Tis the Season… To Be Secure In Your Home!
When
moving, there are so many stressors that can build up. As a young
female adult, moving into a new place means deciding what components of a
home will make me feel secure and safe. Living alone has a unique
number of elements that make it differently challenging than moving a
whole family. Here are a few tips for those who are living alone or
moving out of a roommate/group lifestyle to a single one so that you may
feel that vital sense of sanctuary within your new home.
- Get to Know The Neighbors: This does not mean you must become best friends with them, but becoming familiar with those whom you live close to with establish an extra level of security, multiple sets of eyes. People tend to care about the well-being of people they know more than those they do not, so humanize and acquaint yourself to those around you.
- Lock Up: Even in Bozeman Montana, when you leave your home for long periods, be sure to lock up. This is one of the easiest security measures a person can take. This can be said for when you enter your home too. Windows and doors that are only meant to be entered by you should, well, only be entered by you!
- Curtains!: Living alone affords a person much leeway to do as they please within their own space, but without curtains, whatever privacy you may think you have is gone. Especially now that we are in the winter and darkness last longer than daylight. Even if you are not the one giving a show to the world, the valuables within your home are. Blocking the temptation of high priced items off with curtain is a simple and stylish deterrent to potential thieves.
- Flashing… LIGHTS Lights lights….: Motion lights are a huge security enhancer! This way, when a person arrives home at night they are ushered into the home with a well-lit path and when someone unwelcome approached your door, the lights will show them off in a way that they will not appreciate.
- Your Home’s Social Network: Cyber security is something that is increasingly troublesome, but it goes beyond being secure with your card numbers. Be secure with how many people know where you live and that you live alone. This makes you a high risk target for those looking to do harm. Never announce long trips away from your home or post things like “home alone and so bored”.
Although comical, Bozeman Police
Reports like the following can really make those who live alone feel
insecure. If you know anyone who lives independently, be sure to do your
small part in helping your community remain safe by keeping an eye out
for suspicious behavior. Bozeman officers respond to about 90 calls each
day.
- Someone rang a South Montana Avenue home’s doorbell around 1:30 a.m. and ran off. The person left a small box leaking a clear liquid on the front porch.
- A man calling a woman around 2:45 a.m. from a restricted number was “saying very inappropriate things.”
- A “very expensive” Christmas decoration was broken when it was dragged to the front lawn from a porch on Red Barn Drive in an apparent attempt to steal it.
- Reports of gunshots in the area of Tristram Drive around 8 a.m. were duck hunters in a nearby field shooting “in a safe direction.”
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