and keep the gun out of
reach from children. If you are a gun owner, it is your responsibility to know how to use the weapon and how to
safely and properly secure it. Just because you own a gun in no way implies that you know how to use it effectively,
especially during a stressful situation. I also want to encourage you to think about the scenario above. What if
something happens to you? Who is going to protect your wife and children? In my opinion, your wife should also
own and be trained in the use of a firearm. This will allow for much more protection.
INVASION / BURGLARY: SAFEGUARDING YOUR HOME AGAINST UNLAWFUL ENTRY
Firearms are an excellent line of defense for home safety. Enroll yourself and loved ones in a firearms course that
will teach you how to properly use the weapon safely and effectively.
• All firearms must be kept secure and out of reach of your children and their friends. They must also be readily
available to you should the need arise to protect you and your family. There are many safe storage options
available.
• All members of your family should be taught proper gun safety and respect of any firearm – just as they do a
knife, fire, and all potentially dangerous items in and around your house.
• It has been statistically proven that in states where citizens can legally poses handguns and have a legal right
to carry a concealed firearm have lower crime rates as opposed to states and countries that prohibit such use.
• Dogs are another excellent choice for a line of home defense. They not only serve as a means for personal
protection, they also serve very well as an alarm system.
• Neighbors are also an excellent resource. Get to know your neighbors well. Ask them to watch over your
property while you are away. Ask them to gather your mail and news papers.
• Neighborhood watch programs are also a proven means of crime prevention and awareness.
• Always leave an outdoor light on in the evenings, even when you are home. Criminals like to be concealed.
• When away, try to always leave a parked vehicle in the drive way. If a relative or someone you trust is
watching over your property, have them move the vehicle to different parking positions in the drive way.
• Noise is a great deterrent during a break in. Dogs, family members, and alarm sirens create a great deal of
noise which brings attention to the area.
• With home invasions on the rise, do not make it easier than it already is. Everyone knows to keep their doors
locked at night but during summer months a lot of people fail to lock their screen door. Keep your screen doors
locked and your garage doors down.
• Have a slide lock installed on your garage door or install one if it doesn’t already have one installed. Newer
vehicles have automatic garage door openers installed as a feature and most people leave their garage door
openers in their older cars attached to the sun visor or in the glove box. This makes it all too easy for an intruder to
gain access to your house. Tools designed to pop the locks on vehicle doors can be purchased by anyone at many
retail businesses.
• Never open your door unless you know exactly who it is. If you don’t know them, send them away. If you are
expecting a package and don’t see the delivery truck parked outside your house, ask them to leave the package on
the porch. If you get a knock on the door after a delivery, never assume it is the delivery person.
• Never open the door for service personnel unless you have specifically called them to your home and always
verify who they are prior to allowing them inside. This also includes police officers. Police uniforms and badges can
be purchased with very little effort. This is very important especially in hotel rooms.
• Never leave easy access points into your house unlocked such as windows on the first floor.
• Maintain good visibility between your home and the street. The more secluded your house is the easier it is
for intruders to hide.
• If your dogs start to bark, investigate the situation and be prepared. Use caution when going outside. As long
as the intruder or the problem is on the outside and you are on the inside, you are safe for the moment. Remain
prepared and call the police.
• Involve the whole family in your home safety action plans. This should include fire escape, home invasion, and
investigation of noises that go bump in the night. This is easily done if you have a child that is of age that has been
properly trained in the safety and use of firearms. One option is for you as the main protector to go and investigate,
the oldest child who is of age and well trained in the safe use of a firearm becomes the second line of defense
protecting the mother and youngest child. The third line of defense is the mother who has also been trained in the
safe and proper use of a firearm protects her and the younger children. The main thing to keep in mind is this: If
you are the only means of defense and you get taken out, then there is no one left to protect the rest of your family.
• There are many recommendations that suggest that you close all bedroom doors at night due to fire safety.
The problem with this practice is that if an intruder enters your house, you are far less likely to hear the intrusion
allowing the intruder to gain valuable ground reaching your family. Each room in your house should have a working
smoke alarm so early detection is possible.
• Always have a working flashlight along with a cell phone in arms reach along with your weapon of choice. Do
not rely on your land line because the intruder may have cut the phone line and or alarm lines.
• Many experts recommend that you do not turn on interior lights when investigating a possible intruder in your
home. If you are not well trained in the use of illuminating an area with a flashlight while using a firearm, I
recommend that you do turn on the lights. This will give you much more visibility should you need to protect your
family.
• If you feel that your home has been invaded, call for help immediately prior to investigating the situation.
• During the development stages of your home protection plan, identify each room and all the possible weapons
located in that room. It is very important to have a weapon within arm’s reach at all times. Go over this plan and all
the possible weapons with each member of your family. You would be surprised what a 10 year old could do if the
need arises for him or her to protect their self or a member of the family. If you do not prepare them, they will not
react with confidence.
• Your safety action plan should include a safe room on each floor where family members can go while waiting
for help. This safe room should include solid doors with good locks and again with possible weapons identified.
There should be a cell phone with the oldest member of your family. Train each member of your family how to
properly call for help. All members including the youngest member of your house should know what information to
give the 911 dispatcher. Information such as the address, name, and situation. It is always a good idea to give the
911 dispatcher special information about your house such as landmarks or a description of the house. This will
speed up the response especially in rural areas. If the main protector has exited the house to investigate a situation
outside the residence, give the police a description of this person. .
• Come up with a predetermined code word. This is especially important if you leave the other family members
and go investigate the situation. Use a code word that is easily remembered by each family member. This code
word should also be used if a member of the family arrives home late at night.
• Make sure to let the police know that you are investigating the situation and that you have a firearm. Give
them a description of what you are wearing and your code word. This is especially important if you are investigating
a situation in a rural area such as outside areas (e.g., barns, detached garages, etc.)
• When the police arrive, always comply with their demands.
• It is important to always notify the police prior to investigating a situation. Also keep in mind that that police
more than likely won’t arrive instantly. The response time may range from 4-20 minutes depending on where you
live. The point here is that you must be prepared to handle the situation long enough on your own until help arrives.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT AND THINGS A CRIMINAL WILL NEVER TELL YOU
These tips are designed to get you thinking about the everyday things criminals use to their advantage. Read each
of them and think about them carefully. We cannot lead our lives in fear. Please do not read these and think that
everything you do is wrong, that is not the intention here. The intention is to raise your awareness and to get you
thinking.
• Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering
your new refrigerator. I was passing by your house the other night and noticed a 52” plasma television box out on
the street. Be very cautious on who you contract to make repairs inside your house. Never leave boxes out on the
street to indicate that you have valuable items in your house. Take them yourself to a recycling center or cut them
up and place them in a garbage bag.
• Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I
unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier. Never allow access to your home. If the contractor
needs to use the restroom they should do it while at lunch. Sounds a little harsh, but this happens quite often in our
society. Check your locks every night.
• Nice toys indicate that you have children, which also indicates there may be valuable gaming systems in the
house. Never leave toys in the yard. Instruct your children and yourself for that matter not to broadcast such items
to others.
• Never allow newspapers and mail to pile up. If you are away, have a neighbor or family member pick these
items up daily. Also ask them to check the door, if a flyer has been left, ask them to remove it. These are things
criminals look for to indicate that no one is home.
• If it snows while you are away, ask a neighbor to make foot prints up to the front door. Fresh snow and no foot
or tire tracks is a good indicator that no one is home.
• Never allow the alarm company to install a key pad where it can be seen from a window or door. Criminals can
easily check to see if it has been activated.
• Consider motion detectors along with your alarm system. Each door and window should include these areas.
• Criminals may knock first asking for directions if you answer the door or they may ask to cut your yard, shovel
your driveway. Don’t take them up on it, and for that matter, don’t open the door if you don’t know them.
• If you do not have an alarm system and a sales person calls or comes by your house offering to install a
system or inquiring if you have one or not, always advise them that you already have a system. Never discuss this
with anyone. If you want a system call the alarm companies yourself. If you don’t have one, simply make your own
stickers and place them on each window.
• If you are away, purchase a timer that can run the television and lights. Criminals will sometimes watch if they
don’t think you are home. If after several nights of no television or lights they will strike.
• Criminals also carry a clipboard, a rake, and push lawn mowers. They will use anything to make you think they
are legitimate and not seeking your valuables inside.
• Two things they hate most are a loud dog and a noisy neighbor.
• Criminals will break a window. Sure it makes a little noise, but usually a neighbor will stop what they are doing
and wait to hear the noise again. If they don’t, they will continue what they are doing.
• Don’t have an alarm system and not set it. It happens all the time.
• Criminals love to look in windows. They like to see that you’re not home, they love to see a big new plasma
television, and they absolutely love to see no signs of a dog or alarm system. Keep your blinds closed, especially at
night.
• Avoid announcing your vacation on facebook. It’s easier to find your address than you think.
• If you work at night do not post on your facebook page that you are away and your family is home alone or
that no one is home for that matter. Doing this sends out a big invitation to come on over.
• You’re out back in the pool with your family having a great time. The garage door is up. Thank you!
• Take on the roll of a burglar, and ask your spouse to do the same. During the daylight hours, practice
securing your home as you normally would before retiring for the night. Accompanied by your spouse, exit your
home to the outside and try to determine the areas you would use to break into the house. Each of you should
separately identify as many entry points and techniques as possible and write them down. Go back inside after you
have identified as many points of entry as possible and review them with each other. You will be surprised at how
many weak security points you have come up with. Next try to fix these weak points to make your home more secure.
• Get your family involved and make learning your protection action plan fun. Never do it in a manner designed
to instill fear in your children or wife. Make it a game and rehearse the game. Give your children rewards. If it is a
timed event that you have come up with, you may reward the family with a family ice cream night or something like
that.
In closing, I want to thank you for purchasing this book and, most of all, for taking the time and interest in your and
your family’s personal safety and well being. I hope I have raised your level of awareness and that you have learned
some techniques that just may save your life, or the life of a loved one. None of us wants to think about becoming a
victim, it is not a pleasing thought and usually raises fear in us just by thinking about it. This is a natural response
for even the most well prepared person. But the fact remains that if you are not prepared and do not take steps to
raise your awareness and your ability to protect yourself through skills training your outcome can be tragic. I, nor
anyone, can totally guarantee your safety; however, I do feel confident that with repeated skills training,
development of a survival mindset, and heightened awareness of your surroundings, your outcome will be much
different than if you set back and done nothing. This book is an excellent starting point for your quest for personal
protection. However, it should be supplemented with your continued training in a martial arts or self protection
school. There are thousands of schools located throughout the world offering self protection skills. The majority of
these schools and its instructors are not in it for the money; rather, they are in it with a driving desire to teach you to
become a better person through not only self protection, but also through self improvement, physical and mental
fitness, discipline, and respect of yourself and others.
I do not feel that any self protection guide is complete without covering some basic information and providing some
basic tips that everyone can use to protect their home and those inside. Home invasions are on the rise in the
United States along with drug use. Combine these ingredients with the economic struggles some are facing, and
you have disaster. Now more than ever, people are desperate for money to feed their families, or in many cases
people are desperate to support a drug habit. Until recently, home invasions were virtually unheard of, as the thief
usually waited until no one was home before they broke in. Now desperate, thieves are kicking in the front doors of
unsuspecting people’s homes in the middle of the night and entering when everyone is asleep. They are usually
armed and motivated to seek out money and other valuables at any cost. Having read this guide up to this point, I
hope you are more aware of these types of situations and how to quickly and effectively handle them should the
need arise.
After reading the following scenario, ask yourself how you would handle the situation from each room of your house.
What would you use as a weapon? Where are your kids? Where is your spouse? Are the intruders between you
and your family? These are all very important questions that need to be addressed prior to something happening.
If you are prepared, you will be able to act quickly and without hesitation. Much like if your house is on fire, there is
no time to think, there is only time for action. If you and your family are prepared you stand a much better chance of
survival than if you had never rehearsed a fire escape or home invasion plan repeatedly.
Here’s another scenario for you to ponder: It is 1:00 a.m. and you and your family are asleep. You hear a loud
crashing sound coming from the living room area of your house. Your children are asleep in their beds across the
hall from your bed room.
Think about this scenario for a moment. It sounds fairly simple at first, until you actually put yourself in the situation
mentally. You may be saying that you would get your pistol from the night stand, unlock the trigger guard and go
investigate the situation while your wife calls 911. Not bad until you realize that the intruders know you are there and
know that you are in the bedroom. They now know they have caused a lot of noise and that you have more than
likely heard them in the house. They are already prepared and have an action plan lined out – just in case. It takes
less than 5 seconds to run down a hallway, can you get out of bed and get your weapon of choice ready to use in 5
seconds? In this case you have a pistol with a trigger guard in place, can you get out of bed and unlock it in 5
seconds? Okay, you are up, unlocking your pistol, your wife has called 911, and you are on your way down the hall
to investigate the loud noise. What does your wife do? Where are your kids now? What do they do? What
happens if the attackers take control of you and your weapon? Who is now in control?
I hope this has you thinking now. Most people think they are prepared for just about anything that comes their way,
when in fact most people do not have a clue because they do not think anything like this will ever happen to them.
The thousands of people who are victims of crime and home invasions did not think it would ever happen to them
either – but it did.
During all of my classes I ask the students the above scenario and we usually spend a great deal of time talking
about it. I also like to throw in the scenario that you are home and sitting on the couch watching television in the
afternoon and 2 masked men open the front screen door and walk straight in. The screen door in the summeroffers
a quick entry point because people usually do not keep them locked. Most of the students reply that they keep a
hand gun in the night stand. Good for them, but the problem is that without preparation and training your mind will
automatically call upon the hand gun. This is a great weapon of choice, however, the gun is in the bedroom and you
are in the living room with two masked men standing there in front of you. The point here is that you must prepare
yourself for situations that may arise at anytime and anywhere.
There are endless scenarios, far too many to put on paper. The main takeaway here is that you and your family
must be prepared. I cannot tell you exactly how to defend yourself and your family, it is up to you to take this
information and formulate a plan of action that fits your needs and lifestyle. Not everyone is open to gun ownership.
Personally, I believe that it is my duty to protect my family by the quickest as most effective means necessary;
therefore, my choice and first line of home protection is a firearm. I also have a 4-step action plan in place should I
become a victim of a home invasion or robbery. Everyone in my family knows this action plan and we practice it just
as we do a fire escape plan.
Earlier, I mentioned the trigger lock on the firearm. It is a legal and ethical responsibility of every gun owner to keep
those in their house safe from accidental discharge of a firearm. A reliable means to accomplishing this is in fact a
trigger lock; however, the problem is that they are slow to unlock when needed. Other reliable methods include a
gun safe that is activated by placing your hand on the combination pad. They are quick and keep the gun out of
reach from children. If you are a gun owner, it is your responsibility to know how to use the weapon and how to
safely and properly secure it. Just because you own a gun in no way implies that you know how to use it effectively,
especially during a stressful situation. I also want to encourage you to think about the scenario above. What if
something happens to you? Who is going to protect your wife and children? In my opinion, your wife should also
own and be trained in the use of a firearm. This will allow for much more protection.
INVASION / BURGLARY: SAFEGUARDING YOUR HOME AGAINST UNLAWFUL ENTRY
Firearms are an excellent line of defense for home safety. Enroll yourself and loved ones in a firearms course that
will teach you how to properly use the weapon safely and effectively.
• All firearms must be kept secure and out of reach of your children and their friends. They must also be readily
available to you should the need arise to protect you and your family. There are many safe storage options
available.
• All members of your family should be taught proper gun safety and respect of any firearm – just as they do a
knife, fire, and all potentially dangerous items in and around your house.
• It has been statistically proven that in states where citizens can legally poses handguns and have a legal right
to carry a concealed firearm have lower crime rates as opposed to states and countries that prohibit such use.
• Dogs are another excellent choice for a line of home defense. They not only serve as a means for personal
protection, they also serve very well as an alarm system.
• Neighbors are also an excellent resource. Get to know your neighbors well. Ask them to watch over your
property while you are away. Ask them to gather your mail and news papers.
• Neighborhood watch programs are also a proven means of crime prevention and awareness.
• Always leave an outdoor light on in the evenings, even when you are home. Criminals like to be concealed.
• When away, try to always leave a parked vehicle in the drive way. If a relative or someone you trust is
watching over your property, have them move the vehicle to different parking positions in the drive way.
• Noise is a great deterrent during a break in. Dogs, family members, and alarm sirens create a great deal of
noise which brings attention to the area.
• With home invasions on the rise, do not make it easier than it already is. Everyone knows to keep their doors
locked at night but during summer months a lot of people fail to lock their screen door. Keep your screen doors
locked and your garage doors down.
• Have a slide lock installed on your garage door or install one if it doesn’t already have one installed. Newer
vehicles have automatic garage door openers installed as a feature and most people leave their garage door
openers in their older cars attached to the sun visor or in the glove box. This makes it all too easy for an intruder to
gain access to your house. Tools designed to pop the locks on vehicle doors can be purchased by anyone at many
retail businesses.
• Never open your door unless you know exactly who it is. If you don’t know them, send them away. If you are
expecting a package and don’t see the delivery truck parked outside your house, ask them to leave the package on
the porch. If you get a knock on the door after a delivery, never assume it is the delivery person.
• Never open the door for service personnel unless you have specifically called them to your home and always
verify who they are prior to allowing them inside. This also includes police officers. Police uniforms and badges can
be purchased with very little effort. This is very important especially in hotel rooms.
• Never leave easy access points into your house unlocked such as windows on the first floor.
• Maintain good visibility between your home and the street. The more secluded your house is the easier it is
for intruders to hide.
• If your dogs start to bark, investigate the situation and be prepared. Use caution when going outside. As long
as the intruder or the problem is on the outside and you are on the inside, you are safe for the moment. Remain
prepared and call the police.
• Involve the whole family in your home safety action plans. This should include fire escape, home invasion, and
investigation of noises that go bump in the night. This is easily done if you have a child that is of age that has been
properly trained in the safety and use of firearms. One option is for you as the main protector to go and investigate,
the oldest child who is of age and well trained in the safe use of a firearm becomes the second line of defense
protecting the mother and youngest child. The third line of defense is the mother who has also been trained in the
safe and proper use of a firearm protects her and the younger children. The main thing to keep in mind is this: If
you are the only means of defense and you get taken out, then there is no one left to protect the rest of your family.
• There are many recommendations that suggest that you close all bedroom doors at night due to fire safety.
The problem with this practice is that if an intruder enters your house, you are far less likely to hear the intrusion
allowing the intruder to gain valuable ground reaching your family. Each room in your house should have a working
smoke alarm so early detection is possible.
• Always have a working flashlight along with a cell phone in arms reach along with your weapon of choice. Do
not rely on your land line because the intruder may have cut the phone line and or alarm lines.
• Many experts recommend that you do not turn on interior lights when investigating a possible intruder in your
home. If you are not well trained in the use of illuminating an area with a flashlight while using a firearm, I
recommend that you do turn on the lights. This will give you much more visibility should you need to protect your
family.
• If you feel that your home has been invaded, call for help immediately prior to investigating the situation.
• During the development stages of your home protection plan, identify each room and all the possible weapons
located in that room. It is very important to have a weapon within arm’s reach at all times. Go over this plan and all
the possible weapons with each member of your family. You would be surprised what a 10 year old could do if the
need arises for him or her to protect their self or a member of the family. If you do not prepare them, they will not
react with confidence.
• Your safety action plan should include a safe room on each floor where family members can go while waiting
for help. This safe room should include solid doors with good locks and again with possible weapons identified.
There should be a cell phone with the oldest member of your family. Train each member of your family how to
properly call for help. All members including the youngest member of your house should know what information to
give the 911 dispatcher. Information such as the address, name, and situation. It is always a good idea to give the
911 dispatcher special information about your house such as landmarks or a description of the house. This will
speed up the response especially in rural areas. If the main protector has exited the house to investigate a situation
outside the residence, give the police a description of this person. .
• Come up with a predetermined code word. This is especially important if you leave the other family members
and go investigate the situation. Use a code word that is easily remembered by each family member. This code
word should also be used if a member of the family arrives home late at night.
• Make sure to let the police know that you are investigating the situation and that you have a firearm. Give
them a description of what you are wearing and your code word. This is especially important if you are investigating
a situation in a rural area such as outside areas (e.g., barns, detached garages, etc.)
• When the police arrive, always comply with their demands.
• It is important to always notify the police prior to investigating a situation. Also keep in mind that that police
more than likely won’t arrive instantly. The response time may range from 4-20 minutes depending on where you
live. The point here is that you must be prepared to handle the situation long enough on your own until help arrives.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT AND THINGS A CRIMINAL WILL NEVER TELL YOU
These tips are designed to get you thinking about the everyday things criminals use to their advantage. Read each
of them and think about them carefully. We cannot lead our lives in fear. Please do not read these and think that
everything you do is wrong, that is not the intention here. The intention is to raise your awareness and to get you
thinking.
• Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering
your new refrigerator. I was passing by your house the other night and noticed a 52” plasma television box out on
the street. Be very cautious on who you contract to make repairs inside your house. Never leave boxes out on the
street to indicate that you have valuable items in your house. Take them yourself to a recycling center or cut them
up and place them in a garbage bag.
• Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I
unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier. Never allow access to your home. If the contractor
needs to use the restroom they should do it while at lunch. Sounds a little harsh, but this happens quite often in our
society. Check your locks every night.
• Nice toys indicate that you have children, which also indicates there may be valuable gaming systems in the
house. Never leave toys in the yard. Instruct your children and yourself for that matter not to broadcast such items
to others.
• Never allow newspapers and mail to pile up. If you are away, have a neighbor or family member pick these
items up daily. Also ask them to check the door, if a flyer has been left, ask them to remove it. These are things
criminals look for to indicate that no one is home.
• If it snows while you are away, ask a neighbor to make foot prints up to the front door. Fresh snow and no foot
or tire tracks is a good indicator that no one is home.
• Never allow the alarm company to install a key pad where it can be seen from a window or door. Criminals can
easily check to see if it has been activated.
• Consider motion detectors along with your alarm system. Each door and window should include these areas.
• Criminals may knock first asking for directions if you answer the door or they may ask to cut your yard, shovel
your driveway. Don’t take them up on it, and for that matter, don’t open the door if you don’t know them.
• If you do not have an alarm system and a sales person calls or comes by your house offering to install a
system or inquiring if you have one or not, always advise them that you already have a system. Never discuss this
with anyone. If you want a system call the alarm companies yourself. If you don’t have one, simply make your own
stickers and place them on each window.
• If you are away, purchase a timer that can run the television and lights. Criminals will sometimes watch if they
don’t think you are home. If after several nights of no television or lights they will strike.
• Criminals also carry a clipboard, a rake, and push lawn mowers. They will use anything to make you think they
are legitimate and not seeking your valuables inside.
• Two things they hate most are a loud dog and a noisy neighbor.
• Criminals will break a window. Sure it makes a little noise, but usually a neighbor will stop what they are doing
and wait to hear the noise again. If they don’t, they will continue what they are doing.
• Don’t have an alarm system and not set it. It happens all the time.
• Criminals love to look in windows. They like to see that you’re not home, they love to see a big new plasma
television, and they absolutely love to see no signs of a dog or alarm system. Keep your blinds closed, especially at
night.
• Avoid announcing your vacation on facebook. It’s easier to find your address than you think.
• If you work at night do not post on your facebook page that you are away and your family is home alone or
that no one is home for that matter. Doing this sends out a big invitation to come on over.
• You’re out back in the pool with your family having a great time. The garage door is up. Thank you!
• Take on the roll of a burglar, and ask your spouse to do the same. During the daylight hours, practice
securing your home as you normally would before retiring for the night. Accompanied by your spouse, exit your
home to the outside and try to determine the areas you would use to break into the house. Each of you should
separately identify as many entry points and techniques as possible and write them down. Go back inside after you
have identified as many points of entry as possible and review them with each other. You will be surprised at how
many weak security points you have come up with. Next try to fix these weak points to make your home more secure.
• Get your family involved and make learning your protection action plan fun. Never do it in a manner designed
to instill fear in your children or wife. Make it a game and rehearse the game. Give your children rewards. If it is a
timed event that you have come up with, you may reward the family with a family ice cream night or something like
that.
In closing, I want to thank you for purchasing this book and, most of all, for taking the time and interest in your and
your family’s personal safety and well being. I hope I have raised your level of awareness and that you have learned
some techniques that just may save your life, or the life of a loved one. None of us wants to think about becoming a
victim, it is not a pleasing thought and usually raises fear in us just by thinking about it. This is a natural response
for even the most well prepared person. But the fact remains that if you are not prepared and do not take steps to
raise your awareness and your ability to protect yourself through skills training your outcome can be tragic. I, nor
anyone, can totally guarantee your safety; however, I do feel confident that with repeated skills training,
development of a survival mindset, and heightened awareness of your surroundings, your outcome will be much
different than if you set back and done nothing. This book is an excellent starting point for your quest for personal
protection. However, it should be supplemented with your continued training in a martial arts or self protection
school. There are thousands of schools located throughout the world offering self protection skills. The majority of
these schools and its instructors are not in it for the money; rather, they are in it with a driving desire to teach you to
become a better person through not only self protection, but also through self improvement, physical and mental
fitness, discipline, and respect of yourself and others.
| FAMILY AND HOME PROTECTION FROM Keep It Simple Survival - A Female's Guide to Practical Self Protection Written by Grandmaster Ed Catron The material contained in this book or on this web site is protected. Copy and reproduction is prohibited |