Every 44 seconds a vehicle is stolen, and more often than that, an automobile is broken into and cleared of valuables. It’s a little depressing fact that so many people feel they are entitled to the possessions you worked so hard for. But alas, the scrupulous characters are out to make your day go horrible, and either steal your vehicle, your belongings cradled inside or both.

California Lock & Key would like to offer some tips to help prevent car theft and your mode of transportation from being a statistic.

– Know where your keys are. It is particularly easy to lift keys when busy shopping, or conversing, or whenever your attention is elsewhere. Don’t keep a spare key on the vehicle itself. Like the phony rock housing a spare key, criminals know where the spare keys are hidden. It is a huge pain to get locked out of your car, but worth not getting your vehicle boosted. California Lock & Key offers 24 hour services to help you if you get locked out of your car. Don’t keep spare keys on your vehicle, and always keep track of your keys, and don’t hand out spares to people unnecessarily.
– Keep automobile locked. It seems painfully obvious, but always keep your automobile locked and windows and sunroof buttoned up. Even when your car is safely parked at your own residence, it is crucial to keep your vehicle secure. Avoid being in the habit of cracking windows to the car during the hot summer months as thieves use it as an advantage. Make sure all drivers in your home practice locking up.
– Park in well lit areas in range of security cameras. When parking your car, ensure that it is parked in a well lit, heavily populated area. If security cameras are available, park in their range. The more visual protection your car has, the less likely a thief would be so inclined. Parking garages are extremely secluded, and though they were once thought of being an optima place to park your vehicle, they are better avoided. If there is no other choice, park close to security ports and where the most light shines and in front of security cameras.
– Refrain from leaving treasures in the vehicle, especially left in view. More often than not, a criminal will take the opportunity to break in when enticed. If the less savory happens upon a vehicle with a purse on the floor, an ipad on the passenger seat, and even a handful a change poured about, they may be inclined to smash out the window and help themselves to an easy score. If you have to leave your items in the automobile, hide them in trunk or under the seat. But be cautious, you never know who may be watching and makes mental notes as to where the goods are.
– Anti-theft devices. Not only can an anti-theft device deter the criminal minded, it could benefit you on your insurance premiums.
– Don’t leave your car running unattended. Another tip often conceived as common sense. It happens periodically, someone leaves their vehicle running to quickly run into the convenience store, or perhaps to retrieve a family member or friend in a seemingly safe neighborhood. As mentioned before, crime is repeatedly committed from circumstance and opportunity. Don’t make it easy for them.
– Technological recovery tools. The modern gadgets such as GPS or OnStar are extremely great tools in retrieving a vehicle that has been take. Police often get them back very quickly when automobiles are featured with retrieval features.

Professional Automotive, Residential & Commercial Locksmith Services in Burbank, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Culver City, Northridge & West Los Angeles CA

California Lock & Key hopes these tips help preserve your vehicle. If you find yourself in need of any locksmith services, call us today!

This is the season when people are out on the prowl. Thieves are looking for easy targets and this means doors that may not be secured, windows left open and proof that people in the home have been shopping. You cannot stop a burglar from choosing your home to stop at but you can defend your home. There are several ways that you can lock down your home and make it as close to impossible for a thief to make his way in your home.

CA Lock and Key has some tips to protect your family from burglars.

Do you have the right door? This is the first area that you need to look at. Most people will try the handle and if that is locked they will give it a quick kick to enter the house. Any door that has a window in it has a weak point that can be broken in faster than you could dial a number. It is best to go with a door that is solid and has no window or spaces that are easy to break apart. Be sure that your door is fitted into the space provided appropriately. Having the right door can also take part in the next step of the security of your home.

Reinforce the Locks. This is the next step and very important in securing your house. You want to be sure that you have the right lock for your home but you also need to be sure that the lock is installed correctly. If it is off just by a small amount the lock will not engage all the way and will make it simple to kick open. You need to be sure that you have a secure lock on your sliding glass doors and windows as well. You also want to go one step further and instead of just using a lock on the door handle you should install a deadbolt. This is a lock that is not run on a spring and when engaged fully will not be able to be broken or picked. The key is the only way to get through this lock. It is also fully engaged in the door frame and that means the door when it is kicked will have to be broken all the way through the frame to get in which is extremely hard.

If you take time to look at these two areas of your home, you can rest assured that you have done what is best for residential home security. Contact CA Lock & Key for expert Locksmith Services in Burbank, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Culver City, Northridge & West Los Angeles CA

Most people have a key to their home on their car keys, or their children have one in their backpack but there are reasons that you may need a backup key for an emergency. You don’t want to leave a key out so that just anyone can see it or find it. You also want to be sure that it is not in a place that someone might check such as hiding right under the front door mat. You also don’t want to go with a hide your key rock that is obviously not a part of your outdoor décor. If you are out of town and forgot that you needed to unplug an appliance or your house alarm is going off you may need to send someone over. That person may not have access to your home so having a hidden key is a great way to get them in and keep your home secure and locked up.

California Lock & Key has a few ways that you can hide a key and still keep your home safe and secure.

Realtor Coded Door Key Box

If you have even gone house shopping with a realtor you may have noticed a small box hanging on the door knob. This is a box that is weatherproof and usually has a code that can be inputted to unlock it. Inside the box is a key that will open the front door lock and get you inside. The great thing is that these boxes are available for personal use as well. The scary thing is that a burglar can target these boxes and get into them and go right in your house. The best thing to do is to choose a friend’s house that lives near you that you can keep the box at so that if you need them to gain access to the house they can. Then the key is in a safe spot that can be reached but not available to be found by just anyone.

Outdoor Key Drop Spot

You can also go with a drop spot. If you need to leave a key for someone you don’t want to leave it hanging around your front door. Most people will check the mat in front of the door or around the door frame to see if anything is hiding up there. If you have a flower pot they can and will check there as well. You can go with a safe spot that is not near your front door but a place that you can tell a neighbor or friend if necessary. If you have an outdoor AC unit you can hide it over there without giving too much away. The unit is usually metal and can hide a key easily without it being noticeable.

Spare Key Duplication, House Rekeying, Changing Locksets & Locksmith Services in Burbank, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Culver City, Northridge & West Los Angeles CA

If you can avoid it; don’t leave the key out all the time and forget about it. It is best to only hide it when you are going to be away in case there is an emergency. And if you need a spare key made, your house rekeyed, the locks changed or any other kind of locksmith emergency, contact California Lock & Key!