5 Halloween Home Security Tricks

Just because Halloween is here doesn't mean you have to throw security out the window.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Oct 30, 2017

Hollywood Halloween tropes often put normal people in scary situations allowing for frightening screams and terrifying outcomes. However, that doesn't have to be the summary of your Halloween. 

Even though Halloween is the one night of the year where kids, teens and parents feel entitled to walk up to front door and yell, "trick-or-treat!," you don't have to let them encroach in your safety zone. Here's a few tips to ensure that your home and family are kept secure while the ghosts and goblins walk the streets.

Sit outside. Decide if you want to keep opening your door to strangers. If not, grab that old foldable chair you have for your daughter's soccer games out of the back of your car and place it right in front of your door. By sitting out front, you have the advantage of seeing people coming your way. You are also making sure they don't linger on your porch any longer than they have to, this cuts down someone's ability to peer into your windows and decide if they want to come back later to grab some goodies of their own.

Have a plan. Create a timeline for how you want your night to go, and stick to it. Decide when you want to start handing out candy and when you want to stop. When you are finished, lock your doors and turn off your porch light. If you've already turned off your light, then there is no reason to answer your door. To be extra safe, close and lock your door between each batch of trick-or-treaters to prevent someone from just walking in.

Keep the lights on. While I did say you should turn off your porch light after the treats are gone, you should keep your interior lights on all night. This shows that someone is home, even if you are gone to take your kids through the crowded neighborhood streets to gather candy. If your home is dark on Halloween, you are inviting in the masked burglars who fit in with the ghoulish crowds.

Secure all doors and windows. Criminals will know that you are mostly focused on your front door on Halloween night, so make sure no one slides into your home through the back door or window by making sure they are all locked before the streets start to flood with costumed kids. If you can, invest in door and window sensors that send alerts to your phone if a door or window is opened.

Report suspicious behavior. It is easy to dismiss suspicious behavior as, "kids being kids" on Halloween night, but don't let that be a deterrent. Call your local police station or 9-1-1 if you see something that doesn't seem right, or is illegal.