Increasing Difficulty

  • No home is burglar proof, but any home can be made difficult to enter.
  • Keyed locks are available to add to most existing aluminum sliding doors and windows. They can be fitted into existing locks and prevent opening without a key.
  • Deadbolts cannot be forced with a credit card. We recommend 1.5 inches throw (how far it goes into the door frame). This makes it harder to force the door open. Remember, a deadbolt keyed on both sides is doubly difficult. The burglar might get in a window but needs to get the loot out the door. For safety, leave a key near the door when you are home.
  • Harden doors by fastening the striker plate with three-inch screws passing into the stud wall. Replace one screw on each hinge with a protruding nail and leave the opposite screw out. If the hinge is pulled, the door still cannot be removed.
  • Anti-jimmy bars, as simple as a piece of wood, can be laid in sliding window tracks to prevent their opening. More sophisticated bars can be locked into place.