Tulsa police offer ways to avoid burglaries this holiday season
• Keep the interior and exterior of your home well-lit. Exterior lights tend to keep prying eyes away, and interior lights can make it look like someone is home even when they're not.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/tulsa-police-offer-ways-to-avoid-burglaries-this-holiday-season/article_6755bc63-22dd-5c3d-820c-ea8a3b5f0b6b.htmlBecause the interpretation of "well-lit" is wide open here, it could lead to a wide range of interpretations that could include some counterproductive enough to actually help burglars.
Lets take this a step at a time.
Besides locking our doors, a first line of defense against unfriendly visitors is friendly eyes. That's usually going to be our neighbors when we are away.
In the daytime (when most burglaries occur) thats easy enough, but at night we might consider supplementing our outside light just enough to assist vision, without accidentally creating a situation where it hampers the ability of neighbors and passersby to detect an unusual activity (like someone kicking your door or you laying face-down in the snow).
We would want to provide illumination that doesnt create glare, or pool too much bright light in one spot. Both of those obscure our vision rather than assist it, and are easy to correct (and often times results in less energy consumption by eliminating wasteful light).
At Christmas, many people substitute their regular outdoor lighting for long strings of decorative lights, which demonstrates the effect of Lighting Uniformity by spreading out the illumination (which reduces hard shadows) and is easier on the eyes.
Floodlighting is the opposite of this, creating both glare (for those unfortunate to be facing the light) and pools of light that trick the eye into adapting to the pool of brightness -- making the surroundings appear much darker and creating hard shadows burglars can hide in.
Rather than leave your Christmas lights up all year, borrow the concept of that uniformity and arrange your outdoor lighting in a way that spreads it out at gentler levels only where you need it. Low-voltage "landscape lighting" might be enough, if you also have a motion-detector light, or a work light you only turn on when needed.
Consider using a dimmer switch for your outdoor lighting if it serves multiple purposes, or consider motion detector lights that are dim but brighten when they detect motion. Pay attention that you dont set the motion detector too sensitive that it's constantly flashing off and on with every passing car.
Adding moderate illumination near doors can add convenience and safety at night, and help friendly eyes see who is there.
Illuminating near windows is more fickle, because you dont want light striking screens or dusty glass that cause a veiling effect similar to looking thru a dirty windshield while driving into the sun. Most times lighting near windows is unnecessary, but if you feel you have a particularly vulnerable spot, direct lighting downward and off to the sides of windows, and use the minimum amount you need.
Obviously, you dont want to blind yourself by shining a light into your own window, as your neighbors are likely counting on your friendly eyes being able to see their property. Return the favor by not shining light in their direction.
A good light isnt necessarily a bright one. It's one that helps you see.
...and helps your neighbors see.
My advice is to first identify what you expect your lighting to do, and then understand lighting well enough to make better informed choices:
Avoid floodlights.
Avoid "security lights" that the utility company mounts on poles (yes I know we often use these as street lights, but that's gradually changing).
Choose lighting that better imitates natural lighting, and supplements (not overwhelms) any existing illumination.
Aim it down, not in your eyes (or your neighbors).
Shield the source from your eyes. use only enough to help you see, and when you need to see.
Pay attention to color. Warm light like a campfire is better for your eyes than a blue welding arc.
Oh, and lets be real, none of this is going to affect the majority of burglaries that happen between 1pm and 3pm in broad daylight.
If your neighbors haven't met and shared phone numbers, that would be a good first step.