Home Security in California: Simple Steps for a Safer Home

Securing your California home means considering all potential threats—from burglaries to wildfires.

Here are all the important security factors you need to think about to maintain your safe haven, so you can bask in that coveted peace of mind.

Security Measures to Deter Crime

The good news is that both violent crime and property crime have been trending down in California since 2024. However, that doesn’t excuse you from doing your part to protect what’s yours.

The more proactive you are in making your home less desirable to criminals, the less likely you are to become a victim.

Secure Exterior Entry Points

Each window and door is a potential entry point, and a lot of the standard locks that come with your run-of-the-mill doors and windows are fairly easy to kick or jimmy open.

To secure your doors:

• Install deadbolt locks
• Consider solid wood or metal doors for exterior entrances
• Install a peephole and/or use a doorbell camera to see who is at your door
• Reinforce sliding glass doors and French doors

To secure windows:

• Install window locks on all windows
• Reinforce glass with security film
• If you live in a crime-prone area, consider installing window bars

Both doors and windows should be equipped with security sensors that detect entry.

Security Lighting

Criminals love to work in dark shadowy areas, and the better illuminated your exterior, the less likely they are to victimize your home.

Here are some easy steps you can take to light up your property:

• Use motion-activated lights that you install around all entry points
• Illuminate driveways and walkways with bright LED lights
• Make sure that all vulnerable areas of your property are well-lit

Use solar powered lights in spaces that don’t have electricity nearby.

Security Landscaping

Shrubs and dense foliage right outside a window is a no-no. The goal here is to eliminate all the potential spots someone could hide and gain entry, undetected.

• Ensure bushes and shrubs are trimmed well below window level
• Remove any potential hiding spots that are near entry points
• Thorny bushes or cactuses under windows are excellent deterrents
• Make sure second-story windows are not accessible with trees
• Properly store ladders, crowbars, and other tools criminals could use

Home Security

There are tons of different security systems on the market that range from basic to highly sophisticated.

The key to maximizing security is to use a multi-dimensional approach. Rather than just relying on one system, use a combination of them.

Consider erecting a fence around your property and protecting your driveway with a gate. That—combined with a CCTV camera system set up throughout your property that issues alerts on your smartphone when motion is detected, is an excellent way of keeping an eye on your home while away.

Additionally, adding a security alarm to your home is a huge deterrent to criminals and provides that additional layer of protection.

There are tons of them on the market—some that integrate seamlessly with your smartphone or alert you when someone’s at the door. Let your budget and needs be the guide to help determine which is best for you.

Working With Professionals — Choosing a Security Company

For those with extensive assets or particular situations that escalate the need for security, hiring a security guard is your best course of action.

The professionals at Security Explorer are specifically trained to manage all sorts of situations, from residential and business security to personal bodyguard demands.

Their guards are certified, trained, and ready to assist. Even with all the sophisticated technology on the market, a security guard remains the singular best deterrent against crime.

Protecting Your Home from Fire

The risk of wildfire is real in California, and is no longer something reserved for densely forested parts of the state.

Here are some important steps you can take to keep your home safe:

Create a defensible space perimeter of 100 feet around your home. This means no wood piles, no dry leaves, no dense foliage or other potential fuel that could lead a fire to your home.

Install ember-resistant vents, and when it is time to replace your roof, consider installing a metal one or a roof that is fire-resistant.

Sign up for CodeRED so you will be alerted if there are any fires or other emergencies in your area, and have an evacuation plan that includes knowing where your important documents are in case you need to grab them and go.

Daily Habits and Security Best Practices

The home is the place we let our guard down and chill—but it’s important to not let security measures lapse.

Always lock your doors, and if there is someone at the door you don’t know or have a weird feeling about, you don’t have to answer when they knock.

If you go on vacation, refrain from posting that on social media. Consider purchasing timers for lamps so they switch on and off at preset times.

Conclusion:

Common sense is key. Getting inside the mind of a potential criminal and understanding fire behavior and eliminating the things that propel both criminals and flames is an excellent way to approach security.

The more inhospitable you make your property to unwanted events, the more secure you’ll be.

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