What's a giftable home/apartment security upgrade?
August 10, 2013 12:31 AM Subscribe
I have a friend moving to a sketchy part of town (and living without a roommate for the first time). I want to get her some sort of security "thing" as an apartment-warming gift. Any suggestions?
She's joked for years about buying a baseball bat for home defense, so I picked one up from a local thrift store, but I'd like to get her something a little more... pragmatic.
Having not lived in any sketchy areas, I'm not entirely sure what this would be. I've heard of things like tacking chicken wire around basement windows to make it look hard to get into, so maybe something along those lines? I have no clue.
Whatever it is ideally wouldn't be overly complicated, but I'm also a bit a ridiculous gift giver, so out of the box suggestions are welcome.
She's joked for years about buying a baseball bat for home defense, so I picked one up from a local thrift store, but I'd like to get her something a little more... pragmatic.
Having not lived in any sketchy areas, I'm not entirely sure what this would be. I've heard of things like tacking chicken wire around basement windows to make it look hard to get into, so maybe something along those lines? I have no clue.
Whatever it is ideally wouldn't be overly complicated, but I'm also a bit a ridiculous gift giver, so out of the box suggestions are welcome.
Best answer: If she has any windows or doors that slide open, pieces of thick dowels to put in the track to keep them from sliding and cut them to fit for her.
posted by Jacqueline at 12:59 AM on August 10, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 12:59 AM on August 10, 2013 [3 favorites]
Oh yeah! Night lights, to keep the monsters away.
posted by samthemander at 1:11 AM on August 10, 2013
posted by samthemander at 1:11 AM on August 10, 2013
A noisy door stop? I wanted one of these when I had a sketchy apartment.
posted by christinetheslp at 5:11 AM on August 10, 2013
posted by christinetheslp at 5:11 AM on August 10, 2013
a small barky dog. okay, i'm not really serious because dogs shouldn't be surprise gifts as they may not be wanted. maybe there is some sort of barking mechanical dog out there? oh yeah, here's a chihuahua!
mace.
posted by wildflower at 6:07 AM on August 10, 2013
mace.
posted by wildflower at 6:07 AM on August 10, 2013
Deadbolt if she doesn't already have one. However, it could get complicated -- in my area you need a signed letter from the landlord giving permission before a locksmith will do it, and it's expensive to do. (Unless you can install one yourself and she's willing to do it without the landlord's OK and willing to use a lock that's not rekeyed to an existing lock. That would be cheaper, but still at least $30 for a crappy lock at Home Depot, plus time/labor/any tools you don't have.)
A chain people will usually overlook, but realistically, it's not that effective a deterrent.
Depending on the type of windows she has, window stops/alarms -- there are a ton on Amazon once you start searching, both the kind that alert if the window is opened and the kind that alert if the window is broken.
Good flashlights. Motion-activated floodlights.
posted by pie ninja at 6:55 AM on August 10, 2013
A chain people will usually overlook, but realistically, it's not that effective a deterrent.
Depending on the type of windows she has, window stops/alarms -- there are a ton on Amazon once you start searching, both the kind that alert if the window is opened and the kind that alert if the window is broken.
Good flashlights. Motion-activated floodlights.
posted by pie ninja at 6:55 AM on August 10, 2013
* gift certificate to self-defense class
* Add a Lock
* Foscam so she can monitor the inside of her place while she is away (assuming she had a phone or tablet to install the app) **camera is cheap, but hiring someone to set it up - unless you have the know-how, can be more $$
posted by ainsley at 12:46 PM on August 10, 2013
* Add a Lock
* Foscam so she can monitor the inside of her place while she is away (assuming she had a phone or tablet to install the app) **camera is cheap, but hiring someone to set it up - unless you have the know-how, can be more $$
posted by ainsley at 12:46 PM on August 10, 2013
Mace is a good idea...
The baseball bat - potentially a very bad idea. When getting a weapon its crucial to consider - what happens if the bad guy/gal gets a hold of it. In the case of a baseball bat, it could mean death. In the case of mace, an awful experience with no long-term physical injury.
The other security suggestions - more locks, chicken wire, window locks, fake security cameras, real security cameras, etc - those are all pretty solid. Thieves tend to look for the easiest target, so as long as her place looks more secure than her neighbors, she's in a good place (it's the "you need to outrun your friend, not the bear" theory).
posted by el io at 12:29 PM on August 11, 2013
The baseball bat - potentially a very bad idea. When getting a weapon its crucial to consider - what happens if the bad guy/gal gets a hold of it. In the case of a baseball bat, it could mean death. In the case of mace, an awful experience with no long-term physical injury.
The other security suggestions - more locks, chicken wire, window locks, fake security cameras, real security cameras, etc - those are all pretty solid. Thieves tend to look for the easiest target, so as long as her place looks more secure than her neighbors, she's in a good place (it's the "you need to outrun your friend, not the bear" theory).
posted by el io at 12:29 PM on August 11, 2013
How about a really big Maglite flashlight? My brother gave me one a few years ago for Christmas. It's fantastic for blackouts, and it's big enough that if someone were to come in, I could use it as a club for self-defense. I keep it next to my bed. If the zombie apocalypse ever happens, this thing is going to be what saves my ass.
posted by Fuego at 2:34 PM on August 11, 2013
posted by Fuego at 2:34 PM on August 11, 2013
Fuego: problem with big maglights - you can kill someone with a single blow with one of them. See previous point about not having a weapon an attacker can hurt/kill you with. Police aren't allowed to use them, as it's too easy to accidentally kill someone with them (and they aren't trained with them; they are trained to batons).
posted by el io at 4:16 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by el io at 4:16 PM on August 12, 2013
el io: OP already got her a baseball bat--if he's OK with gifting his friend with a potentially deadly weapon, he might as well give her one that is sturdier and more likely to get the job done.
posted by Fuego at 12:27 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by Fuego at 12:27 PM on August 13, 2013
Response by poster: Just to clarify, I really don't expect the bat to ever be used against invading burglars or the like. She's not home very often for starters, and the local crime map don't seem to show the neighborhood as being that sketchy. (I checked, because if that was a concern, I probably wouldn't give her a bat for the reasons already mentioned in thread.)
It's more of a gag gift, but I did want to give something actually useful, which is where this question comes in.
I appreciate all the ideas, I'll probably figure out what I'll going with in the next week or two.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:12 PM on August 13, 2013
It's more of a gag gift, but I did want to give something actually useful, which is where this question comes in.
I appreciate all the ideas, I'll probably figure out what I'll going with in the next week or two.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:12 PM on August 13, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
How about this $20 home alarm system? Also, maybe some cookie making supplies so that some of her sketchy neighbors can turn into non-sketchy neighbors like what you're used to probably?
posted by oceanjesse at 12:54 AM on August 10, 2013 [6 favorites]