Follow Home Robberies: An Essential Guide for Arriving Home Safely

Your home should always be a place of safety and comfort. And the right home security system brings an extra sense of calm in knowing you and your family are protected, whether you’re home or not. But practicing strong safety habits doesn’t start and end at your doorstep.

In recent years, the LAPD has warned of possible upticks in “follow home robberies,” in which victims of this type of crime are followed home or to their place of business and targeted for robbery.

Safety starts wherever you’re coming from, and should begin before, during, and after your journey home. Learn more about follow home robberies and some simple habits to better protect yourself from this type of crime.

What are Follow Home Robberies?

A follow home robbery is a crime in which an individual is stalked or followed from a public location to their home, where they are then robbed. It might occur when traveling back from high-end districts, stores, restaurants, or events.

In 2022, the LAPD investigated 328 follow-home robberies and made 122 connected arrests, with many follow-home robberies taking place in the Hollywood or Wilshire areas.

This type of robbery often targets individuals who may appear to be carrying valuables, such as shopping bags, electronics, fine jewelry, or cash. Some other common scenarios in which follow home robberies occur include:

After shopping – think high-end retail stores, jewelry shops, or crowded malls.
Leaving an upscale dining experience.
Cash-based businesses like casinos.
Social events or gathering places like parties, bars, and clubs.
After ATM withdrawals.

Always remember to stay vigilant of your surroundings and any potential followers when driving home or entering and exiting your vehicle.

Before Getting in Your Vehicle

Often, simply staying aware of your surroundings goes a long way in protecting yourself. When heading back to your car, always have your keys ready before reaching your vehicle.

Situational awareness in public spaces also includes:

Staying mindful of any individuals in your proximity when leaving stores, restaurants, or any of the potentially targeted spaces listed above.
Keeping an eye out for any suspicious individuals or groups who mirror your movements in parking lots or enter their vehicles at the same time as you.
If in a crowded parking lot, stay mindful of any would-be robbers lying or hiding between parked cars.

You don’t need to carry extreme fears or anxieties every time you leave the house. Situational awareness can be as simple as practicing classic “stranger danger” habits to better protect yourself.

Protect Yourself While Driving Home

Once you’re driving and on your way home, simply staying present can help prevent a potential crime. So avoid distractions like your phone, which you shouldn’t use while driving anyways!

You might also break routines by occasionally taking different routes home. Should you think another vehicle is following you, take a few different turns to see if it is the same vehicle behind you throughout your journey home.

As you arrive in your neighborhood, keep a close watch for any groups or individuals loitering or any suspicious vehicles sitting idly.

Before Pulling into Your Driveway

When you finally arrive home, it’s still not time to let your guard fully down. If you installed any surveillance cameras or a doorbell camera, check for any push notifications of activity before pulling into your driveway. And if another vehicle is behind you, pull over on the street. In either case, should there be nefarious activity happening, you don’t want to be blocked in your driveway.

Finally, take a quick scan of the front of your residence to ensure no one is hiding. And never remotely unlock your front door until you’re absolutely sure it’s safe to do so.

What to Do if You Suspect You’re Being Followed

If you do find yourself in a situation where you suspect you’re being followed, do not stop driving, and do not head straight for home. Instead, drive to a safe location like a police station or another crowded, public space.

Call for help if necessary, and provide as much details to police about the make and model of the suspicious vehicle. If more than one member of your family regularly drives, take the time to talk through emergency plans. Set up emergency contacts, meeting places and general protocols with your family.

Additional Security Recommendations

It never hurts to strengthen your security touch points at your home’s exterior to help ward off follow home robberies. You might consider additional lighting for your driveway and all entry points to eliminate potential hiding places. And for an added layer of security, perimeter security measures like additional cameras and sensors can alert you of any unusual activity on your property.

Finally, there’s always strength in numbers. Avoid traveling alone if possible, and connect with your neighbors and community. Stay involved with any neighborhood watch programs and pay attention to community notifications that might affect you.

And for all Post Patrol subscribers, officers are regularly active in your neighborhood and available to escort residents safely inside their homes.

Shields Up. Since 1956.

Living with fear every time you leave the house is not sustainable. But taking a few simple mental notes when you are out and about can ensure you always make it home safe and sound. And for better protection for your home and family, there’s Post Alarm.

We’ve always been a local, family-owned company, and we plan on staying that way. As a privately held, third generation family business, Post has provided Alarm and Patrol Services to communities, neighborhoods, and homeowners since 1956.

Our family founded Post Alarm on a passion for protecting people and the neighborhoods we call home. Now, we’re one of the only local, full-service security organizations in the Southern California area providing professionally installed, fully integrated, customized security solutions that result in earlier threat detection and synchronized response, getting you help faster when it matters most.

Ready to start building your custom home security package? Reach out and get a free security quote today!

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The Benefits of a Locally Owned and Operated Central Station

Aren’t all central stations for alarm monitoring relatively the same? Not at all.

The truth is, roughly 90% of electronic security companies don’t actually own their own central station. Instead, they use a third party provider that pretends to be the customer’s security company when they respond to an alarm signal. These third party central stations could be in an entirely different state than the companies they represent. That hardly inspires confidence in their ability to dispatch your local police or fire responders if you have an emergency.

The Better Approach for Alarm Monitoring

A much better approach is to use a locally owned and operated central station — preferably, one that is owned by your alarm company. That’s what we offer at Post Alarm. We own and operate our own central station, which means your home or business security system is being monitored by the same team who understands how your system was designed and installed.

Furthermore, our trained security agents are located onsite at your alarm company, based in your own community. Their familiarity with the area makes them uniquely qualified to respond to your specific emergency.

Other Advantages to Local Alarm Monitoring

Relationships with local police. We have strong relationships with our local law enforcement — the same police departments that are responding to our customers’ emergencies. When police know your alarm is being monitored by a local central station they’re familiar with, they often have more confidence in the validity of your alarm. The result? A coordinated effort, which allows for faster response.
Faster response times. With a third party monitoring center, wait times are excessively long; that’s because, due to the prevalence of false alarms, sometimes police need to lower the priority of most alarm signals (unless they are video verified). At Post Alarm, our response times consistently outpace the response times of our competitors. Our close relationships with local law enforcement make a real difference in the response times we can provide you.
Prompt troubleshooting and repair. Our close proximity also enables us to provide better repair service. If a problem is detected with your system, we will text or call you immediately from our own central station located right here in SoCal. Your problem can be troubleshooted and repaired faster, minimizing the time that your property is unprotected.

These are some of the most important reasons to choose a locally owned and operated central station for alarm monitoring. To learn more about our locally owned and operated central station at Post Alarm, contact us today. We’ll be glad to answer your questions.

About Post Alarm

To learn more about Southern California security technology, come see us at Post Alarm. Our highly qualified and experienced home security experts can answer all your questions. Call us today at 1-800-654-7678.

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Showing Your Home Some Love

It’s a time to show love to everyone—and everything—that matters in your life. If that includes your home, one great way to do this is with essential enhancements to the security system. By stepping up from our Light & Easy package to our Professional Home bundle, you can enjoy total integration of security and smart home technology. In fact, our Professional Home bundle even provides personal care benefits that are ideal for yourself and your loved ones.

Exterior Cameras

Crime continues to rise throughout Southern California, so now is the time to have cameras installed outside near all your access points. With additional outdoor camera placement, you’ll see more than who’s on the front porch. You’ll also know who’s lurking in the yard, inching toward the back door or scoping out your bedroom windows. One of the most loving things a homeowner can do for the family is to add extra camera protection.

Auto Door Locks

There are locks, and then there are automated locks you control with your smartphone. By upgrading to Professional Home, you can get intelligent locking devices put on your doors to replace your outdated doorknob locks. This means no more fishing for keys in the dark or leaving a key for the neighbor who’s housesitting. Just tap on your phone to unlock the door for yourself or whoever you’re granting access to. It’s simpler and more secure.

Night Shield

It’s unfortunate, but many of our local neighborhoods simply aren’t as safe now. With the Professional Home bundle, we provide you with our Night Shield dispatching service for additional protection. Night Shield includes intelligent cameras that send suspicious activity alerts directly to our local, Southern California alarm monitoring center. From there, our agents dispatch our own Post Alarm patrol officers or local law enforcement to your home.

Stepping up to the Professional Home bundle is an excellent way to show your home and family more love this Valentine’s Day. To learn more about the features included, give us a call at Post Alarm.

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New Year’s Security Resolutions for Your Home

It’s not too late to make some more New Year’s resolutions, especially if they’re for the security of your home and family. Crimes ranging from porch theft to home burglary to assault have spiked throughout Southern California, and these unfortunate trends are on track to continue throughout 2022. It’s still the beginning of the year, so now is the time to get prepared by adding these to your home security repertoire.

Home Security Cameras

Many homeowners have doorbell cameras, and that’s a great thing. But to canvas your home in protection, you need additional home security cameras. That’s why our Professional Home bundle includes both. With this package, you can get the comprehensive camera coverage you need, locally based security system monitoring, and smartphone integration of all your home security services, starting at the low price of $1,088.

Night Shield®

There are cameras, and then there are night-vision cameras with analytics. With the low-light capability and true smart analytics with these powerful devices, intruders on your property will be unable to elude being caught on camera. And with our Night Shield® service, you can take your nighttime home security to the next level.

Being a Post Alarm Night Shield customer is like having your own private security team at home. When an intruder is detected on your home security camera at night, our monitoring center enters a description of the suspect and Patrol or local enforcement is dispatched to your home immediately. Our Patrol and Dispatch Center are trained to work with your local police, increasing the likelihood of the suspect being apprehended.

For a more protected home in 2022, let us help you fulfill these home security resolutions. Call Post Alarm today to learn more about our Professional Home bundle and exclusive Night Shield service.

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Put a Halt to Holiday House Fires

It’s the holiday season again, and you want yours to be memorable for all the right reasons. One way to make sure your family enjoys this time of year as much as possible is by doing everything you can to reduce your risk of a house fire. Here are some important tips for lowering your fire risk at home during the holidays.

Be smart with your Christmas tree.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 160 home fires that started with Christmas trees every year from 2015 to 2019. Sadly, these fires caused an annual average of two deaths, 12 injuries, and $10 million in direct property damage. To help prevent this from happening to your family, you can:

Buy a tree closer to Christmas day from a farm that allows you to watch it be freshly cut.
Water your tree every day you use it, and promptly take it down once it dries out.
Keep your tree away from direct heat sources like radiators, space heaters, and candles.

Use heat and candles with caution.

That last guideline is overlooked far too often, with tragic consequences. The NFPA reports in two out of every five decoration fire incidents, the decoration was too close to a heat source such as a candle or heating equipment. Candles cause 45% of the home decoration fires that fire departments respond to every December. The NFPA recommends you keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything flammable.

Put safety first with cooking and baking.

The NFPA states the three peak days for home cooking fires are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Christmas Eve. Whether holiday foods are cooking on the stove or in the oven, stay nearby and turn off the appliance immediately if anything begins to burn.

NFPA data also shows that cooking equipment was involved in one out of every five home decoration fires. To prevent this, keep decorative items, including kitchen towels, at least 12 inches away from cooking equipment and appliances.

Protect your home with fire detection.

In addition to having the required number of working smoke detectors in your home, you need a fire alert system that responds to a fire emergency and quickly gets help to your home. At Post Alarm, we own and operate our own UL-listed monitoring station; that’s where our locally-based agents dispatch fire and emergency services to your home the moment you need them. To get this protection for your home and family, call Post Alarm today. We’ll be glad to answer your questions.

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Night Shield Security for Halloween Night

We’re approaching another year of kids and parents celebrating Halloween more cautiously due to COVID, but that’s not the only safety issue to be concerned with this Halloween. For homeowners throughout LA County, the other safety imperative is keeping our homes and neighborhoods safe from the vandalism and intrusion spikes that seem to happen every Halloween.

Eye-Opening Halloween Crime Data

Statistics released by Travelers Insurance point to an annual 22% spike in crime-related home insurance claims the week of Halloween. They report that Halloween crime often begins on October 30, with insurance claims increasing by 2%. On October 31, the claims rise to a 16% increase — and by the morning of November 1, they rocket to a shocking 46% increase as homeowners report the crimes that happened the night before. That’s a sobering reminder of just how vulnerable your property is the week of Halloween.

No More Innocent Halloween Pranks

Most of us are old enough to remember when Halloween decorations amounted to a candlelit jack-o-lantern on the front porch. But now, many homeowners adorn their yards with inflatable Halloween decorations that cost a pretty penny.

Just as you have upped your Halloween game, the vandals in your neighborhood have too. Yours is about creating a more festive atmosphere, while theirs is about doing more damage. Innocent pranks like pumpkin smashing have been replaced with theft of large decorations, vandalism of homes and even break-ins. It’s time to get serious about protecting your home at Halloween.

Protection for Halloween Night and Beyond

Fortunately, Post Alarm has home security technology that can help protect your home during the dark nighttime hours. It’s Night Shield security technology, a service that uses smarter security cameras, sends suspicious activity alerts directly to our monitoring center 24/7, and dispatches our Post Alarm patrol services to your home while the crime is in progress (in addition to notifying you via text alert).

This can be your best defense against crime on Halloween night and beyond. And because businesses are also highly susceptible to crime on Halloween night, Night Shield can be used for small businesses as well.

Criminal activity on Halloween night is a real concern this year, but we can help. Call Post Alarm today to learn more about our Night Shield security service.

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Keeping Security Patrol Services Year-Round

Summer may be over, but this is no time to scale back on security patrol services. Because the warm weather persists year-round in Southern California, nighttime criminals continue to strike in local communities throughout fall and winter as well. Police departments are heavily burdened, which is what makes private security patrol forces so valuable. At Post Alarm, we offer patrol services you can have confidence in all year long. Here’s what makes them superior to any other private security options in the region.

Stringent Hiring Practices
Post Alarm has some of the most stringent hiring practices for private security patrols in the entire state. Most companies use background screening, but we go above and beyond the traditional drug test and criminal check. We also insist on a pre-employment polygraph test, which ensures our patrol officers are honest, trustworthy individuals who deeply care about protecting our local communities.

Frequent Training Mandates
In a time of high demand for specific types of law enforcement training, we have long been ahead of the curve. For many years, we’ve given our private patrol officers monthly training in some of the most important areas of security service. Those areas include:

De-escalation
Customer service
Lifesaving and CPR
Tasers and firearms
Critical certifications

We make deep investments in our patrol forces, and we know those investments will be reflected in the quality of their work they provide you.

Better Tools for Better Outcomes
We also invest in high quality tools for our private patrol officers. Southern California neighborhoods require patrols that are quiet, discreet, situationally aware and prepared for anything. From the light bars on the vehicles to the GPS coordinates, our officers have the tools they need to respond quickly and professionally.

Your neighborhood needs private security patrols you can count on all year long. That’s what we provide at Post Alarm. To learn more about our private patrol services, Southern California homeowners and HOA managers should call Post Alarm today.

About Post Alarm
To learn more about Southern California security technology, come see us at Post Alarm. Our highly qualified and experienced home security experts can answer all your questions. Call us today at 1-800-654-7678.

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Auto Door Locks: A Smarter Lock Option

Auto door locks are sometimes called “smart locks” because of their intelligent capability and connectivity. Smart locks can replace traditional keys with an electronic lock so homeowners can have a smarter, completely keyless way to secure their homes. Here are some of the advantages these auto door locks can provide.

Keyless Entry Options

Keyless entry isn’t limited to a single mechanism; there are multiple locking and unlocking methods from which to choose. Whether it’s a numeric code you enter into your keypad or the lock/unlock button you tap on your mobile app, an auto door lock gives you the flexibility that traditional keys can’t. Imagine never being locked out of the house again. It’s a great feeling.

Remote Locking and Unlocking

Giving access to a family member, friend or neighbor is a cinch with the remote capability of a smart lock. You can even let in a worker or delivery person from wherever you are, whether it’s the office or your tropical vacation. When you see someone at the door with your doorbell camera, all it takes is a tap on your mobile app to unlock the door for them.

Connectivity to Multiple Devices

By connecting to your WiFi, Bluetooth or Z-Wave, smart locks can receive commands and integrate with devices like your video doorbell and home security
alarm with Post Alarm monitoring. As part of our Professional Home package, it can also integrate with your smartphone, enabling remote management. Doing so lets you to see who is at your front door, unlock if a guest arrives before you, or allow someone to place a package inside the door.

Smart Speaker Voice Command

For locking and unlocking inside the house without getting up, you can integrate your smart lock with your Amazon Echo or Google Home smart speaker. This is a wonderful safety feature for answering the door without abandoning the stove as you’re cooking, the kids while they’re swimming, or your bed if you’re convalescing.

These are some of the reasons millions of homeowners have opted to have smart locks installed. To find out if an auto door lock is a good home security measure for you, call Post Alarm to inquire about our Professional Home security package.

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DIY Security for Dads this Father’s Day

The past year has brought about some big changes for dads. Some spent months working from home and are now going back to their onsite workplaces. Others may still work from home but have limited time to spend on home improvement projects due to the demands of remote employment.

If one of those dads lives with you, consider giving him the gift of a simple, starter DIY home security system from Post Alarm. Our Light & Easy system is easy for Dad to install himself and includes all the essentials your family needs to feel secure at home.

Self-Installation Security Features

Light & Easy contains all the basics of a high-quality starter security system, including:

Three door and window sensors and one motion detector.
A powerful touchscreen keypad control panel with an embedded interior camera.
A high-decibel alarm siren with audibility that scares off intruders.
An infrared pet-immune motion detector prevents the alarm from sounding if the “intruder” is a pet rather than a person.
Auto door locks to help your family move past the security risks of traditional door locks.

This system is everything Dad needs for a simple but effective home security setup. In addition, to have this system monitored by our locally-based central station, we make it easy to budget at just $43 per month.

Add-On Features for Now of the Future

As a starter security system, Light & Easy has the ability for you to expand its features, either now or in the future.

Night Shield®
An excellent add-on option is Night Shield®, our overnight security patrol service that uses smart and AI technology to help families throughout Southern California stay protected from vehicle theft and nighttime prowling. With the spike in vehicle theft throughout Los Angeles County, Night Shield® is valuable in the crime-heavy summer months.

Please note Night Shield® is exclusively available in areas with Post Alarm Patrol service.

Doorbell Camera
The doorbell camera tells you who’s at the front door and lets you communicate with them via the two-way voice speaker. If you have kids and parents coming home at different times of day, a doorbell camera is a great way to keep family routines connected. Using smartphone integration, you can unlock the door for delivery drivers and ask them to leave your packages inside.

Smartphone Integration
If Dad and Mom want the convenience of controlling these features using their smartphones, we make smartphone integration an optional add-on to the Light & Easy package. Connecting your Light & Easy system to your smartphone is the best way to maximize its effectiveness.

We make DIY security easy for the dad in your life, so call Post Alarm today to give him the gift of home security this Father’s Day. We’re ready to help you get started.

About Post Alarm

To learn more about any of the home security technologies discussed here, contact Post Alarm today. Our highly qualified and experienced home security experts can answer all your questions. Call us today at 1-800-654-7678.

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What We Can Learn from How HOAs Approach Security

Owners of single-family homes can learn a lot from homeowner associations (HOAs) in their approach to security. After all, HOAs are often responsible for the security of dozens, if not hundreds, of homes. Because of this, HOAs have traditionally been early adopters of video surveillance, private patrols, and other security services. Here are some HOA insights from which homeowners can learn.

Lots of visitors means lots of risk.

In some HOA communities, there can be endless streams of neighbors moving in and out all year-round. On top of that, all of these residents have their own visitors frequenting the property. This is one reason HOAs go strong on security; they know even if all of their homeowners are law-abiding, there could be visitors who have criminal intentions. All of these factors inform the decisions of those responsible for HOA security. They can inform you when considering what home security measures you need to take as the owner of a single-family home.

Private patrols and nighttime surveillance can help.

An HOA may consider taking advantage of our Private Patrol Services that deter property crime with their consistent presence and vigilance. Homeowners like you can get incredible security benefits from our NightShield monitoring service: patrol, smart video, text alerts, and nighttime dispatch while you sleep. Combining the technology behind both of these services sets up a complete shield of protection that is incredibly efficient at deterring crime for HOAs and single-family homes.

Extra security is worth the investment.

If you’re the owner of a single-family home, you can supplement NightShield and other video surveillance with our Private Patrol Services. As our local patrol team members get to know your neighborhood, they promptly flag what they recognize as unusual activity. Next, they communicate with authorities so the activity can be investigated right away. The services are easily customized to your preference, and additional services such as vacation-watch are also available—a valuable security measure to take advantage of in the summer months. There’s a lot that owners of single-family homes can learn from the security insights of homeowner associations.

Follow Home Robberies: An Essential Guide for Arriving Home Safely

December 2nd, 2024

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What are Follow Home Robberies?

Before Getting in Your Vehicle

Protect Yourself While Driving Home

Before Pulling into Your Driveway

What to Do if You Suspect You’re Being Followed

Additional Security Recommendations

Shields Up. Since 1956.

The Benefits of a Locally Owned and Operated Central Station

April 26th, 2024

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The Benefits of a Locally Owned and Operated Central Station

The Better Approach for Alarm Monitoring

Other Advantages to Local Alarm Monitoring

About Post Alarm

Showing Your Home Some Love

April 25th, 2022

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Exterior Cameras

Auto Door Locks

Night Shield

About Post Alarm

New Year’s Security Resolutions for Your Home

January 19th, 2022

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Put a Halt to Holiday House Fires

November 29th, 2021

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Night Shield Security for Halloween Night

October 28th, 2021

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Eye-Opening Halloween Crime Data

No More Innocent Halloween Pranks

Protection for Halloween Night and Beyond

About Post Alarm

Keeping Security Patrol Services Year-Round

September 28th, 2021

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Categories

Auto Door Locks: A Smarter Lock Option

September 8th, 2021

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Keyless Entry Options

Remote Locking and Unlocking

Connectivity to Multiple Devices

Smart Speaker Voice Command

About Post Alarm

DIY Security for Dads this Father’s Day

June 15th, 2021

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Categories

Self-Installation Security Features

Add-On Features for Now of the Future

About Post Alarm

What We Can Learn from How HOAs Approach Security

April 26th, 2021

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Lots of visitors means lots of risk.

Private patrols and nighttime surveillance can help.

Extra security is worth the investment.

About Post Alarm

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