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`December 10, 1992
`
`Putting Out Unwelcome Mat for Burglars
`
`By GRIFFIN MILLER
`
`Correction Appended
`THE security of your home is a concern that never goes away, whether you are relaxing in your living
`room or vacationing 1,500 miles away on a beach: you want your property, valuables and family safe, yet
`you don't want an alarm system that will cost a year's college tuition.
`
`"You can look at a system as an extravagant expense or as you would life insurance," said Eric Rios, an
`alarm technician for the R.B.D. Lock and Alarm Corporation in Manhattan. "You are gambling that you
`won't be hit if you have an alarm, not that you will be hit."
`
`Security systems range from relatively ineffective $199 packages to practical setups for $1,000 and up, to
`elaborate six-figure arrangements that protect the homes of the wealthy.
`
`A practical security system is not one bought in a panic hours after your home has been ransacked. It is a
`customized purchase based on life style, environment and budget, as well as what you want to protect
`and whether you have pets.
`
`A standard system that provides good basic protection features a main alarm control box, a siren, an
`inside motion detector and a smoke detector, all linked to a central station. It costs about $850 to install.
`
`A connection via telephone lines to a central station is crucial because it monitors signals from the
`security system and can alert police, fire departments or ambulances. The fee is usually $15 to $25 a
`month.
`
`"Systems are worthless unless someone outside the premises knows the alarm has gone off," said Wayne
`Wahrsager, president of the Metropolitan Burglar Alarm Association, a trade group.
`
`There are three types of alarm installations. Wireless systems link doors, windows and motion detectors to
`a main control box using radio transmission.
`
`Hard-wire systems connect all elements with wires placed inside the walls of the house.
`
`Combination systems feature elements of both wireless and hard-wire installations.
`
`Any of the three will cost from $850 to $3,000, the final price reflecting the number of doors, windows,
`skylights and rooms there are in a home, as well as the brand of system selected.
`
`Burglars go after easy targets, so it is wise to make your premises as uninviting as possible for them.
`
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`SAMSUNG EXHIBIT 1023
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`
`Well-trimmed bushes and trees provide less cover for burglars. Window bars, priced at about $180 per
`fixed window gate, provide a noticeable type of protection. A door gate can cost $275. Simple outside
`lighting forces a burglar to break in without a cloak of darkness; exterior motion detectors turn on lights
`when people or vehicles come too close. They are available at home improvement centers for $20 to $50
`each and can be self-installed.
`
`Some alarm devices come with a built-in visual deterrent called "foiling," which surrounds windows and
`doors with quarter-inch foil tape containing wire circuitry. The price is about $50 per window or door.
`
`"If the window is broken, the alarm goes off," Mr. Rios said. "The foil lets the burglar know the system is
`there, compared with a sophisticated system where the system is hidden."
`
`Decals on the home can indicate the kind of protection you have. But experienced burglars can
`distinguish between houses that have systems operating and those that have only the decals.
`
`"The only people decals will deter are amateurs," Mr. Wahrsager said.
`
`Few systems are so secure that they can deter emergency entry by firefighters, although bars on windows
`and doors can cause delays. If firefighters have the time, they will try to open locks, but when timing is
`critical, they will force their way through bolts and cut through bars.
`
`"If you have locks on your door that are openable only by key indoors, keep the key nearby; hang it low by
`the door so you can get to it even if you are low to the ground," said Capt. Brian W. Dixon, director of fire
`safety education for the New York City Fire Department.
`
`"If you install bars on windows," he said, "it is best to have approved security gates that can be opened
`from the inside."
`
`Mr. Wahrsager said that burglars often live within a half-mile of the target home and that they may have
`been in the house as a delivery person, worker or even a friend of the family.
`
`"Most alarmingly," he said, "if you've been robbed, you'll be robbed again within nine months, usually by
`the same individual."
`
`Another potential danger that has been noticed recently by John Meyer, president of Atech Security
`Systems in Queens, is the sale of house plans by one burglar to another.
`
`"We've been getting more and more reports, either from burglary victims or block associations about how
`one burglar 'opens' the home, takes what he can take and then sells the plans of the house to another
`burglar who comes back and reburglarizes the house," he said.
`
`The growing sophistication of security systems and burglars does not necessarily mean an arms race
`between the two is at hand. Mr. Wahrsager said: "Certainly there's always the desire to build a better
`mousetrap. But for the most part, I'd say we're winning the war on burglaries."
`
`As it happens, most break-ins result from homeowner negligence. Unlocked doors and windows, a ladder
`left out in the yard or a key left under a doormat make burglars feel very welcome.
`
`Page 2 of 3
`
`

`
`Before buying a security system, homework is required. Ask friends, business associates and neighbors for
`recommendations, and get in touch with local and national trade associations for referrals.
`
`Get estimates for systems from several sources. Go back to places you've already conferred with, and ask
`for features other specialists have offered.
`
`"A reputable company should give you a written estimate, a list of existing customers you can call, a
`written contract and a willingness to demonstrate the equipment they want to sell you," said Brad Shipp,
`director of education and training for the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association.
`
`Licensing and registration requirements vary from state to state, but the association's office in Maryland,
`at (301) 907-3292, offers a list of companies by region that conform to its standards, he said.
`
`New York residents should note that all alarm-installing companies must be licensed by New York's
`Department of State.
`
`Following are some other home-security tips.
`
`* Pet owners can buy special sensor systems that cannot be triggered by the lower-to-the-ground
`movements of dogs and cats.
`
`* Sound discriminators can set off an alarm if they hear glass breaking, and shock sensors can trigger
`alarms if a window is lifted or banged shut can be added to systems.
`
`* Automatic timers can turn on interior and exterior lights at various intervals, preferable to keeping a
`full house of lights on at all times.
`
`* Having a neighbor collect newspapers and mail is preferable to having the deliveries stopped.
`
`* Most police departments have crime-prevention programs that can review your security risks.
`
`A few final words of caution: Don't select any security system that is too complicated for you or others in
`your family to understand. Mr. Wahrsager said, "Eighty-five percent of false alarms are due to people not
`able to operate systems correctly."
`
`Drawing
`
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