Burglary/security in ground floor apartment?

alicew · March 2007

I will be moving in to a ground floor unit in a building in GWH in a few months, and am trying to decide what to do about security. There's an alarm system, but I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to have security bars put in as well, since I'd like to be able to keep my windows open at night when the weather is nice (alarms don't help much when the window is already open).

This is really more about personal safety than about burglary...we really don't have much expensive stuff to steal.

So my question is, if you were putting bars in, would you cover the entire window (they are very tall, so that might look oppressive/be unnecessary), or only cover the (bottom) part that can be opened?

Also, have you heard much about burglaries in that area?

Any feedback would be very much appreciated!!

Alice

lostingreenwoodhts · March 2007

We have bars on our basement (well, below grade/finished basement and first floor), but no robbers...gonna remove the first floor ones son( any thieves reading this board!?!)

Take it from there...

Not too much crime in GHH.

filmlover44 · March 2007

There is barely any crime here. I have an alarm system though because I've been burglarized too many times to ever feel safe. I guess that I'd like security gates, but can't figure out how to put an airconditioner in too...but I'd definately cover the bottom at the very least.

lostingreenwoodhts · March 2007

Again, I would not worry about it here. Folks care about folks very much in this 'hood.

smitty · March 2007

The house I live in doesn't have any bars and there hasn't been a problem.

alicew · March 2007

Thanks for the feedback, everyone...it's reassuring. I'm glad to hear that crime isn't much of a problem. I guess now I just have to decide whether or not I personally would feel safe without the bars.

Alice

lemur11215 · March 2007

The only break-ins I've ever know about in Park Slope/GWH have happened to top floor apartments in buildings with roof access. The burglars went out through the roof doors - where there is less chance of being seen. I think that backs up the general feeling that, around here, people watch out for their neighbors.

Being on the first floor, you may have more issues with the street and sidewalk noise coming in during the warmer months. That's the trade off for living in an area where kids play outside on summer nights and neighbors gather on stoops to socialize.

I lived in a first floor apartment for years without bars on the windows and never had problems with crime, but there were certainly some summer Saturday mornings trying to sleep in thinking "are those kids really playing basketball at 9 am?"

After I moved out of that apartment, the live-in owners installed gates on the first floor windows and I thought "how ugly" and then "where do they put the air conditioner?".

alicew · March 2007

I've noticed that the people who feel OK about living in ground floor apartments without bars are usually male! I'm female, and am not worried about burglary so much as personal safety.

Also, while I agree that prefab stock security bars are very ugly, custom ironwork can be beautiful...but it's so SUPER expensive, sadly.

smitty · March 2007

Not to give you a false sense of security or anything, but the 72nd Precinct seems to be one of the safest.
Here is the info:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/pct072.html

lostingreenwoodhts · March 2007

Smitty, here-here. Darn tootin'!

You can also contact Community Board 7 if you have any other safety concerns 718-854-0003

filmlover44 · March 2007

As a woman with a teenaged daughter, I very carefully chose the neighborhood for it's low crime-rate. That doesn't mean that we aren't still careful! As I said, I was burglarized three times once in Park Slope, two times in the "safe" burbs. Two of them through unlocked windows, The last one was a forced entry. I also got mugged in Park Slope once. I don't let my guard down!

armchair_warrior · March 2007

if you are gonna put in bars, they do make the ones that open when there is a fire. just to make sure you put the keys next to the window. but out of the way of sight!

username: * · March 2007

Subject: Sometimes People Pee on My Stoop

Smitty wrote: ...but the 72nd Precinct seems to be one of the safest. ...

Speaking as a resident who spends a goodly portion of his time noodling around the streets overnight (I usually get home from work about 1 or 2 in the morning, and I have dogs to walk), I can attest that this neighborhood has much to recommend itself in terms of safety.

But current crime statistics should not be your guide on this subject. Put bars on your windows. Simple things prevent crime.

carnivore · March 2007

armchair_warrior wrote: if you are gonna put in bars, they do make the ones that open when there is a fire. just to make sure you put the keys next to the window. but out of the way of sight!

Actually, fire department-approved gates do not have a lock with a key. They have a latch which can only be opened from the inside. Having your fire escape route locked with a key is a real hazard in case of fire, so if you're getting bars to enhance your personal safety, you should definitely get fire department-approved gates.

Here are some pics of my window with a FD-safe gate:

My old apartment in the Bronx had an accordian-type folding gate that opened by sliding sideways along a track, but it was really ugly.

Will you be owning or renting your new place? If you own it, you could put a slot for the AC in the wall after the fact. However, in-the-window AC units are more energy efficient than slot units (because they have 5 surfaces to dissipate heat instead of one) and cheaper (because AC slots only fit one brand of AC, so once you cut the slot they know you're locked into a specific brand). Alternatively, you can also make sure that the bars accommodate an AC in anticipation of getting one.

EDIT: And you should definitely get the full length of the window covered. The top part may not slide open, but it can be broken open.

alicew · March 2007

Thanks so much for all the feedback, everyone!

I'm thinking I will probably go for the bars, really more for my peace of mind than anything else. I'm not sure they're truly necessary, but I know I'll feel safer. My husband travels for business a lot, and we're hoping to have a child in the next year or two, and I just don't like the idea of being alone at night with an infant in an apartment with so many windows only 3 feet off the ground.

So now I just have to decide whether to pay several thousand dollars extra and get really cool custom bars built (like the ones on this page: http://www.eleganteiron.com/gallery.html) , or just to stick to the standard prefab ones. Even the standard ones aren't cheap, unfortunately, so paying extra for nice ones will get into serious $$. But I'm thinking that the nice custom ones, in addition to being more pleasant to look at for me, will look nicer from the outside too (I want to help beautify the neighborhood!

) and might be better for the resale value of the place when we sell someday.

What do you guys think? If you were considering buying a ground floor apt that had bars on the windows, would having beautiful custom-designed ones be more attractive to you?

carnivore · March 2007

If you're buying the place and you can afford it, you should definitely go for the nicer bars, since they're only adding value to the apartment. If you were renting, I'd say to get the cheapest possible.

armchair_warrior · March 2007

if you are getting the bars, get the ones that curve outwards, they look nice and you can put a ac or flower pots there

.

Burglary/security in ground floor apartment?

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