How many locks actually get picked?

B&E guys main tool is a big work boot, their shoulders and a crowbar. Pay attention to all aspects of security.

The lock, itself, isn't the issue. Medeco locks are purported to be hard to pick. However, if the door jamb is the weak point, the "bad guy" is likely to just kick the door in, grab some valuables & run rather than stand there trying to pick a lock. If you have any windows in your house why worry about the entry locks? A house that most people would want to live in is a security sieve.

A fellow alumnus from my engineering college who did security in NYC said that the best thing to secure the door to one's apartment was to get half a dozen cheap locks and only lock about half of them in a pattern known to the user. If I thief tried to pick all of the locks, he could do that very quickly. However, he would open half & lock the other half. At which point he goes on to the next apartment door.

In NJ, we put an alarm horn in a very visible place before we got a security system installed. One morning, we could see footprints in the snow to about the place where a person would be able to see the horn. We later found out that our neighbor across the street had be burglarized. I felt bad, but grateful that it wasn't us. I had already had my car in the driveway broken into twice in a few weeks. The 1st time they got my Blaupunkt radio. They came back in a few weeks to get the new radio that they thought I had installed. Luckily, I had been busy & hadn't gotten a new radio, but I still had to have the car window repaired.

I know that is a long-winded way to make the point that security isn't as simple as getting a good lock. And, I'm just not devious enough to out think the bad guys. Sorry, if I'm stating things of which you are well aware.

In a wood frame house the door and door frame on both the lock and hinge sides are the weak spots.

A panel door will crack at the joints of the vertical stiles and the horizontal rails (top, bottom, and middle) pretty easily.

A metal clad door is slightly better, and a metal fire rated door in a metal frame is about as good as you can do.

The next weak spot is springing the metal jamb outwards to let the lock slip form the pocket.

You can make wire there is solid 2x framing on each side of the door jamb, and no gaps between the metal jamb and framing.

Using 3 inch or longer wood screws to attach the door hinges and lock plate to the framing adds a decent amount of strength to a wooden jamb and walls, as does a more solid door (not frame and panel).

The pints about windows are well taken.

Keep the visible form the street (no bushes blocking the view).

If someone really wants in they can cut through things like vinyl siding rather easily.

I had a in construction house broken into once. Back door kicked in - stole the dishwasher. Anyway - the jamb was a joke. I'm with the majority here - picking locks is for the movies. Hard to find a door that you can't kick in....

In typical areas, the back door is probably the best - not visible from the street. And the noise won't be as obvious. I think for the vast majority of people, the steel required to make it secure is not a viable option. Now - if you live in a high crime area, that might change things.

Physical Barriers can very easily be overcome because of Glass in windows and doors. If someone wants in your house, they'll get in. Security is about what happens immediately thereafter. Glass Breaks, Motion Sensors, Door contacts are all the tools you can use to make sure that someone does not get in quietly or without the authorities being notified.

"I think for the vast majority of people, the steel required to make it secure is not a viable option."

There is at least one vendor that makes a steel cover for the lock side of a wooden jamb to increase strength.

It is still going to depend heavily on getting into something more solid than just the jamb though, along with a stronger door.

Have you seen the video of someone opening a garage door by placing a shim between the frame and the top of the door and then using a self made hook to pull the pull cord? Seemed easy to do if you have glass in your doors so they can see what they are doing. Many people do not lock the door between the garage and house (we only do at night).

Here is a link that might be useful: 6 seconds to get into a garage

Glad I don't have a garage door like that!

Everyone I know locks the door between the garage and house. Why would you not?

Because which has a higher probability of an impact on your life: one's dumb@$$ kids who forget their keys but don't have to wake you up at 1am since they can come in via the code to the garage and then through the unlocked door or the small likelihood of someone breaking into your garage and then going into your house in a low crime area?

Actually, in the new house, the door from the garage to the utility room through which I will haul groceries to the kitchen is going to have an electronic lock so I don't have to mess with keys. They now try to make them so that the numbers don't wear off to give a hint to the code.

But, again, once the thief is into the garage, they have much more cover for a B & E. Locks only really discourage the "causal" thief like some kids on a lark.

When we did our MEP in June, the guy from the security company came to talk us through what would be installed. We all knew that the benefits are limited ("We just want to create a bunch of noise so the guy doesn't stay here too long"), but we can't be the only ones w/o a system because of the situation I described of 30 odd years ago in NJ. I mostly want the system for the remote monitoring of the smoke detectors and any medical emergency functions.

Gosh, this is a depressing topic. Any reasonable amount of security requires much more money & sacrifices in convenience or lifestyle than most of us want to make.

:Everyone I know locks the door between the garage and house. Why would you not?"

Actually a waste of time.

If someone get s into the garbage they are going to close the door and attack the house door unobserved.

If you keep tools in the garage they will use them to breach the door.

We had three break ins in our small town neighborhood a few weeks ago. They happened during the day when I was home with my 3 kids. Thankfully these creeps weren't brave enough to try to steal from an occupied house - although I know that happens.

One family had almost 20k stolen (computers, tvs, jewelry, a safe), and another was on vacation and only was noticed by someone walking their dog the next morning.

I had a policeman come look at our house and our back french doors can be kicked in easily. I agree there is only so much you can do.

In all 3 cases, the crooks kicked in back doors which were deadbolted.

Heck, once they got into my garage they could use the chain saw to cut through the door into the house (it is a fireproof solid core, not metal, but I am pretty sure the chain saw would cut through that). Of course, the motion detector would go off...

Alarm systems are a pretty good deterrent...there are many studies that show that just having an alarm system reduces your chances of being burglarized by a very large percentage. If some crazy drug addict is casing, and sees two houses, one with an alarm system and one without, which do you think he will choose?

We live in the inner city (by choice) and although the neighborhood has been improving for many years now, break-ins still happen. An alarm system here is essential. We are on a corner, which helps because all but one side of the house are visible from the street, and only one window is on the hidden side. And the noise from the alarm would alert all of our neighbors.

Someone can still break in and take some stuff, but if they break in and hear that alarm, they are much more likely to grab what they see and run instead of rooting around for a million different things.

We are replacing all of our old single-pane windows with dual or triple pane tempered glass windows. For the doors, the glass on them is actually plexi-glass and we have the type of locks that can't be unlocked from the inside, so someone can't just put their hand through the door window and unlock it.

No matter what you do, people can break-in, unless you make it a fortress, and not many of us would want to live in a window-less masonry fortress. There are things you can do to reduce the chances, though.

Unfortunately, we do have to keep the cats in their room while we're gone so we can turn the motion detector on.

I listen to the Cleveland Police Scanner and surprisingly, home alarms are a code 2 (Code 1 is most serious, Code 3 least), so the response time isn't as bad as you'd expect in a large city.

On the garage door to house subject. My last house I had to install a deadbolt as it wasn't built that way (15 year old house). My builder doesn't usually spec deadbolts in that door - his spec house that we copied didn't have it- and he said most people don't opt for it. He says the garage is very secure - no windows in the doors.

We lock it at night for one reason - so that noise has to be made to enter the house. So they could get into the garage without us hearing but kicking in that door would make a good amount of noise. We don't lock it when we leave because that is pointless - like people have mentioned. Non deadbolts locks are a real joke. A screwdriver and 2 seconds and no noise.

Easy thing to avoid when building is french doors in the back. I can't imagine an easier entry point. I've had them before and never worried about it but I think it is an easy fix if you are so inclined. Next might be to keep back door down to one and then steel reinforce it. Big dog in yard probably doesn't hurt. And of course alarm system.

Then again, nationally I don't think crime has been lower in the last 30 years and the trend is all good. I'd put valuable jewelry in a unexpected place and having a hidden safe is a good idea. I think most people are worried about humans rather than objects and thankfully that is a rare occurance.

"Unfortunately, we do have to keep the cats in their room while we're gone so we can turn the motion detector on."

Swap those motions out for pet proof ones.

sue36 - good point. I mean a large dog can set off anything when he jumps up at a door but a cat should be fine.

Neat trick with the garage door!

Of course, do that on our garage doors and the alarm is immediately tripped, sending notification to the monitoring station over a cellular system. And sirens in the garage and the house are set off. Virtually all builders, and a lot of homeowners, do not alarm garages or second floors and do not use cellular systems. Of course, experienced thieves are not deterred; but they do have to work faster.

The motion detector is in the front room and it also encompasses the stair case so it would catch them all the way from the top of the staircase to the bottom of the staircase, the floor, any tables, and the fireplace mantle. Security company said they wouldn't be able to calibrate it. For dogs some dogs in some situations, they can, but not cats.

If the motions you have can't be calibrated then they need to replace them. I believe the ones I have can be calibrated for up to 60 pounds.

I have had 3 different security companies/systems in the 10 years I have been in my house, and all 3 have been able to provide me with cat proof motion sensors.

The houses on either side of me were broken into last year (first time in 20 years) but my house wasn't. The only difference appeared to be that my back door (neighbor's back doors were both kicked in) had a secure storm door with a dead bolt. Not that they couldn't have gotten in but the storm door would have slowed them down so they apparently decided to go for the easier break ins.

@krycek1984: "I listen to the Cleveland Police Scanner and surprisingly, home alarms are a code 2 (Code 1 is most serious, Code 3 least), so the response time isn't as bad as you'd expect in a large city."

I was reading this for lock information and here I find another Clevelander (by choice, even)!

Fantastic safety points. We've actually had our garage with two attempted break-ins. Following our safety coordinator's recommendation, we use 4" screws for hinges and locksets, thwarting break-ins. With one we had to have our side door replaced, but I'd rather do that than replace whatever would have been stolen.

Great advice!

Cancoi, I saw your profile that you're in an urban infill lot and starting a cottage garden. Do hop over to the Cottage Garden forum, they have a ton of excellent advice! And feel free to email me if you need any advice or help about living in Cleveland or gardening questions at krycek1984@gmail.com. Good luck with Ohio! You'll love it here!

I'm in Ohio City so I know all about gardening in urban environments!

We live in a low crime small town and I have never locked my doors. At night or while gone. Guess what?!!? Last week my husband's shop (at another address) was robbed. They stole about $30K worth of tools. It was a rude but necessary awakening for me. We installed Schlage automatic deadbolts on all of our doors. I know this doesn't answer the original question but just fyi, I love them and they are so easy to lock when you leave the house. I hated having to have my keys in hand to lock the door when I left with baby, diaper bag, purse, computer, Etc. I installed them myself, VERY easy.