When we think of civil unrest, images of downtown businesses and commercial buildings with smashed windows are usually the first things that come to mind.
However, the reality is that commercial facilities are not the only properties affected by things like rioting and looting when a populated urban area becomes a flashpoint for civil unrest.
Many commercial areas are just a block or two away from residential streets, meaning that homeowners often have to worry about peaceful protests turning violent as well.
If you feel like your home isn’t secure enough to protect you, your loved ones, and your belongings in the event of destructive rioting, you’re not alone. Keep reading to find out how you can fortify and protect your property from rioters.
Preparing for Civil Unrest: Our Top Tips for Homeowners
Securing your home against rioters (and other types of criminals, for that matter) is all about creating layers of security.
There is no single technique that will make your property riot-proof, but there are many techniques that you can use together to prepare for civil unrest. Follow these tips to make your home less of a target and improve its overall security against a variety of threats.
Start with Rioter Deterrents:
- Security lighting
- Security cameras
- Monitored alarm systems
People with criminal intent are less likely to target brightly lit properties where it’s harder for them to conceal their activities. Install bright exterior lighting to illuminate your main windows and doors, as well as motion-sensing security lights in strategic areas like walkways around the back and sides of your home.
Criminals are also less inclined to vandalize or loot a home equipped with visible security cameras, which can record their faces and lead to their arrest. Set up prominent security cameras aimed at vulnerable entry points like doors and ground-floor windows to help deter would-be intruders and vandals.
Finally, every layered home security system should include a monitored alarm system. These alarm systems automatically notify the authorities if your property becomes the target of an attack. Put decals advertising your monitored alarm system up on your windows and doors to help deter criminals.
For bonus points, employ an alarm system that makes a loud audible sound when your home is tampered with. Loud sounds that draw attention to an individual’s criminal activities are another way to discourage rioters from targeting your property.
Add Physical Barriers to Rioters:
- Natural barriers
- Fences
- Riot Glass®
One way to add a first layer of physical defense to your home is to use landscaping to your advantage.
For example, plant thorny bushes or thick hedges in strategic locations to prevent trespassers from coming onto your property. A dense bamboo hedge with prickly shrubs planted underneath it can be just as effective as a barbed wire fence, while still maintaining your home’s beautiful appearance.
Another great option for securing the perimeter of your home is to build a sturdy fence with gates that lock from the inside. Build the fence around your whole yard and make sure to install heavy-duty locks on the gates to keep trespassing rioters from gaining easy access to your yard.
No matter how well-designed and strong your property’s physical barriers are, there always remains one highly vulnerable point of entry: window glass. That’s where Riot Glass® comes in.
Riot Glass® is our proprietary line of laminated security glass that is specifically designed to withstand high-force impacts and protect homes and businesses against forced entry and other threats. It can be retrofitted right on top of your existing window glass to create a formidable security barrier, at a fraction of the cost of window replacement.
Other Ways to Prepare for Civil Unrest:
- Lock up expensive cars and other items out of sight (inside your garage or home)
- Keep an eye on the news for information about protests and their paths
- Communicate with your neighbors (let them know if there may be protesters in the area)
- Place “no loitering” or “no trespassing” signs on your property
Why Is Riot Glass® the Best Choice for Civil Unrest Preparedness?
A home’s defenses are only as strong as their weakest point. This is why it’s incredibly important not to overlook fortifying your window and door glass when you’re making security upgrades to your property.
- More cost-effective than anything else on the market
- Ultimate line of fenestration security products
- Highly adaptable to fit any property
- Virtually invisible (maintains your home’s curb appeal)
We designed Riot Glass® with the unique security needs of the homeowners and business owners who we deal with every day in mind. We saw a gap in the market for an affordable, effective product to provide permanent glass protection against a full range of threats, including rioting and looting.
Riot Glass® is a full line of security glass that’s available with different security ratings to protect against everything from thrown rocks and bricks all the way up to bullets. Whatever level of security you feel like your home needs, there’s a Riot Glass® product that can hold your existing window glass in place to keep you and your loved ones safe inside.
Because every property is different, we made sure that our security glass laminates are built to be highly adaptable. In many cases, we can retrofit the panels into or onto your existing framing, so there’s no need for your home to undergo a major renovation or remodel.
Another big concern of homeowners when they’re considering security upgrades is how these upgrades will affect the appearance of their properties — property owners don’t want to look fortified, but they want to BE fortified.
Riot Glass® panels look and feel almost exactly like traditional window glass, so you don’t have to worry about your home’s glass looking out of place.
Contact our team of security professionals today for more information about how we can help you protect your home during civil unrest.
