Somebody told me that if you have a car alarm, you can keep the keys beside your bed and if you see or hear somebody poking around your house, you can set off the car alarm. Theoretically, that would draw unwanted attention and the bad guy would skedaddle. I should think!

I'm bothered by the ever-increasing number of daytime break-ins. Sometimes a homeowner will be gone only a couple of hours, which leads to the creepy realization that someone was probably watching.

The most common modus operandi is to knock on a door and if someone answers, ask for directions. If no one answers, kick in the door or go through the window and burgle. (That's why we don't ignore knockers) It's just a matter of time before somebody breaks into a home thinking no one's home, and the homeowner is in the shower, or just didn't hear the knock. Tragedy could easily ensue.

I don't know what the answer is. Prescription drug abuse seems to be a major contributor to the problem, and the police can't be everywhere at once. We try to make it as inconvenient as possible to break in..I must admit that if I could afford it, I would double the security system, have lots of cameras, lights, alarms. I do leave random lights on at night, which might (might) make a stranger think twice.

My ideal security plan is to live next door to a state police barracks.