Continuing on the National Preparedness Month theme for September, we now turn to home security after a storm. The storm may have passed, but what if electricity or water service is out? How do you keep your home and family safe in these conditions? Secure Your Home If high winds damaged windows or doors, make…

Protecting community assets and keeping neighborhoods safe are high priorities for most Homeowners Associations (HOAs). Accordingly, many neighborhoods install security cameras for video monitoring of HOA property. But how does a volunteer board manage the task of monitoring the hours of recorded footage? Who is actually watching the videos? It’s true that checking cameras after…

Do you have laptops, jewelry, cash, small electronics, firearms or prescription medicine in your home? Burglars will steal just about anything if they believe it can be easily resold for cash — and these are some of their favorite items. A typical burglar will work fast, scooping up as many items as possible during a…

When you think of a burglary, do you envision a dark-clothed man creeping around a home under the cover of darkness? You might be surprised to learn that 65 percent of home burglaries occur between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the majority of those between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Why? Because most burglars…

Victims of home burglary are often forced to shell out big bucks in order to replace their stolen items. But there are other costs associated with burglary, as well. Stolen Property The most obvious cost associated with a home burglary is stolen property. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports, the…