Turn Your Home Into a Fortress

Oct. 20, 2005 — -- Think your home is secure? So do the 100,000 other households that will suffer robberies this year.

Burglaries, home invasions and abductions can all occur in your home if you don't know how to keep criminals from getting inside. For brazen thieves, having someone in the home isn't a deterrent.

"They're like cockroaches," said safety expert and ABC News consultant Bob Stuber. "If there is a crack or an opening they're going to get through it."

Stuber and ABC News' "Primetime" teamed up to show homeowners some simple and inexpensive ways to protect their homes and themselves from would-be invaders.

As the sun sets on a suburban California street, a community of model houses for Centex Homes serves as the setting for Stuber's latest safety lesson.

First, Stuber says, don't take anything for granted -- protect everything. "They're constantly looking for us to give them an opportunity to get into the house," he said. "When you give them an opportunity, they're coming in."

One of the more commonly overlooked opportunities is the front door peep hole. Stuber say's he's surprised at how often he sees doors without them.

"Put it in the door so you can see who's out there," he explained. "If you have little kids in the house, put another one in down low, so they can see."

Stuber says dogs can be great deterrents, but if you don't have one (or if you live alone), make it look like you do.

For a woman living alone, Stuber suggests setting out a pair of old work boots, to make a crook wonder about who is inside to confront him.

You can always get a fancy alarm system installed, but Stuber says you don't need to go that far -- just buy the inexpensive warning stickers at your local hardware store.

"It's just like a stop sign," he said. "Just the sticker itself will do the job."

Stuber says that all of these things are cheap and simple ways to send a powerful message to the guy thinking about breaking into your house.