Doors and locks are the first step to making your home more secure. Most burglars actually enter through the front door. When the front door is enforced the thief may consequently try to gain access through back doors and garage doors. These are usually not as heavily secured, and, in addition, offer visual protection that allows thieves more time to break in. Burglars prefer to break into a home through a door because it is usually fast. The majority of house thieves will use a little force and easily kick in a door. It’s usually the doors strike plate that is the weakest link, but it’s not uncommon for a door to be ripped completely off the hinges by a strong kick. Preventing this type of forced entry is fairly simple. Entry doors should be solid wood, have a solid core or have metal clad construction. Exterior entry doors should also have reinforced frames, security strike plates, security hinges and a solid deadbolt lock. In addition, a variety of ornate wrought iron security doors are also available for french doors or when additional security is desired.

Burglars can gain entrance through a door using a variety of methods. All must be considered when deciding on hardware to protect the home.

1) The door can be left unlocked. This may sound easy to
correct but old habits can be very hard to break. Remember
to always lock your door even when you are at home.

2) Doors can be kicked in.

3) Locks can be picked.

4) Locks can be hammered until they fall off.

5) Doors can be pried open or the frames can be spread apart
with a crow bar. The intention is spreading the frame
enough so that the lock bolts no longer extend into the strike
plates in the doorframe. If this can be done, the door can be
opened while the door is still locked. The solution to prevent
this type of entry is to use not only security striker plates but
lock bolts that extend at least 1” or more.

7) Locks can be "drilled out" using a power drill.

8) Glass in or near the door can be broken,
allowing the intruder to reach in and unlock the deadbolt.

9) Thieves can obtain a copy of the house key
through a variety of schemes and use it to unlock the
door.

Locks and doors are the first line defense in home security. Do not skimp when selecting locks. An extra few dollars up front can save the loss of valuables later. Buy the best quality locks you can afford, and remember, you get what you pay for.

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