Home Security: In The Yard

Now let's take a look around the outside of your home. Help define your yard so people can tell where private property begins. Bordering your lawn - or for that matter, a well-kept lawn - can help. And don't hide your house. Secluded, dark property concealed by shrubbery or solid fencing is a burglar's delight. So brighten up the outside, especially doorways, and clear away excess foliage. Light up what you need to protect - the house itself. Weigh the difference between a moderate amount of privacy and creating a fortress where no one can see out and no one can see in. Keeping your property visible goes a long way in keeping it safe.

1. If a fence protects your property, is it chain link or post and rail so as to eliminate hiding places and increase your view?
2. As an alternative to fencing, do you use low bushes or shrubs to help define your property?
3. Are the shrubs and hedges around your yard and next to the house trimmed back to allow visibility and eliminate hiding places?
4. Are tree limbs near the house trimmed back to eliminate climbing and gaining entrance to the second floor or roof?
5. Is your property free from large areas of darkness and shadows?
6. Do you use floodlights to illuminate your property?
7. Do you light up the outer areas of your yard (i.e. walkways) so people are visible as soon as they enter your property?
8. Do you control your outside lights with either automatic timers, photoelectric cells, or motion detectors?