Created: 11/10/2008 3:50:41 PM 
Greensboro, NC -- Some Triad families aim to protect themselves by stopping thieves at their door. Police say that's where up to 90 percent of burglaries start - with a thief trying to kick it in.
Hardware experts say protecting your house is all about your door frame. That's the weakest part of your door, and a target you'll want to reinforce.
It's what Doug Meurs strengthened after he came home to find a burglar had busted open his back door in "one swift kick," says Meurs.
He installed a guard called the strikemaster, something McLeansville businessman Ed Anderson invented.
"What it's designed to do is prevent a door frame from being broken out when someone kicks it," says Anderson.
It's a steel casing Anderson sells for around a hundred bucks. He also backs it up with a promise to pay an insurance deductible up to $250 dollars if it breaks. But he says that's never happened.
"Now when they kick, they've got to kick out nearly sixty inches all at one time," Anderson points out. "So it dissipates the impact."
You can also find cheaper alternatives at the hardware store. There are door reinforcements that run from two to seventeen dollars like a security bar that fits at an angle between your door and the floor.
"This transfers the force of a blow or something trying to open the door from the frame which is inherently weaker, to the floor which is much much stronger," says Lowe's Home Improvement manager Brandon Hendrix.
Meurs will settle for security that might not be invincible, but guarantees a tougher time for a thief.
"By going with [the strikemaster]... at least that's gonna deter or slow 'em down and maybe make enough noise to notice."
One disadvantage with the security bar that you don't have with the strikemaster - it only works for doors that open inward. And it won't work if you need to exit through the door you're trying to protect.
WFMY News 2
