Spring is here: Why you need to secure your yard.

Its finally starting to get warm here in the midwest, which means the start of the backyard season. I just mowed my lawn for the first time the other day and I am getting ready to host our first barbecue of the year. This got me thinking about a few friends of mine. Last year my Mother-In-Law had her patio furniture stolen and a friend of mine had their grill stolen from their yard.

They live in an area with back alleys and very few driveways. They both had 4'-0" chain link fences which are very easy to climb over and pass objects to another person to quickly throw in a truck. The whole operation probably takes less than a few minutes. I am going to give you the same advice I gave to them.

First and foremost lock up easy to take items like lawnmowers and other outdoor power equipment. If you can use a chain to lock grills and furniture to a fixed point in the yard possible a tree or clothesline post. If you do have a fence look to make sure there are no gaps and that the gates are secured and locked if necessary.

Install a security camera. The wide variety of cameras and prices in the market today make several good options for the homeowner. If you need only a single camera with onboard storage in the form of an SD card or 5 cameras with a digital video recorder which you can watch from your TV. They also have wireless camera options so you can watch the live feed from you computer, phone, or tablet from anywhere with Wi-Fi or over 4G LTE. I would also like to warn you about wireless cameras. They offer ease of installation and great capability, but also present an opportunity to knowledgeable criminals who can hack into your cameras and watch them on their own devices. Be careful if using these and do not record views that you wouldn't want others to see.

Perhaps a security camera is a little much for you. You can always install motion lights. Measure the distance from your home to the area you want to light then select a light fixture that meets those requirements. Pay attention to sensor angle as well. Once installed you can adjust the sensor to avoid nuisance lighting from passing cars or pedestrians farther away from you property line.