We at Professional Lock, take a common sense approach when assessing your security needs, the steps are similar whether it’s for your home or business.

• Alert / Identify
• Deter
• Prevent
• Respond
• Protect
• Capture Event

We will be glad to come out and give you our professional advice, along with a customized security survey. You may start this process yourself by going over a few our recommendations. Listed below are some of our favorites, as well as other links provided on this site. Starting with the driveway or parking lot, a gate prevents any unwanted traffic, or curious people scoping the place out. A driveway announcer alerts you that someone is coming; this is a great inexpensive way to have a heads up instead of them showing up at the door. A professional con man can catch you off guard by just showing up at the door; the more time you give yourself to respond the better. Keep in mind, some of these driveway announcers can be set off by wildlife or a pet, something that can be quite alarming at 3am!

In addition, motion lights and designing a landscape that favors you, not the would-be intruder, are encouraged. If your driveway announcer is set off and your motion lights are on, but your landscape has provided hiding places all around the property, your not going to be able to identify the culprit.

If your doors are not protected by high security deadbolts you might as well leave them unlocked! A good deadbolt prevents the would-be intruder from gaining entry, causing the attempt to take longer and causing them to make more noise. Burglars like quick and quiet. Most give up and go find an easier target. This is the whole idea to keep them out! A lock from a big box store can most times be opened with very little effort or noise. We often hear that; "locks are for honest people". Not the locks we install, although we may have kept a few of burglars honest, by preventing them from getting in!

Let us install the very best high security locks. The total cost of securing your home or business is usually cheaper than the first item taken in a burglary. Medeco offers a deadbolt that is keyed on each side, this prevents anyone from breaking the glass and reaching in, but in the event of a fire it has a captive thumb turn, that can be simply inserted while the house is occupied, giving the appearance of a thumb turn deadbolt. Medeco’s keys are restricted and cannot be duplicated unless authorized. Today’s glass is strong safety glass and is tough to break; we are just as concerned with life-safety as burglar prevention. Medeco does both. There is also a security tint available for your windows, it’s made by 3m and works quite well.

An alarm system lets you know when someone is breaking in, most burglars run when the alarm sounds. Make sure the alarm company puts a few of their signs around the property. This not only lets the police know which house they are responding to, it also serves as a great deterrent. A wireless dial-up is the best solution for a monitored system, assuring a quick tamper-resistant, police response. We have recommended Dillard Alarm Company for many years; please feel free to call them concerning your Alarm needs.

Safes installed in your home or business can protect your belongings. If the burglars got past the deadbolts, while the alarm is sounding, they do have some time to smash and grab before the authorities arrive. A gun, office, cash, jewelry, or even pistol safe can protect your belongings.

CCTV can capture the event at any stage mentioned above, from coming up the driveway to running out of the building. Web-based systems are becoming more popular. The quality has improved greatly. Capturing the image is only useful if you can identify the subject, or record a license plate number, make, model, and color of their vehicle. Just having a recording of a shadowy figure leaving your property, doesn’t help police with the investigation. So if you already have CCTV, it may need updated, the technology has improved greatly.

If someone comes up to your door, identify the person before opening up the door. The last thing you want to do is install a high security deadbolt and then unlock it to see who’s there! We don’t sell those door chains and wouldn’t put one on even if you asked, they are imported junk and could be kicked-in, in literally, a matter of seconds. A videophone ID system could identify someone and prevent this from happening to you.

Dogs, inside the house and out, are a great warning system, with senses way past our own; they can protect you and your family.

Sheds and garages are many times overlooked when it comes to security, and are usually the first target. Amateurs are usually the ones performing break-ins, and many times show up with no burglar tools. If you provide easy access to a shed or garage it provides a quick safe haven, out of site, a place to regroup. Out of site these places also often times provide the burglars with tools. your tools, to be used on your house! For example; you don’t want to have a chop saw with a metal blade plugged in next to your safe! You should have a cable and high security padlock to slow them down and maybe deter them.

These days, many of you have the small to mid-sized tractors with the front-end loaders, how many just leave the key in it? Someone could take it, run it right through your door and load up your safe! Most of these use the same generic key; therefore, we recommend installing a hidden kill switch on the tractor.

Take the time to record all serial numbers, keep a video of your belongings, get appraisals, and keep all this information in that safe your going to get from us! Update insurance polices, letting them know of your security upgrades - many insurance companies give discounts for doing.

This all seems like a lot, and if done all at once could get expensive. We are all on a budget these days, but with times being what they are, crimes increases, in bad times people become more desperate. I would suggest you start with the deadbolts; they make the most deference. Next we recommend getting a safe, then start with the other issues as needed, every customer is unique when it comes to your security needs, so call us and we will send out a professional consultant to your home or business.