APCUG Reports
July-September 2010

June 22nd was more than Don Higbee’s birthday. It was that evening that we had a prowler looking at our golf cart in my carport. I reported it to the Sheriff’s Office who promised a patrol of the area. However during that day the discovery was made that the rear fence in the southeast corner of the park had been cut full length top to bottom and then held in place by a couple of wire loops. When the fence cutting was discovered park management said there was nothing that could be done until the following day. Concerned residents reported this to the Sheriff’s Office and they did indeed patrol the newly improved immigration dirt road down the east side of the park.

During the summers of 2002 and 2003 we had a rash of burglaries on the West Side. It turned out to be a group of men in an Orange pickup that were working on obviously empty homes. Apparently they would wait to see a resident leave and then break-in. I had them call on me about 2 minutes after Carolyn left for the grocery store in our car. When I answered the door the guy was tossing an orange in his hand and he offered to clean my yard for $50. I declined and he left - and nothing happened because we knew nothing of the burglaries. Three days later we came home from a short trip to find a tool mark on our door jam. We called the Sheriff’s Office and they came out and looked around - but said there wasn’t much they could do. They didn’t dust for prints because as the deputy explained they coat their hands with orange zest (tossing it up and catching it casually) and that obliterates the finger prints.

Connecting those two thoughts I went out and looked between my unit and the neighbor on the carport side and saw a broken orange lying on the ground about six feet from the golf cart. The pattern is repeating again - and with the incredible number of illegal immigrants pouring through our area it is only going to get worse. It would be easy to demand that the park management do something about all this, but it would take a fairly large security team to secure this property and that would be a significant increase to our lease payment.

So taking responsibility for our own property is the right thing to do. Like me most victims of a burglary or home invasion believed that it would never happen to them-until it did. Therefore, it is imperative to make sure that you take steps to protect your home and family from criminals who would seek to do harm to your property and loved ones. A home security system is an excellent way to do this. When choosing a home security system you will need to choose from either an external home security system or an interior home security system.

The hallmark of an interior home security system is its ability to guard windows and doors as well as the interior of the home with window and door contacts and glass break detection sensors. In the event an intruder attempted to gain entry to the home, an alarm would be activated. Glass break detectors work by sensing the sound of breaking glass. All of these features are connected to an alarm system which can be operated via a keypad.

An exterior home security system protects the perimeter of your property using such features as motion detectors and flood lights. Both of these features work to protect your property before anyone has the opportunity to gain entrance to your home. Cameras are also frequently a part of an exterior home security system. Many homeowners choose Internet based wireless cameras that provide them with the ability to log onto a special account even when they are not at home and view their home in order to be certain that everything is secure. Whether the homeowner is at work or halfway around the world on vacation, they can use any computer to access their home’s security camera coverage.

Some simple things like exterior home security lighting can add a solid preventative barrier from potential burglars. Motion detecting exterior lights are affordable and easy to install.

Keep in mind that as technology continues to advance the number of options available continue to increase. For example, if you opt for external security systems you can choose not only a camera with the ability to record during the day but also during the dark as well. Interior options include a panic button that allows you to immediately reach monitoring personnel in the event of an emergency.

In the past, it was only the wealthy who could afford the peace of mind in having a security system monitor their property and ensure that their home and families were kept safe. Today; however, prices have dropped and the number of home security options have increased; making it possible the average homeowner to take advantage of the benefits of home security.

John Abbott
fewclues@gmail.com
John is a Google Ninja and he is a member of the Bentsen Grove Resort PC UG in Mission, Texas, as well as, the TOT-Linux UG.