Are you the type of renter who frequently leaves the apartment without locking the deadbolt? Do you occasionally open the main door to your building for a stranger who hasn’t been buzzed in? Have you dismissed burglar alarms and light timers as unnecessary expenses?
If so, you could be making your apartment an easy target for burglars and home invaders.
Experts in apartment security say these and many other habits are all-too-common traits of many apartment dwellers. It’s not until they’ve been touched by crime that locking the deadbolt, questioning the well-dressed outsider and installing the alarm system become priorities.
Yet, by taking these and several other simple precautions in their units and common areas, renters can help reduce the chance that their apartments will fall prey to the criminal element.
The first step is to verify that your apartment building is in compliance with security provisions of the Chicago Building Code. According to James Mumm, outreach coordinator for Chicago’s Metropolitan Tenants Organization, the code mandates that the front doors of all Chicago apartments have a peephole or window, and that windows within 20 feet of the ground or 10 feet of a fire escape or roof have sash locks and ventilation locks.
“In addition, the doors to the building must have a deadlatch lock, which shuts automatically behind you after being opened with a key,” Mumm says. “And both the front and rear doors of apartments must have deadbolt locks.”
Similar provisions, he adds, are found in the building codes of most suburbs.
Security inventory
Next, turn to steps you can take to help reduce the potential for crime. A good place to begin a security inventory is in the apartment itself, say experts in preventing break-ins. Start with obvious safeguards, such as making sure your door is fully locked regardless of whether you’re home or not. That goes for renters in doorman buildings, as well as those in all other complexes.
“Many people shut their doors only on a springlock or privacy lock,” says Willis Shannon, crime prevention research officer for the preventive program section of the Chicago Police Department. “They feel it’s not necessary to lock the deadbolt because they’re leaving only for a few minutes.
“But don’t assume that because you have a doorman, everything will be safe. Go all the way and lock the deadbolt.”
While on the subject of locks, Shannon urges renters to avoid passing duplicate keys to family and friends. If the keys are lost or stolen, they may not be missed because the family member or friend doesn’t need them often. “Building management will have passkeys that can be used in the case of an emergency,” he says. “There’s no need to make duplicate keys for friends.”
Also, never leave keys for friends or family under outside mats or on top of door frames. Many renters assume home invaders won’t know these places, Shannon says. “But burglars are always watching, and they know where the keys are usually hidden.”
Look first
Another simple precaution that many renters fail to observe is using the door viewer before opening their apartment doors. Some break-in artists push the button of every apartment in a building, often gaining entry when a resident expecting a visitor buzzes them into the building without checking their identity.
The result can be an unpleasant surprise at your apartment door, says Ralph Gibson, a retired Chicago Police Department detective who now gives talks on safety to church, school and community groups.
“Never open your door to anyone you don’t know,” he says. “It’s very important that you use the peephole. If it’s a delivery person you didn’t expect, tell them to leave the packages or flowers outside the door. And never rely on a door chain for protection. They can put their shoulder to the door and pop that in a second.”
Inside your unit, pay special attention to places susceptible to break-ins. Among the weakest links in many apartments are the rear door and windows, vulnerable because home invaders face less scrutiny in the back of buildings.
Security bars for the windows are available at many hardware stores and home centers, and are recommended by Shannon.
“Many of the window guards are expandable and can be secured with a wing nut, allowing you to easily take them off the inside of the window when you need to clean the glass,” he says.
A door bar is another good idea, says Joseph Sortino, crime prevention officer with the Schaumburg Police Department. “This is a straight bar with an end that’s on a pivot,” he explains. “You shove it under the door knob and place the end to the floor, and it makes it difficult for someone to gain entry.”
Sliding patio doors are another frequent point of entry for home invaders, Sortino points out. He recommends patio door locks that can be mounted on doors to prevent them from being lifted out of their frames. “You can lock the door in an open position and still get some fresh air,” he adds.
When the sliding door is closed, an old broom handle cut to the length of the adjoining pane and fit into the sliding area can serve as an economical crime deterrent. The handle will act like a “Charlie bar,” preventing the door from sliding open, according to Gibson. “It works like a charm.”
Sound the alarm
Burglar alarms represent yet another good investment, safety experts say. For renters who don’t have pets, Shannon recommends the type of alarm system that features unseen beams that, when broken by intruders, signal an alarm. For those with pets, he urges contact-type alarms installed on doors and windows. If the contacts are broken, an alarm is activated.
“And if you’re having the alarms installed, check the installer’s references,” Shannon says. “Also make sure the installer will come out and service the alarm.”
Don’t hesitate to use a bit of deception in warding off thieves. Putting lights and radios on timing systems can give intruders a sense that someone is home even when the apartment is unoccupied.
Shannon suggests that renters put one or several lights on timers, and readjust the timers frequently to light lamps at different times or in different rooms. Plugging a radio into a timer can also deter a home invader.
“Tune the radio to a talk show,” he urges. “A talk show usually tells a burglar that someone is awake, just as a light on can suggest that someone is awake and reading.”
Gibson is another expert who recommends creative subterfuge to foil criminals. “Burglars think twice if they see signs of dogs or electronic security,” he reports.
“If a guy comes around trying to pick an apartment to burglarize, and he sees through your window a big dog bowl or collar with the names `Bruno’ or `Killer,’ he’s probably going to pick another place. Yours looks like a harder place to hit.”
The same idea applies for the name that appears next to your button on the intercom system downstairs, he adds.
“If you’re a single woman living alone, don’t put `Mary Smith’ on the intercom. Make it `M. Smith’ or better yet `Bob and Mary Smith.’ Throw them off. They won’t be able to single you out as a woman living alone.”
Outside the apartment, renters can do much to minimize crime through cautious use of the outside doors to the building.
Observes Gibson: “In situations where there is an outer and an inner door, with the mailboxes in between, make sure the first door is closed and locked before you get to the second door. That’s where people often are grabbed when their backs are turned-in that vestibule between the first and second door.”
Kindness to strangers?
Renters should be equally vigilant in refusing to open outer doors of the building to strangers. “Not all burglars and criminals are discourteous, and not all of them dress poorly,” Shannon says. “If the person isn’t coming in with the use of a key, don’t give them the courtesy of opening the door for them.”
Similarly, he says, avoid the habit of leaving an outer door open for children or movers to come in and out. Burglars look for just such an opportunity to gain entry to a building.
Use the same common-sense approach if your apartment has an adjoining garage with an automated door. After pulling in, Shannon urges, monitor the door through your rearview mirror.
“Make sure the door goes down without any foot traffic coming in behind you,” he says.
For first-floor or basement apartment dwellers, shrubbery near windows can be another concern. Intruders look for hiding places, and foliage next to windows can provide effective cover, Shannon notes. Renters should make sure building maintenance personnel regularly trim shrubbery away from windows.
Finally, remember that darkness is the best ally any would-be burglar could have. If light bulbs are burned out in hallways or other common areas, make sure they’re replaced quickly, even if you have to do it yourself, Shannon advises.
