TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - There's been a string of burglaries on Tucson's east side in neighborhoods near 22nd and Craycroft.
That sparked a lot of comments on KGUN9's Facebook page from worried residents, offering solutions ranging from alarms to dogs to guns.
But there are easier solutions that don't require a lot of money or skill. They are things you can do to make breaking in hard enough a burglar will choose another target.
Police say aburglar may need four seconds to 45 seconds to break in. More time than that may make them go somewhere else.
You'll never make your home a fortress or a bank vault but you can make it a harder target.
At Ace Hardware on 22nd, Michael Hankins will help you do that.
High on the list: Double cylinder deadbolt locks that use a key on both sides instead of an inside knob you'd just turn.
KGUN9 reporter Craig Smith asked Hankins: “So this helps if they've broken the window and they're thinking they're going to reach around and open your door?”
Hankins: “They can't.”
He says, “Somebody that wants to kick your door in. There's a couple things we can do to secure that."
Like a special steel rod. Wedge one end under the door knob, brace the non-slip end on the floor.
"It's gonna take a lot of force to get this open,” says Hankins
A simple clamp can keep a burglar out.
“'You tighten them up. Nobody gets your windows open, your sliding glass windows."
You can use a reinforcement plate around you door lock to stop a burglar who's ready to use brute force.
"It's going to keep someone from kicking it in. You have more security around your lock."
A special plate on your door can stop a burglar who brought a pry bar.
“You can't put a screwdriver in here. You can't put a crowbar in there."
Araidnie Jimenez knows the pain of a burglary. When burglars busted into her house they were cold. They took electronics, even a ring that belonged to her late mother.
“I think the most thing that really hurt me was my daughter's piggy bank. It took me like a little over two years to save to buy her her first day of school in kindergarten stuff."
In this case, getting in, was no trouble at all.
"They jumped over the fence. They got into the back of the house and they broke the window right next to an Arizona room that I have."
Having a wall may hurt more than help. It can make it harder to see the burglars at work.
Ariadnie Jimenez says she's might get an alarm system, and a dog.
“It's very scary. After that for a couple of nights I was basically sleeping with a bat right next to my bed and with my daughter and very scared that they could have come back."
WEB EXTRA
Michael Hankins from ACE Hardware shares tips on how to keep your home safe
