LFP - get a grip on those burglar alarms

By Diane Hettrick

Ok LFP. You really have been very good about paying attention to your burglar alarms the past few months. You remembered to check to make sure everyone was out of the building before you turned on your business alarm and left for the day.

You remembered that Mom isn't as fast as she used to be, and left the alarm off while you were gone and she was feeding the dogs.

You even told the landscaping crew that if they hit the side of the house with their ladders, they would end up talking to the police.

But everything fell apart last week.

Let's review. There are lessons to be learned.

We won't bother with the addresses. You know who you are. And you know if could be you. And quit blaming the cat.

6-27 No one at the house but --- ta da! the housekeeper.

6-27 Homeowner set the alarm, then absentmindedly opened the front door.

6-28 Employee managed to trip the alarm at the business.

6-29 The wind blew open an unlocked door in the garage, which set off the alarm, and incidentally terrified the family, who thought someone was breaking in.

6-29 The alarm went off and wouldn't stop. Homeowner couldn't enter the codes because the keypad battery was dead.

6-29 Who knows what set it off? - and don't blame the dog, either.

6-30  A church member was asked to open the church for morning prayer but wasn't told about the alarm.

7-01 The contractor, who is also a neighbor, took his wife to see the granite countertops just installed in a house being remodeled, and apparently didn't know about the alarm system. (It is a good idea to have an alarm system on an unoccupied house, by the way.)

7-2 Person has a panic alarm on a key fob. Key fob in pocket, person outside doing yard work. Button gets pushed.

We won't even talk about the rabbit.

So change the batteries in the keypad. Don't put the keyfob in your pocket or leave it where the kids can play with it. Fix those doors that don't quite latch. Either give the codes to the new housekeeper, the person who is feeding your dog, watering your plants, checking on your house - or don't set the alarm.

Don't leave the dog near the motion sensor or be too slow about getting out the door after you set the alarm. Consider whether your adult children still have a key to the house and might come visit when you weren't home.

Let the police spend their time on the bad guys and leave the contractors and new housekeeper alone.

We all thank you.