Choose metal exterior doors. If this is not possible, choose a solid wood door instead of a composite one.

Make sure door hinges are located inside so doors can't be removed from the outside. If you have to have exterior hinges, use security hinges that can't be opened if the pin is removed.

If your mail slot is in your door, make sure a hand can't reach through the slot to the doorknob or locks.

For sliding glass doors, install a device that secures both the sliding and stationary panels of the door by pinning them together where the frames overlap.

Change your locks when you move into a new or existing home. You never know who had access to the home or who may still have keys to it.

Don't use crescent or "butterfly" latches to secure double-hung windows. They can be pried open easily with a knife. Use a do-it-yourself nail or bolt window stop instead. Drill the hole for the stop at a slight downward angle to prevent a burglar from jiggling the pin out of the hole under pressure.

Laminated-glass windows, which can only be cut from one side, foil another burglary method: Quietly cutting glass to gain entry. Laminated security glass products may be specified for virtually any application, regardless of concurrent requirements for heat-transfer, visibility, or aesthetics. They are especially appropriate for front-door windows and sidelights.

One ill-advised "security" treatment is the application of film to windows. Window films have never passed tests necessary to certify them as resistant to forced entry, and windows with a daylight application of film ' one that is unanchored and adhered to the glass surface only ' are actually easier to break than their unfilmed counterparts.

Windows that are never used ' unless they are a means of escape during a fire ' should be fastened permanently shut.

Pay attention to items that could allow easy access to second-floor windows or balconies. If you're remodeling or painting the exterior of your home, put ladders away at the end of each day.

Make it difficult for an intruder to hide; trim bushes and trees to allow maximum exposure of windows and doorways.

Motion-detection lights on all sides of the house can also make your home less inviting to burglars.

Don't hide your house key outside. If a family member habitually loses or forgets his or her key, develop a better strategy ' perhaps giving a set of keys to a trustworthy neighbor, or hanging the key on a long chain that a teen can wear around the neck.

Lower the volume of your telephone's ring so it can't be heard outside your house. (An unanswered phone tells a burglar casing your house that no one's home.)

Don't enter your home if it appears to have been burglarized; call the police from a cell phone or neighbor's house.

According to the FBI, homes equipped with centrally monitored alarm systems are 15 times less likely to be targets of break-ins. These steps will help you choose one that's right for your security needs.

The goal of a residential security system is to detect an intruder as early as possible, alert the home's occupants to his presence, and scare him away before he does any harm. Progressive layers of protection accomplish this goal. Imagine four concentric circles around your house, with your family and your most valuable possessions