Know The Opposing Offense, Sliding Door Edition

There is a saying that one of my coaches growing up had, “A good defense knows what the offense is about to do.” While this saying is true in sports, it can also be applied to many facets of life in general. For this entry, I want to apply it to home defense. Since we, the home dwellers, are the defense; it is natural that those trying to do us and our property harm are the offense (aka: Offenders). So, how do we begin to think like an offender? We look at what is around us to determine what can be used as a tool in their crafty villainous ways. Now we can all agree that the most obvious things are weapons, hammers, screwdrivers, and similar tools. But what about things we may not think about, like suction cup shower handles? 

The handles similar to the one on the left can be found at any hardware store for under $20. The way they are used is to latch on to a sliding glass door and pull the whole door off the track to be removed or just opened up. Many times the extra tool is not needed if you are able to get a good grip of the window. Just think of it as a jammed window. It may take a while but keep working at it and you will get that window open. The video below shows just how easy entrance through these types of doors may be.

 

 The good thing about knowing what the offense is thinking is that we are able to prepare a defense to prevent them from "scoring". Ensure that all doors are locked and secure, take measures to reinforce the weak spots in your home. Try to think like a criminal, be creative. I hope this helps in thinking outside the box when it comes to home security/defense. BTW, below is the next video on what this person did to secure his sliding glass door.