The front doors to the L.L. Bean flagship store in Maine do not lock. It’s not a matter of malfunction: there is no lock, and never was.  Since the store opened in 1951, it has been open 24/7.

The rest of us, however, not only have locks; we use them, and we want to trust them.

The need to establish our boundaries, close our doors, and protect ourselves, to rest, sleep, and restore our energy is innate. We don’t want to sleep in shifts, with someone being awake to watch guard.  L.L. Bean may not lock their doors, but they have security and cameras. 

This is the first in a series of blogposts about tools, techniques, products, actions and habits to protect you and your property.

You’ll read about how to best secure doors and windows, which ones to avoid or replace, and which materials are least vulnerable. Steel jamb reinforcement is the most effective I’ve found to prevent kick-ins.

I’ll tell you about hardware: knobs, levers, hinges, strike plates, deadbolts, slide bolts, and screw lengths.  No matter how good the keyed handset, a deadbolt is essential.

We’ll explore thievery–the patterns, motivation, weaknesses and wiliness of those who burgle, backed up by statistics.  For example, most break-ins occur between noon and 3:00 pm.

More, upcoming posts will address pets, children, plus practical and easy deterrents.

My goal is to give you the proverbial ounce of prevention to make your home unappealing to a thief. They’re looking for an easy target, and if your house is too difficult to access, they usually go elsewhere.  An assessment is free for the asking.

And then there is this strategy:

“I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.”  -Elayne Boosler

 Duncan Cottrell, The Entry Enforcer, is a home improvement technician specializing in Home Intrusion Prevention.  He offers door and window reinforcing, free home security assessments, and answers questions at Duncan@EntryEnforcer.com or (404)289-6960.