In almost half of all completed residential burglaries, thieves simply breezed in through unlocked doors or crawled through unlocked windows?

CHECK THE LOCKS:

• Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed dead bolt lock.  Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough.
• Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured.  You can secure them by installing commercially available locks, or by putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door.  You can prevent the door from being lifted off its track by drilling a hole through the inside door frame and the fixed frame , then inserting a pin in the hole.
• Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" the windows by drilling a small hole at a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed when opening the window.  Secure basement windows with grills or grates.
• Instead of hiding keys around the outside of the home, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.