TIP 1:  Keep windows and doors locked—even when you or family members are home.

TIP 2:  Update locking hardware on your entry doors. Install new keyed locks and deadbolts.

TIP 3:  Ensure that window air conditioners are not easily removable from the outside. Bolt them in place from the inside.

TIP 4:  Keep drapes or shades drawn—during evenings and at night—so as not to entice intruders. Sheers can help to conceal your home's interior during the day while allowing in light.

TIP 5:  Remove shrubs and trees from in front of windows so they can't hide possible intruders. Keep shrubs trimmed low.

TIP 6:  Replace old, easily-breached windows with heavy-duty replacement windows that have passed ASTM* structural forced entry tests.

TIP 7:  Install new heavy-duty basement windows. Older, substandard basement windows are often targeted by intruders.

TIP 8:  Install windows with laminated Armor Glass Plus when building a new home or replacing your windows. Laminated Armor Glass is very difficult for intruders to penetrate. A quality laminated glass system consists of one composite pane made up of a polyvinyl butyral interlayer sandwiched by two sheets of glass—and another pane of annealed or standard glass.

TIP 9:  Replace your entry doors with metal or fiber-glass doors with peepholes and minimal—if any—glass for the best security. Be sure that they incorporate substantial locking systems. Standard key locks offer little protection and can easily be opened by intruders. If there are glass panels in or near your door, cover them with polycarbonate panels so that they can't be shattered and reached through to unlock your door.

TIP 10:  Replace old patio doors with new, more secure models. Insist on doors that incorporate laminated Armor Glass Plus instead of tempered glass. Tempered glass is designed for safety,but not security. It will shatter and crumble into thousands of small pieces in less than a second with one tap from a sharp object.

New patio doors—both hinged and sliding—should incorporate dual locking hardware, including both a main lock and a deadbolt for greater protection. Sliding patio doors are especially susceptible to intruders because they can be lifted off of the track. To prevent this, consider installing bolts through your door or verifying that your new door has devices mounted to eliminate this problem.

*The American Society for Testing and Materials