By Adam Beier, Arapahoe County Security Center, Inc.
For many of us, experiencing some degree of property crime, or knowing someone who has, is becoming more of the rule than the exception. With any economic downturn comes an increase in property crimes such as mail theft, vehicle burglary, package theft and burglary of homes and businesses, to name a few. While there is no mistaking the criminal intent of others as anything other than wrong, we must do more for ourselves and communities to mitigate the opportunity to fall victim to these criminal acts.
The most successful means of security is and has always been a proactive approach to mitigating possibilities and eliminating easy targets for criminals to exploit.
Regarding the single and multi-family settings, many of the most compromised areas we fall victim to are also part of our daily routine. These weaknesses are easily addressed with better lighting and visibility, repairing or replacing damaged or malfunctioning lock hardware as soon as possible, and learning to recognize where we are unknowingly allowing criminals to strike.
For instance, the cluster mailboxes we see the mailman struggle to open or properly resecure on a daily basis are easy targets, especially the decades old, extruded aluminum panel boxes. Those mailbox banks were designed for a different day and age. Times have changed and yet many of us still rely on antiquated mailbox designs. A better option here is to upgrade your communities’ cluster mailboxes to products constructed of steel and welded together, rather than pressed or riveted together or constructed of materials no longer robust enough for today’s needs. While cluster mailboxes are not inexpensive by any means, mail and identity theft can be devastating and have long-standing personal and financial impacts. Additionally, once a thief is successful in breaking into a cluster mailbox, their future success will increase with every attempt thereafter as many repair attempts are futile and very rarely address the main issue of outdated construction and materials.
The biggest arena we can be more vigilant in is lighting and visibility. There are endless arguments for the use of modern, white lighting and motion detection lights. There is more to be said about eliminating blind spots for criminals to operate in. Obstructing line of sight into your home or business with shrubs and trees provides you with more privacy as well as a potential burglar looking for an unlocked or poorly secured door or window. With the spring season just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about where you can eliminate those perimeter blind spots around your homes and communities. The topic of visibility seems to always parallel the idea of using surveillance cameras. Remember this, cameras are passive and oftentimes are a post-incident tool for identification and prosecution, rather than a preventative measure. Additionally, they offer very little deterrence to criminals committing petty property theft to crimes of violence.
Furthermore, it is time to start replacing and upgrading the security measures currently in place that only function at a fraction of their intended capacity. That residential grade door on the mail kiosk, the fence line that is falling apart, or the gate that won’t completely close on its own are all vulnerabilities that lead to additional criminal activity. It’s time to stop making temporary repairs and begin to invest in correcting security issues in a manner that will demonstrate durability and longevity. We must also remember that security is not always convenient, aesthetically pleasing, or inexpensive. The minor inconvenience created for a member of the community is a fraction of the inconvenience that a thief may experience while trying to unlawfully access the same home or business.
The security of your home, business, or community at large is contingent on how much we cherish our security and peace of mind. If it is important to be secure, it's more important to take the best course of action in creating that security before something happens, rather than after the fact. Providing a truly secured facility or home does not come by way of the instant gratification that a case of Ring cameras delivered to your door will provide, but rather a focused effort of identifying your real vulnerabilities and then applying pragmatic prevention. Planning, budgeting, and executing preventative measures will always outweigh how anyone reacts after they have experienced a breach of their security.
At Arapahoe County Security Center, we pride ourselves on over 30 years of professional craftsmanship that has created satisfied customers that can trust us for life. Family owned and operated, we provide exceptional locksmithing and security service to the businesses and residents of Colorado. We specialize in monitored access control and CCTV, while also delivering results for intercom systems, custom security gates, safe openings, and more. For all of your locksmith and security solutions, give us a call at 303-745-5500. Come see us at our original location in Aurora or at our store in Parker.
