An intruder sneaking into your home while you sleep is a terrifying thought, yet it rarely happens. More common are burglars snatching valuables from open garages or empty homes.

When a neighbor is burglarized or the media report frightening crimes, many people think of investing in a home security system. "It pushes people to come in and want to do something," said Mike Blake, president of Alert Security in Colorado Springs, Colo.

National security companies are smart enough to use fear in their marketing. "In the time it takes you to read this sentence, one burglary will be committed in the U.S.," reads the Web site for ADT Security Services, the largest security system company in the country. ADT and others are selling the feeling of security to their customers, which is certainly worth paying for.

Crime-prevention experts say there are simpler, cheaper ways to deter crime. Leave your porch light on. Close the garage door and lock the doors. Put wooden dowels in the windows and sliding-glass doors. Install dead-bolt locks. Such easy steps may keep you from being the vulnerable target on the block.

"The sound of a big dog barking is a really good deterrent, too," said David Husted, crime prevention officer for the Falcon division of the CSPD, when asked if he'd spend his money on an alarm or a canine. "I don't know, I may just go with the dog, if it's got a pretty good bark."

Crime experts agreed there are no downsides to buying an alarm system, other than the cost. From the police officers' experience, they are effective as long as they are turned on and working. "I think alarms are good, and there's plenty of good, reputable companies out there," Husted said. "If it goes off and makes noise, the burglar is probably going to run away."

Dave Gilman, crime-prevention officer for the Stetson Hills division of the CSPD, thinks the systems can even be a deterrent before they start blaring.

"If you're the bad guy, and you're looking at two homes, and the one on the left has an alarm system and the sign's up, and the one on the right doesn't, which one will you choose?" Gilman said.

"It's another tool in the toolbox. I would not say that they're required or I highly recommend them. You have to look at what you're willing to spend. It is a viable tool and I wouldn't tell anybody to not buy one."

Colorado Springs has addressed the issue by requiring city licensing for alarm systems, said Cliff Stoker. He runs American Bell Security Group, with 38 years in business locally.

Both men were adamant that when it comes to burglar alarms, you get what you pay for. Sure, you can get a cheap motion sensor for your house, but then the miller moths will set it off. Sure, you can get a system for a few hundred bucks, but you'll probably get bad installation and inferior equipment.

Stoker also said you must know how your alarms will be handled. Typically, when an alarm is tripped, a signal goes to the company's monitoring center; they call the homeowner to ensure it is not a false alarm and police are summoned.

Stoker said call centers for national alarm companies have hundreds of operators. However, many local companies have a smaller operation. American Bell is a local, independent company, but Stoker abandoned his own central station to route calls through a national company.

"Sometimes a little central station will have too few people," Stoker said. "If they have too few people and a lot of calls come in at the same time, and somebody left to go to the bathroom … there's a problem."

"The only burglaries we've ever had is when their systems are off," he said. "I'm a firm believer in it. It's the only way I know to keep something bad from happening."

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