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Part 5: Household Inventory
The previous steps in our security course can go a long way to
protecting your home but no matter how secure your residence
is, if a professional burglar has targeted your home and is determined
to break in, the unthinkable may still happen. To aid law enforcement
agencies and greatly assist in insurance claims you should maintain
a detailed household inventory of all your valuables.
It makes sense to "mark"
important items with some permanent identifying mark. There are
a variety of simple tools you can rent that will engrave serial
numbers, a driver's license number or some other unique marking
into your valuables.
Remember most burglars "fence"
stolen items in order to get cash, usually for illegal drugs.
You'll greatly reduce the chances of someone walking off with
your TV, VCR or other valuables if it has a conspicuous ID number
that can't be removed, simply because it will greatly reduce
its street value and make it too much work to get rid of, and
of course it is a lot easier to trace and return the property
to the rightful owner.
Today, many people have a video
camera. Sweep each room and record the contents from several
different prospectives. Next, take close-ups of really important
items. To tie-in, have a family member pose with the valuables.
In a clear voice identify each item, the date of purchase, price
paid and model and serial numbers. Remember to update the tape
every time you purchase something new.
If you don't have a video camera,
a regular camera also works well. Make a companion audio tape
to go along with it. It very important that the tapes or pictures
be kept off the property or they may be stolen or damaged. Keep
them in a safety deposit box. Now set aside a hour or so and
complete the security check list on the following page. Correct
weak points as soon as possible and your home and belongings
will be more secure.
These articles are reprinted
with permission from Visec
Security Software, "the leader in video surveillance".
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