DOES CRIME PAY IN A RECESSION? YES IT DOES!

It’s fast money and the chances of getting caught and convicted are low – less than 16%. And they spend even less time behind bars.
With the recession of 2008 in full swing what will the less fortunate do to make ends meet? Is burglary a good choice?

Though there isn’t a clear correlation between a recession and crime it stands to reason that there will be more burglaries in the months and years to come. Burglary is fast money and the chances of getting caught and convicted are low. According to the 2006 FBI Uniform Crime Report the number of burglars that actually get caught and convicted is less than 16%.

Why is it so easy to get away with it?

Evidence. Usually there is very little evidence in a burglary. Police typically don’t gather much evidence. They usually just file a report so the homeowner can make a claim against their insurance.
Time. Burglars can be in and out of a home in 3 to 5 minutes. Police average response time to a home alarm system is nearly 15 minutes.
No reporting. Homeowners don’t feel the police can do anything about the crime after the fact. Estimates say 50% of homeowners don’t bother to report a burglary.

80% of all burglars come through an outside door usually with a couple of kicks. A homeowner’s front or back door can be kicked in with a light kick or shove. This is caused because the doorframe is made of soft wood and covered with trim. Deadbolts don’t help when the doorframe is weak. Unfortunately, homeowners don’t know they are vulnerable. Homeowners need to re-examine their home security now and focus on prevention.

Safe Homes International’s focus is on preventing the crime from happening. Many Americans are under the false illusion that security alarms and deadbolts can prevent burglaries. There are clear weaknesses that burglars know about and exploit every 18 seconds.
The information provided will help you write a story on helpful tips for home security and preventing burglars from breaking into the average American home.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ed Anderson, Security Expert, please call 336-697-9755 or e-mail Rob Fouts (robfouts@gmail.com)

Here’s why you should look through this entire press kit and consider writing a story on Crime Prevention for the Homeowner

Here’s what is happening in your area and all across the country. These facts are from the FBI Uniform Crime Report –2006 (copies are provided):

According to the 2006 FBI Uniform Crime Report and security experts across the country, every 18 seconds a criminal comes through an outside door to burglarize a residence or business, usually by kicking it in. This is because the doorframe is made of soft wood that can be easily kicked in and criminals know it. StrikeMaster II, developed by Safe Homes International, permanently fixes this problem with 5 feet of steel reinforcement secured to the doorframe with 2.5-inch screws. It’s a Do-It-Yourself installation that the average homeowner can do in less than 30 minutes.

With the recession and rising food and energy costs it stands to reason that the number of burglaries will increase. Most stories on Home Security are on deterring the criminal. We feel there is a void on the subject, “Preventing Crime in your Home”. Our goal is to educate the public on the correct way to secure their home and prevent the crime. We recommend lots of inexpensive ways to prevent homeowners from being victims of crime. If you are seeing an increase in the number of burglaries in your market, then this information will be helpful to your audience. Here are 3 little known facts homeowners should know:

80% of all burglars come through an outside door usually with a couple of kicks. A homeowner’s front or back door can be kicked in with a light kick or shove. This is caused because the doorframe is made of soft wood and covered with trim. It is weak and can break when the door is kicked or shoved. Deadbolts do little good when the doorframe won’t hold. (Photos provided)
Alarm systems do not keep criminals out of your home. They only let you know when they are in your home.
Criminals know the average police response time for a residential alarm is nearly 20 minutes. A criminal can kick in the door, ransack the house, take what they want and be gone long before the police arrive.

Check with your local police department. Ask the local “Safety Officer” about the number of burglaries that occur with an entry door being kicked in.

Homeowners need to re-examine their home security and look for ways to prevent crime in their home. The right idea is to keep the criminals out!

We have provided a wide variety of supporting facts, story ideas, photos and information to write an article on the subject of preventing crime in the home and home security. Everything is accessible online at www.asafehome.net/press.htm.

If you would like additional information, have questions or would like to interview a Home Security expert please call Ed Anderson at 336-697-9755 (18 years experience Home Security Expert)

Thank you.

Here are the facts:

In 2006, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, there were an estimated 2,183,746 burglary offenses in the United States (printouts of the reports are included)
Average dollar loss per burglary offense of $1,834.
That’s 5,982 burglaries every day or one every 14.4 seconds
80% of burglars come through an outside door usually by kicking the door causing doorframe failure. That’s 4,786 every single day or one every 18 seconds.

PROBLEM: Most homeowners don’t know they have this flaw in their home – a weak doorframe that will give-way when kicked.

PROBLEM: Deadbolts don’t help because this soft wood & trim is the only thing holding it in place.

PROBLEM: Security alarms don’t help as criminals can be in and out of a home in as little time as 3 to 5 minutes. Average time for police to arrive is 15 minutes.

PROBLEM: It’s estimated that 50% of all burglaries are never reported as homeowners feel the criminal will never get caught, so why bother. The fact is less than 16% of burglars actually get successfully convicted of the crime and rarely serve time.

PROBLEM: If your home is burglarized it stands a 50% greater chance of being burglarized again in 6 months.

PREVENT THE CRIME: The average criminal will spend 2 minutes trying to get into a home. They are looking for the fastest way in and out, and that’s through a door. If you can frustrate them for 2 minutes they will usually give up and move on. There are other easy opportunities and they know it.

Here is the problem:

Even Consumer Reports agrees:

"If the primary locks on your doors are entry locksets, and they're working fine, there's probably little to gain by replacing them. None of the entry locksets afforded great protection, not even top-rated ones. If you want to make your doors more secure, start by beefing up the hardware in their door jambs."
-Consumer Reports recommendation, May 1994 Issue

StrikeMaster II is an inexpensive way to reinforce the doorframe and is easy to install.

Graphic of how to install the StrikeMaster II

StrikeMaster II is 5 feet of steel reinforcement that is screwed to the external door frame with 2.5 inch screws that bite into the wall stud. That’s where the strength is. StrikeMaster II provides enhanced physical strength and security CONSTANTLY each time the door is closed and locked – creating a barrier between you and the criminal element. This one step alone will greatly deter or prevent most “through the door forced entries” protecting you, your family and your personal belongings. Today with over 22,000 installations in all 50 states, not one has failed yet.

12 easy and inexpensive ways to secure your home
(These can be used in any of the story ideas)

Door reinforcement with StrikeMaster II to prevent door-frame failure.
Motion lights on all sides of the home. Make sure they are high enough not to be quickly disabled
Lock all outside buildings to keep opportunistic criminals from using the tools you have in these buildings to break into your home.
Lock away all ladders and tools even when you are working on a project covering several weekends – don’t leave ladders and tools around the yard when you’re going to be gone for more than 3 hours – keep opportunistic criminals from using these tools
Lock all your doors and windows when you leave – so many people just leave doors and windows unlocked and open.
Use a Charlie Bar in a sliding glass door and a couple of screws in the header to prevent the door from being lifted out.
Lock your doors when you’re home – criminals are opportunistic and might not know you’re home. You don’t want to run into a criminal in your home as they can be very dangerous.
Get an alarm system that makes lots of noise if activated. This can scare away a criminal as they don’t want to have the attention of the neighbors.
Put window film on your downstairs windows to make the windows more difficult to break. Though breaking a window is not preferred by criminals because of the noise, they do gain entry to homes this way. Window film makes it much more difficult to break the window. The longer it takes to gain entry, the better chance you have they will give up.
Make sure you have deadbolts on all your outside doors and re-key them if you lose a key.
Don’t hide keys outside. Criminals will look for the hidden key. You might think it’s a clever hiding spot but they will find it.
Lock your cars if you are not driving them. Especially if they have a garage door opener inside. Many people forget to lock their car doors.

Story suggestions: interviews can be focused on any of these specific topics

1. “Time and noise are not a friend to a burglar!”
a. They will spend less than 2 minutes trying to get in
b. Average 3 to 5 minutes in your home
c. They know the average is 15 minutes for Police to show up
d. Prevent them for 2 minutes and save yourself the hassle – write about “How to prevent the crime” with the provided list
2. “How to secure your home today with less than $500.”
a. Do-it-yourself StrikeMaster II
b. Window film
c. Charlie Bar if you have a sliding glass door.
d. Prevent them for 2 minutes and save yourself the hassle – write about “How to prevent the crime” with the provided list
3. “Hardening your home for security”
a. Write about “How to prevent the crime” with the provided list
4. “Inexpensive ways to protect your family home from crime”
a. Write about “How to prevent the crime” with the provided list
5. “The emotional pain does not go away easily in a burglary”
a. When a home is burglarized the feelings of insecurity take a long time to go away. It’s better to prevent the crime than deal with the fear and anger.
b. What can you do to protect yourself and prevent the crime - prevent them for 2 minutes and save yourself the hassle – write about “How to prevent the crime” with the provided list
6. “The doorframe is the weakest point in your home security – I didn’t know that!”
a. The “Weakest link in the chain” is the doorframe. Nearly 80% of all burglaries happen when the criminal kicks-in an outside door. Reinforce the doorframe with StrikeMaster II.
7. “Two minutes of prevention is all you need!”
a. Average burglar will spend less than 2 minutes trying to get into your home. If you can keep them out for 2 minutes they will leave. Preventing the crime is the best action. So how can you prevent the crime?
b. Write about “How to prevent the crime” with the provided list

My personal story: Ed Anderson – Security Expert – 18 years experience

One person’s passion turns into the American Entrepreneurial success story.

Many years ago when I started in the Home Security Industry, I noticed that there were mainly two occasions when a person would call a Home Security Expert. When they were moving into a new home and right after they had been burglarized. I saw many homes burglarized, ransacked and damaged. Two themes seemed to prevail in just about every home I visited after a burglary – shock and fear. They were shocked that their home and their neighborhood had been invaded by criminals. They were shocked that their home in the suburbs was burglarized. And they are fearful that it just might happen again. They thought they were safe! Those criminal events only happen in the big city. Think again.

They feel vulnerable, upset and mad. Now I, the home security expert, had to come into this shattered sanctuary and point them in the right direction. They are looking to me to make them feel safe. They want me to solve their problem. Here is what my experience has shown me.

Criminals want to be in and out of your home as fast as possible. Time & sound are their enemies. They can be in and out in as little as 3 to 5 minutes.
85% of criminals are NON-professional criminals. They don’t look anything like the cat burglar from the movies. They are just looking for a quick opportunity.
Over 80% of the time they come through a front or back door usually by kicking it in.

I saw many homes robbed and damaged because of a basic design flaw in nearly all homes in America. The doorframe is made of soft wood and provides little to no protection when a thief kicks the door. Even with a dead bolt and long screws in the strike plate, this offers no protection because the soft wood breaks with a simple kick.

Because I saw so many doorframes splintered from kick-ins I decided I would try to fix the problem. So I worked for a year on an idea. I wanted a product that would reinforce the soft wood door casings without ugly bars and posts holding the back of the door. I knew if I could design a product that was easy to install, invisible to the consumer and makes the door casing virtually unbreakable I would have a winning product. I designed and patented StrikeMaster II.

The StrikeMaster II offers a unique and innovative solution to prevent burglars from entering your home, rather than just notifying you "After-the-Fact" that burglars are already in your home like an alarm system. "The Right Idea for Home Security" is to keep the criminals out! So I completed the development, testing and test marketing of StrikeMaster II by selling the StrikeMaster II door-to-door to over 3,000 customers.

Through the years we have sold thousands more StrikeMasters to homeowners all across the country. Not one StrikeMaster II has failed yet. StrikeMaster II offers a cost-effective product to individual consumers seeking to provide safe homes for their loved ones. StrikeMaster II will also fix any door casing that has been broken due to a kick or shove.

Brief biography on Ed Anderson:

Ed Anderson - Owner & Inventor of the StrikeMaster II door frame reinforcement product and http://www.asafehome.net. When he served in the United States Marine Corp he was a specialist in charge of security for high security areas on military bases. His focus was on hardening the target to keep spies out of these top-secret areas without the use of electronics. Today Ed has over 18 years experience in the home security business and has consulted with 1,000’s of homeowners with unique and cost saving ways to protect their families and personal property. He developed and patented the StrikeMaster II product based on countless doorframes he saw splintered by criminals. Ed lives in North Carolina with his wife Audy and is very active with his church, children and grandchildren.

Quotes to use from Ed Anderson

"The right idea for Home Security is to harden the target. Make it much more difficult for a criminal to get into your home. Hard work is not what they want to do, otherwise they wouldn’t be a criminal.”
“Time and noise are a criminal’s enemies.”
“Home security should prevent criminals from getting into your home. Though home alarms systems are good, they only let you know when the criminal has broken in.”
"When it comes to home security the old saying is true, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Prevent the burglary versus clean up afterwards.

What our customers say can’t be wrong! We get comments like this every week.

Hamilton Township Police Department, NJ: I have been a consultant in the area of Crime Prevention for 18 years, and your StrikeMaster II is the first new product designed to provide physical perimeter protection that I would wholly and unconditionally endorse. - Jesse Thatcher

Great product. I recommended it to all my neighbors. - FBI John in Texas

Ironically last June when my wife and I bought our house the Brinks Security rep mentioned the StrikeMaster, but she could not remember the exact name, and I never followed up with her. I figured a security system was enough." It wasn't. And amazingly enough, the person who broke in was only 5 ft 6 and got through the door with only ONE kick. Little did I know how poorly deadbolts protect you. Little did I know that before the actual alarm went off (when the warning tone was still beeping) that it would be plenty of time for the robber to steal a 50-inch TV. I look forward to receiving the StrikeMaster to gain greater peace of mind. Thanks! - Joe A. March 2008

As Production Manager of the Discovery Channel series "It Takes a Thief" I've seen a lot of home security products and I must tell you that your StrikeMaster II is one of the most exciting we've had the privilege of featuring on our program. Our Thief puts every piece of security equipment we install to the ultimate test ... and I must say that he certainly is not going through any door secured by the StrikeMaster II! - Jesse Sheppard, Production Manager "It Takes a Thief"

This letter is from a police officer (with photo): In my search for possibly looking to spend $1000 or more on a good safe door the StrikeMaster II was the smart alternative. I don't anticipate anyone trying to break into my home through the front door, but if they try I feel confident they'll have a very difficult time succeeding. ..... As a San Antonio police officer, I've seen plenty of doors kicked in. This StrikeMaster II is the $100 alternative to spending thousands of dollars for the same concept of keeping someone from being able to kick in your door. I'm glad I found your web site. - J. A. Foster

My story was that I accidentally locked my house keys inside the car as I was getting my 2 year old son out of his car seat on a cold raining night. My wife was not scheduled to be home for another 2 hours. Frustrated, cold, and desperate, I did not want to break a window and risk cutting myself or my son by entering through that way. Incidentally I kicked the front door two times and to my surprise the wood splintered and gave way just like the images on your site, even with the door locked and deadbolt engaged. Equally surprising was that no one in the neighborhood was alarmed. So afterwards as I was searching for a door repair site I came across your product and was persuaded that the StrikeMaster was all I needed. Not only was it easy to install, it fixed the door jam and offers the peace of mind that no intruder would be able to simply kick in the front door. Thanks Again, - Vidal in Accokeek, MD 01-18-08

I wanted to send you a note of thanks for creating the StrikeMaster II. It has been one of the best investments that I could buy to protect my home. I was a victim of kick in burglary earlier this year, and found out about the StrikeMaster II through an Internet search. After the kick in, I had an alarm system and a StrikeMaster II installed. A few months later, although I had the alarm sign visible, another break in was attempted, this time with a sledgehammer (the door was damaged) but the culprits were unable to gain entry into my home because of the StrikeMaster II. As a result, I have recommended the StrikeMaster II to all of my neighbors. - Carmen in Atlanta, GA

I have installed the (2) StrikeMaster IIs on my front and back doors. As you know, I've had my house broken into two times. The first time the crooks broke in my front door and within 2 or 3 minutes had stolen over $4000.00 worth of my personal items. The next time they broke in my back door and took and additional $2000.00 worth of items, and this time they were not in the house more than two minutes. Both times my alarm went off and the police arrived. But in that short period of time that were able to take that much. Now I have the StrikeMaster II’s installed, and just as the reporting police officer said… “The key to preventing the break-ins… to prevent the crooks from breaking in….!” If I had known about your product earlier I know I would have not been a victim. As your ad states, installing the StrikeMasters is simple and should take less than 30 minutes. I was able to install both in less than an hour. - L. Carter, Atlanta, Ga.

My husband and I had the StrikeMaster System installed the last week of December. I thought at the time that it was a good product. Just a little extra protection for your home is always a good investment. On February 5 - just 5 weeks later- I was at home with my 19-month-old daughter at 9:15 a.m., when someone attempted to kick my door in. After I established that the coast was clear, I discovered that the attempt was not successful due to the protective reinforcement that the StrikeMaster System gives. I instantly became more than just a mild believer in this product. I feel that it kept me from having a bad experience of defending my daughter, myself and my home. I strongly urge anyone looking for home protection to get the Strikemaster System installed. - J. Villa, Fayetteville, NC

This letter is from a former police officer: I installed the Strike Master II. It only took about 35 to 40 minutes. I have jamb extensions on my front door (don't ask) so that took just a bit more time. Overall I found the installation to be simple and the instructions to be easy and complete. The door shuts and locks easily. The precut areas for the deadbolt and doorknob were exact. The StrikeMaster II blends into the white door jam and is not readily noticed. I do like the product, almost too simple. - Scott Shaper - former Police Officer and Author

This letter is from a former police officer: I am a retired Chief of Police with more than 30 years in law enforcement and security and have investigated 1000's of residential burglaries and domestic assaults that were due to the crashing or kicking in of the doors at the home. .... I am proud to announce that I have seen an amazing new product called the StrikeMaster II. This is inexpensive and stronger than any would-be homicidal maniac, I promise... the security market has finally produced a product that is better than locks and alarms. I highly recommend this product on all your outside doors at your home. - Donald Purnell

And we have many, many more.

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