Is your home this easy to break into?

[xnavy]

I have never seen this and wasn't sure where to post it, but I think it deserves serious consideration because of how easy it is to get into ones house using this method which is called lock bumping. This is something that I just found out about. Pretty scary if you ask me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

[TargetTerror]

That is pretty scary. Makes a good argument for a door chain or the solid versions I have seen on hotel rooms.

[BigBang]

Unless you live in a concrete bunker, yes, your home is that easy to get into. A brick is the key to every window.

[xnavy]

I would think I would be able to hear a brick and a window smash. I would think bump locking would be pretty quiet.

[madmag]

My home is also easy. But I gave up trying to secure each door and window like Ft. Knox. I have good motion detectors inside and no sign outside that lets anyone know to check for alarm system. My next level is my .45Auto when the alarm goes off.

[Gbro]

WOW!
I taught forced entry for the fire service for years, Thats just unbelievable.

[BouncerDan]

After much consideration and thought on the matter. Yes my home is Extremely easy to get into. As much as I have tried to reinforce it by adding the shatter-proof glass and heavier doors. But now I am of the state of mind not necessarily to try and burglar proof the whole house but only one room.

I.E my bedroom, By replacing the door and door frame with a dead bolt to make it almost impossible to kick in. As well as to move my gun safe into my closet so that I would have access to all my firearms during a home invasion. If you are super paranoid you could also run a separate phone line into your room. (but I think my cell would work just fine.

[SeaMariner]

I thought about either living on a boat or buying an old missile silo.... yea 3 foot thick steel doors... with tennis court.

[Beckerich]

I'd love to own a missle silo... with a missle, I could have that little north korean man over and we could be bad ass dictators with electrocuted hair styles.

[Hook686]

Yesterday, 09:04 PM #7
BouncerDan

wrote:



... now I am of the state of mind not necessarily to try and burglar proof the whole house but only one room.

I.E my bedroom, By replacing the door and door frame with a dead bolt to make it almost impossible to kick in. ....


Interesting simplification, and certainly cost efficient. My question is, "How about the walls ?" I mean if the the walls are simply dry wall, the door is more stout than the walls. Is it not insecure, if the 'safe room' has not-so-safe walls ? Interior wall I'm assuming to be fairly easy to punch through, shoot through.

It also strikes me, that an interior room can become a trap. I recall some of the first firebases in Viet Nam had no 'back door'. When over run, there was no way to leave. Very bad karma. :(

[Coloma]

This is why I love my Dog's, it might be easy to get into the house, but once your in my two German Shepard's are going to really tear you up. Even if the bad guy has a gun, there no way he'll take care of both before that get him.
Obedience training is not that expensive, I used the same woman who trains the police dog's and the couple hundred dollars spent has paid off big time. You end up with a great dog's that obey, are a 100% loyal and are great with family while protecting the house and family to the death. If your really that worried about your house, get a dog and train it!

[CU74]

Living in "Tornado Alley", we have a basement safe room. Eight inch reinforced concrete walls and overhead, and TWO steel doors, (I learned about the "back door" requirement a long time ago). Both doors have sliding deadbolts - no bump-lock worries.

This is in addition to the alarm and light system and the bedside handgun.

[JustSteve]

I've seen alot of homes from the foundation up and other than the brick method most new homes can be cut open w/a steak knife.The vinyl siding is the easiest and next ,depending on your builder, is either 7/16" O.S.B. or celotex ,admittedly the OSB would be tougher to saw through but it can be done,then inslation ,and lastly 1/2" drywall.
A homes security level is only as good as the skiils of the person trying to get in,if you plan to build don't let them sell you more windows and better carpet those can be put in later. Look at the contruction and the materials being used in the end it's your money not the builders.

[skeeter1]

A brick is the key to every window.

Sadly, that's correct. I have a steel door in front, and two sliding-glass doors in the back, each with double locks. Reality is that a brick would be all it would take to get in here, or most any other house. Should someone do that, I hope I'm home so I can do my best "Yosemite Sam" impersonization. If anyone breaks into my house while I'm here, they'll be leaving by way of a body bag to the coroner's office.

[tlm225]

The lock bump has gotten a lot of publicity lately and I don't doubt that it works.
The sad truth is that the vast majority of homes are easy to enter. Even with a deadbolt engaged it's very flimsy. Most striker plates are mounted to a 1" thick facing that is inset only about 1". A sharp kick, while not low key will send the back part of the facing and the molding 10'-15' into the house. One of our more prolific burglars last year was not a big man but just used his shoulder to force the doors. That method was low key and quieter. The chains you see installed on doors are a joke, most using relatively short screws that require little force to pull out and don't provide any delay to forced entry at all.
As with all defensive measures, find the weakest link and upgrade it. In the case of doors, the facing is usually the problem. After upgrading the facing the door itself becomes the weak link. I've seen many doors whose facing held but the deadbolt bent and pivoted enough for the door to open.
Protection of your home requires "defense in depth" and encompasses everything from where you chose to live, to lighting, shrubbery and construction. Alarms will limit how long a burglar is in your home but typically the alarm has been tripped for 3-5 minutes before the law enforcement agency is notified. In my agency (I can't speak for others) we usually arrive on scene in about 3 minutes. A burglar can grab a lot of stuff in that time.
One element many overlook is being involved with and knowing your neighbors. I can say with absolute certainty that we have never caught a burglar in a home because of an alarm. Each and every one we've busted in the home was caught becase a neighbor called us and said "there's a guy at Joe's house and he doesn't belong there".

[RedneckFur]

Home defense? Watch the movie "Home Alone". Take notes. :)

Just kiddin about that. but really, nothing short of living inside a missle silo will keep a determined criminal out. Dogs are great for for one criminal... but what about an organised team of 3 or 4?

You can have strong doors and bullet proof windows, but a good chainsaw can get through any wooden wall in a few seconds.

With good drills and carbide saws, Most any home safe can be opened.
The only way you can be 100% sure your stuff is safe is to stay there and guard it yourself.

[rem33]

If you don't have a dead bolt I can open your front door with a pair of channel locks faster than you can with a key. Just grab the knob and turn, no noise and just that fast. When my folks first semi retired they managed a apt. complex for about 5 years. A Burglar was opening Apts. that way. I opened a door like that once and it works faster than a key, I did it legal. Get a dead bolt!

[Dwight55]

The truth about "bumping" a lock is that it is not as easy as the news people in the videos would have everyone believe. It's more scare based journalism than it is actual news. Course, . . . I have to admit, . . . it is a bit more entertaining than the continuing saga of Anna Nicole.

First off, . . . not just any key can be used, . . . it has to be specially prepared, . . . and, . . .

Secondly, . . . anyone who takes the time and invests the $$ to become a successfull bumper, . . . could become just about as effective with a ten dollar pick gun, . . . and saved a couple hundred bucks in equipment.

I wouldn't worry a whole bunch about bumpers, . . . worry about the meth head who just kicks the door in. He's the one you are more likely to meet these days.

May God bless,
Dwight

[JohnKSa]

Lock-picking/bumping/etc. makes the news because it's sensational. Criminals don't use these methods very often because they're slow and require either some preparation (to find a key that will fit the lock) or some skill (to pick the lock) and because getting caught with "burglar tools" can add to a jail sentence in some areas.

Criminals kick in doors and break windows because it's fast, it works almost universally,and doesn't require special skills or tools.

[tepin]

This has been around since locks were invented. I had to get through a door with a deadbolt once and did so with a shoulder tap. The door frame splintered and the door opened and almost with no sound. No crook is going to walk around with a ring of bump keys and a tapper to open a door. They will just bump the door with their shoulder, foot or ass to open it.

Don't bother with Medeco locks unless you have a steel door and steel frame. The weakest part of the door is the frame. You are better off with an alarm system to wake you up in the middle of the night when a zone is tripped.

[Supertac]

1. Break down my oak door.
2. Kill my pitbull.
3. Wear flak jacket for my .45
4. Die by my rifle.

If I'm gone, good luck breaking into my 800 Lb safe before my neighborhood watch calls me. ;)

[howard bleach]

Have two burglar alarms - keep one loaded and the other slightly under fed. ;)

Seriously though, another vote for at least one loyal dog. And try very hard to live in the kind of place where these sort of things don't happen regularly.

You can also hedge yourbets and score an ADT sticker or something. Couldn't hurt.