Eight Super Security Suggestions
As noted in a recent interview given to Danielle Stein for Town & Country Magazine, Christopher Falkenberg, the CEO of a prestigious security firm explains how the Occupy Wall Street Movement has brought him an impressive increase in new, wealthy clients. What's their major concern? Protecting their family members and securing their physical property, not their huge bank accounts.
As a former attorney and Secret Service member, (Clinton detail!) Falkenberg takes security seriously. He is founder and president of Insite Security, which provides protection for more than 40 high-net-worth American families, many of which appear regularly on the Forbes 400 list. Here, he shares some of the tried and true methods he employs to protect his clients.
Money Saver Alert! For those of us who manage to run our homes and a full-time staff, with a few adjustments, these wealthy tips can work for the 99 percent too!
- CONFUSE THE INTERNET - Insite figures out how much of a client's personal information - address, photos of the home and cars is out there and tries to obscure it. "You can't get rid of info on the internet, but you can feed bogus information to confuse people," says Falkenberg.
- TAKE STOCK OF YOUR STAFF - "I was at the home of a women in Greenwich, and 10 feet away was a gardener. I asked her his name, and she said, "oh, that's one of Jim's guys, and Jim, he came over on the Mayflower and goes to my church!" That's not good enough." Insite takes a picture, checks the ID, and sometimes even fingerprint anyone who works at the home. "We want to know who these people are and we want them to know we know."
- REPLACE YOUR ALARM SYSTEM WITH ONE CONNECTED TO A RESPONSIVE CONTROL CENTER OTHER THAN 911 - Falkenberg says 99.8 percent of alarms are false alarm. People press a panic button expecting a certain reaction, but local desk sargents get six of those a day. It's never anything real, so most companies don't speed over with sirens blaring. Your call is low priority."
- BUILD PHYSICAL BARRIERS - A fence around the property is ideal. Failing that, Falkenberg recommends shrubberies that are difficult to penetrate. He also suggest that clients replace the delicate glass in French doors with laminate or polycarbonate glass. "They're not bulletproof, but they're difficult to break."
- INSTALL ARMY-GRADE INFRARED - "Iraq and Afghanistan have brought hugh advances in night-vision technology," he says. Security systems can now distinguish between an animal and an intruder. Insite's infrared cameras feed images into a computer running video analytics. When the computer detects movement, it sends images to a live operator. "Nine out of 10 times it's a badger, but that other time we have very early video verification of an intruder, which we can furnish when we alert the police."
- CREATE A PANIC ROOM - "You want concentric levels of security," he says - preferably a monitored gate outside an alarmed house, and, finally, a room with a solid lock on the door and a telephone. This is especially important in rural places, which have longer police response times. You want a door that resists entry for a good five minutes."
- SECURE YOUR COLLECTIONS - Don't think that because someone is home, everything is safe. (It's tough to hear someone tiptoeing at the other end of your 20,000 - square home.) The solution is a security system for your art. "What we use is based on E-Z Pass Frequency. Even if the main alarm system is off, this thing will know if your Picasso suddenly moves from the second floor to the first.
- UPGRADE YOUR SAFE - Falkenberg advises his wealthiest clients to use a freestanding safe with software that sends you a text, an e-mail, or a phone call if it has been left open for longer that 10 minutes.
It is not always expensive to protect your home. It's also a must you know who's in your home! Background checks can and should apply to anyone who frequents your home or has access to your home, family and valuables; babysitters, workmen, etc. There are plenty of affordable agencies, some of them web based, to help you with this. Run a google search to get started.
If you can't afford an electronic armed response alarm system, talk to your neighbors more often! Seriously. Go to one of those neighborhood watch meetings you've been avoiding or better yet, start one yourself if your block doesn't have one up and running.
Who knew a little curb appeal also curbed the burglars. Installing a fence around your property can be expensive, or in some cases not possible. Growing /planting shrubbery is an excellent economic option to protect your home.
Let's revisit #3 for this money saving tip... Your nosy neighbors don't need infrared to watch your home - day and night. They're already on the case!
Create a plan! Not everyone has the space or capital to build a panic room onsite. Creating a safety plan with your family, friends and neighbors is a smart way to create an offsite-nearly-onsite "panic room." You can arrange a plan to safe-harbor next door with your neighbor in times of distress, and agree to do the same for them.
An alternative to securing your art using a pass frequency system, which can be quite costly, is to attach small bells to the undersides of your precious belongings. If any of your expensive items are being moved while you're in another area of the home - you'll know it.
