By Ed Finkel

Firearms and alarm systems are only two of the possible burglar-proofing solutions

While arming yourself or purchasing a home security system might be the first ideas that come to mind to burglar-proof your home, the Chicago Police Department's CAPS program and others knowledgeable about the subject suggest numerous alternative means to keeping your valuables-and yourselves-safe.

When you're on vacation, out for the evening or home sleeping, consider these tips:

• Purchase good locks-and use them. The CPD recommends deadbolts at least 1½ inches long, with locks for screen and storm, garage, cellar, patio and other doors. And don't neglect to lock up, even if you're just headed to the corner store. ADT Security Systems notes that 80 percent of burglaries begin through a door; the company suggests a metal bar or wooden dowel be placed in the track of sliding glass doors.
• Shut and lock your windows when you leave home. Or, if you want to leave them open-especially understandable in the summer if you don't have air-conditioning-properly install a window frame lock, CPD says.
• Don't think you can truly hide your keys. Experienced burglars know all the best places, whether the doormat, flower pot or bush. CPD recommends leaving them with a trusted neighbor. A Consumer Reports magazine survey that appeared in the June 2011 issue showed 12 percent of people often leave keys outside their home, while another 7 percent occasionally did so.
• Do hide your valuables. Or at least keep them out of sight, ADT says, the better not to create temptation.
• Don't advertise your vacation.  Consumer Reports suggests posting pictures on social media only after you return, while putting inexpensive children's toys on the lawn to make it look like you might be just down the street, even if you're on another continent.
• Properly light your porch and other entrances. A house that's lit with bulbs of at least 40 watts will not look as vulnerable to thieves, CPD says. ADT mentions motion-detecting outdoor floodlights around your home as another strong deterrent.
• Leave a car in the driveway, ADT suggests, and leave your curtains slightly parted.
• Trim bushes, tree limbs and other landscaping. If they're kept below the height of porches or windows, burglars will have less cover as they're trying to make their entrance, CPD points out. ADT also suggests keeping yard fencing low for the same reason, and the company points out that tree limbs can be used to climb into windows.
• Use an automatic timer to turn on lights and possibly a radio at different intervals. This will make it seem like someone is home even if you're not, CPD says.
• Ask a trusted neighbor to monitor the exterior of your home. Burglars will look for clues like newspaper or mail piling up, snow that hasn't been shoveled, grass that hasn't been cut, leaves that haven't been raked, and garbage cans that always seem empty. Don't give them any easy, obvious signs.
• Invest in a home alarm system-and remember to turn it on! The Consumer Reports survey showed that 43 percent admitted they sometimes forgot. The options, features and prices available through ADT can be found here, although there is a long list of home security companies from which to choose.

• Don't think a gun is necessarily your best defense. Consumer Reports notes that "research has shown that homeowners with guns increase the risks in their home," among other reasons because people fail to get proper training on how to use them, or fail to properly secure them.