quote:
Originally posted by Steve
And while all this is happening, the burglars have ripped you off and are long gone. The most a homeowner can hope is the noise from the alarm will scare off the intruders. The best and cheapest solutions are to make your home burglar "unfriendly" and as visible as possible to the neighbors and street. Keep trees and shrubs around your house trimmed and low. Make sure your home is well lit outside at night.
Hardly anyone ever follows up on this advice with a good definition of "well lit" (or how to accomplish it). Please resist the temptation to visit Home Depot till you've thought this one out.
Just as an exercise, lets say the purpose of an alarm is to
(1) inform the intruder he has been detected (and possibly cut short their plans),
(2) inform any occupants an intruder is detected (so that they can take defensive measures), and
(3) attract the attention of neighbors that could either act as witnesses, or who's presence or intervention could further disempower an intruder.
Getting a neighbor to make a 911 call would essentially be the only chance of having police arrive before the dirty deed is complete, regardless of whether or not you have an
alarm permit.
Your only other recourse seems to be getting a gun and some training, but that
doesnt always work out.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/16437452.htm