15 Things Ex-Secret Service Agents Teach Elderly Americans Living Alone Keep Burglars Away at Night

Most nighttime home security doesn’t start with cameras. It starts with habits. This video breaks down fifteen things former Secret Service agents and a longtime locksmith say can make a senior’s home harder to target after dark—from locking every window by hand and closing blinds at dusk to motion lighting, driveway alarms, timers, visible occupancy, and keeping a charged phone beside the bed. But the most important step comes after every deterrent fails. Instead of investigating a noise, the plan is to move to a locked room, call 911, trigger attention outside, and wait for help. The goal isn’t confrontation. It’s layers: keep strangers from watching you, detect them early, slow them down, and already know exactly what you’ll do if someone gets inside.