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January 20, 2009
Window Guards VS Security System
I will be moving into a ground floor apartment in Prospect Heights (Washington Ave near Pacific) in the Spring. The unit has very large windows with great views. However, the windows are only about 4 or 5 ft off the street and I'm concerned about security. Ideally, we would like to buy a high end security system and not have bars covering the windows. Is that enough though? I'm very new to the neighborhood, so I would love any thoughts people may have.
Thanks!
Comments
Install large, heavy, badly secured planters which will crash if anyone tries to get in, thereby scaring them away.
As a PS Carroll/5thAv resident, few bars around and most no security systems, but I don't know your area.
Posted by: cmu at January 20, 2009 1:19 PM
Hmm. I'd go for bars, but try to get interesting ones. There are a number of ironworkers that will make them to your design/spec.
I have 2 concerns about high-end security systems: 1) Someone could still get in and wreak some havoc before there's any response, and 2) When you're away, you'll have to deal with false alarms or real ones. A good set of bars would give you peace of mind and probably be cheaper in the long run, as you won't have to pay fees to the security company.
Posted by: Bolder at January 20, 2009 2:21 PM
What Bolder said, except that there's nothing wrong with doing both.
and I don't think the nabe really matters. Higher end nabes draw higher end thieves.
Posted by: denton at January 20, 2009 2:39 PM
We rent, but we live in PH on the ground floor and have bars on all the windows. I feel so safe with the bars. It allows us to leave the windows open to get fresh air, etc. Bars last longer than security systems.
Posted by: amandapetunia at January 20, 2009 3:37 PM
i've always heard that burglars will find a way in even with bars, better to go with a security system. false alarm is better than no alarm.
Posted by: tiptoe at January 20, 2009 3:48 PM
We also live on a 1st flr apt and I was really dreading having the bars, but they're really not so bad. They don't spoil your light and views as much as you might think and the security is definitely worth it.
Posted by: sammsf at January 20, 2009 4:41 PM
Bars don't keep people out. Ask your local precinct about that, they'll tell you. I know somebody whose bars were simply ripped off their house.
Posted by: traditionalmod at January 20, 2009 5:15 PM
Sure, you can rip the bars off. You can also use a car jack to spread them.
You can rip the alarm panel off the wall too, or disable the phone system before you break in.
You can also just go thru the roof with a chainsaw.
You can get a dog, and you can get a gun. You can get a safe, something I've always had.
The bottom line is you want to have more sh*t than your neighbors' do. If you're the only one on your block with bars, they'll probably break in somewhere else. If everyone else has bars and you have bars and an alarm, ditto.
No easy answers here, nothing is foolproof, but the more you have, the better off you are. And of course you do have pick-proof locks, right?
Posted by: denton at January 20, 2009 5:28 PM
We had a one man burglary wave in Lefferts Manor a few years ago caused by someone (since apprehended and serving a long prison sentence) who spread bars apart (presumably) with a jack. FWIW this particular bad guy only spread bars where the window was left open. He would not break glass, which makes more noise.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 20, 2009 6:35 PM
Aren't bars on windows a safety hazard? How would you get out if there is a fire and your front door is inaccessible? There was a fire in Flatbush were all but a two of the occupants of the house died because the windows were blocked by security bars.
Posted by: Chaka at January 20, 2009 8:27 PM
Phoned in alarms go to the bottom of the priority list for 911 calls, so you could be looking at a substantial response time before the cops get there. They don't even get called in as burglaries, but as automatic alarms, and since so many of them are false alarms, the cops don't kill themselves getting there. Too many false alarms (it used to be three in a year, I don't know what it is now) and the cops won't respond at all. Personally, I think that alarm systems are a rip off, and I know that precincts used to have crime prevention officers who would do safety surveys on houses and they were taught to recomend bars over alarm systems. Most thieves, obviously not all, but most, will go to the next house if a house is secured with bars, especially if they are exposed and not hidden behind shrubs, trees, things that thieves can operate behind without being seen.
Posted by: Bond at January 20, 2009 9:25 PM
Bars are ugly and make your home feel like a jail cell. When I first moved to NYC, I had them installed in my exterior windows, but a year later later I had them removed and the place felt much more spacious and airy afterwards.
It's better to invest in very good windows and an alarm system.
Simply locking your windows when you leave home is my best advice.
Usually burglars look for apartments with the easiest means of entry and an open or unlocked window is always their first target.
Posted by: IronBalls at January 20, 2009 9:56 PM
Burglar alarms are like most other deterrents, they will keep the amateurs at bay. However alarm systems have other neat functions like smoke detection, flood detection, and low temperature alarms if your heat goes out. If you want an aesthetically pleasing form of protection from a brute force attack though I recommend replacing your street level windows with tempered glass. You can take a brick to those windows and they won't break.
Posted by: Bklyn Fire Alarm Guy at January 21, 2009 8:22 AM
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