Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has gone through a number of branding changes since inception of it’s first franchise in 1952. However the one thing that has maintained consistency through the years is Colonel Harland Sander’s secret recipe. He formulated the recipe in 1940. The recipe lays out the exact mixture of eleven herbs and spices that is used to coat KFC’s Original Recipe chicken. It is written in pencil on a yellowed piece of paper and bears the signature of Harland Sanders.

The recipe has maintained top secret status in the company and only two top executives (KFC won’t release their names or titles) have access to the recipe at any given time. The security and safety measures of keeping the original recipe intact and out of harms way has been paramount. The ingredients are produced and blended by multiple suppliers and each organization only knows a part of the entire contents.

The recipe has been in an undisclosed location for the past 5 months while the vault that housed the holy grail of chicken recipes was upgraded to included the latest and greatest technologies. The recipe was recently returned to KFC’s headquarters in a lockbox handcuffed to the wrist of a security consultant.  Once the recipe was placed in the new electronic vault and the door shut, the president of KFC, Roger Eaton,  gave a sigh of relief and stated “mission accomplished.” Eaton stated that the process was nerve wracking and that he did not want to be known as the president who lost the recipe.

As for the security of the new vault that is protecting the priceless recipe… The vault is now secured by motion detectors and surveillance cameras that allow a guard to monitor the status of the vault at all times.  Thick concrete blocks encapsulate the vault and a backup generator is wired in to keep the security system powered at all times. Given all the measures that have been taken, it surely appears that the Colonel’s secret recipe will indeed remain just that.. a secret!

Company Facts:

• KFC had 15,580 locations worldwide at the end of 2008, including 5,253 in the U.S.
• The franchise is hoping to combat sluggish sales by rolling out a new value meal and grilled chicken product in early April.
• KFC is owned by YUM! Brands. In addition to KFC, the company also owns A&W All-American Food, Taco Bell, Long John Silver, and Pizza Hut.

Paris Hilton was recently the target of a home robbery that netted the burglar nearly 2 million dollars in jewelry. Detectives working the case state that the thief had a working knowledge and familiarity of the home’s security surveillance and layout.  Based upon this information it is probably someone that has close ties to the socialite or did at one time.

Paris Hilton has requested that all of her stolen items be returned immediately. She states that they can do it anonymously by sending it in a taxi cab to her home. If the thief does return the jewelry in the near future, Paris states that “They won’t get in trouble, but if all this goes on for much longer, they’re going to get in more trouble.” Some of the Jewelry is claimed to be very distinct and will be of no value to the robber because they will not be able to pawn it off easily.

So.. as readers of SmartSecurityPeople.com what can we learn from the Paris Hilton situation to help better safeguard our valuables in our home? If you have not already read our article for making your home safe and secure, please take a look.  But for now here are some additional tips that we can gain from Paris Hilton’s situation:

1. Always keep your personal valuables in a secure and atypical place in your home. As in Paris Hilton’s case, you can see that the bedroom was ransacked and her jewelry found. Keep your Jewelry anywhere but in your bedroom. Put it in a freezer, the back of the fridge, the laundry room, etc… If you can afford to do so, get a wall safe. Thieves are not going to waste their time looking in these places.
2. When you have people (especially people that you don’t know very well) at your home, don’t show them where you keep your valuables. I think that goes without saying but my guess is that Paris flaunted her wares to a number of people coming and going from her home over the years.
3. Paris Hilton obviously has a security system. However, the intruder seemed to know exactly what type of system she had and knew how to get around it and keep their identity hidden. If you have a security and surveillance system on your home, don’t give anyone a detailed tour of what you have and where. You can make as many people aware as you want just be very vague in describing your security and surveillance system. Don’t reveal all your secrets.

Hope this information is helpful to our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com. If you have any additional tips to help keep our homes and valuables safe and secure, please be sure to share and leave a comment below.

Steve Houseworth & U.S. News and World Report recently chimed in with their top 8 ways to help protect your home and the valuables inside. Here is what they suggest:

1. Sign Up: While home security systems are great tools for preventing burglaries, they can be quite expensive. For a more affordable alternative, Houseworth recommends a little trickery: putting a home security sign in your yard without actually obtaining the service.

2. Beware of the Garage: Garages are a common entry point for burglars, Houseworth says. Open garage doors serve to advertise your belongings to passersby, which increases the likelihood of theft. So, homeowners should make sure their garage door remains closed anytime they aren’t present.

3. Be a Neighbor: Neighbors can play a key role in preventing home thefts. Homeowners on friendly terms with their neighbors are less likely to be victimized by other members of their community.

4. Keep Valuables Outside of the Bedroom: A burglar on the hunt for valuables in a home will make the master bedroom their first stop-since that’s where the cash and jewelry are most commonly stored.

5. No Land Escaping: Burglars prefer to target homes that have hiding spots and escape routes in the yards, and abundant bushes and trees make for great cover, Houseworth says. As a result, yards with less shrubbery and more open spaces aren’t particularly appealing targets

6. Install Motion Sensors: Light is a great deterrent for nighttime break-ins. Houseworth recommends homeowners install motion sensors on outdoor lights that turn on automatically if someone triggers them.

7. Radio Running: Noise helps prevent burglaries as well. Houseworth leaves his radio on all day so that would-be burglars think that someone is at home.

8. Free Police Inventory: For homeowners looking to go a step further, Houseworth suggests contacting the local police department and having an officer stop by the house for a safety checkup.

Here is what SmartSecurityPeople thinks about these suggestions:

1. Yes, definitely. Even if you can not afford a professionally monitored alarm system, try and look like you can. If you have a close family member or friend that is contracted with an alarm service provider, they may be able to get extra signs for cheap (or free) and share them with you.
2. Garages are always targeted as great entry ways for burglars. Keep yours protected. Don’t leave the door open unless you have to. Also, if you have a windowed side entry door into your garage, think about upgrading to a solid non-windowed door (steel if you can afford it).
3. Good fences make good neighbors but that doesn’t mean you should not be friendly. The better you know your neighbors and the better they know you, the safer of a neighborhood you will have.
4. Seems like pretty sensible advice… We guess a good follow-up question would be which room should you put your valuables then? the kitchen? the living room? in storage in the basement?
5. Bushes and trees in the yard certainly do provide additional hiding places for a burglar but well positioned bushes (Rose?) under windows could certainly help to deter some burglars.
6. Yes.. every house should have a motion sensing light. If you don’t, go get one this weekend. If you don’t think they will fit with the exterior decor of your home, splurge and get the fancy one.
7. You know.. We have a family member that has been doing this for years and we never knew why… We recently inquired about the radio and they stated the exact same safety reasoning. They live in the country and they assumed the radio(located in the garage) would always make it seem like someone was home even if that was not the case.
8. We are not sure what city they live in but it is certainly not like most of the ones we have experienced over the years. The police are great at doing their job but helping someone analyze their home for potential break-in points seems to be going above and beyond the call of duty. However, our curiosity has been sparked and we may drop a call to the local police force to see what they say. We will keep you posted on that one.

SmartSecurityPeople.com recently provided the “Top Ten Ways To Protect Your Home“. Since we have ten and U.S. News & World Report only provided eight, you can see that our list is far superior. In actuality, both lists are very informative and probably only skim all the possible suggestions out there. So, if you have additional tips that you have utilized (or witnessed a friend or neighbor using) please feel free to share below. The more we all know the better.

Here is the situation: You contracted with an alarm company or purchased your own self-monitored alarm system a year ago. When prompted to whether you want to splurge on a pet-sensitive motion sensor, you said no because you only had fish and if they are tripping off a motion sensor, you have other problems. You recently fell in love with the latest and greatest mixed breed of dog to hit the market and had to have one. You bring home your Labradoodle, Puggle, or other mixed breed of your choice. The next day you set your home alarm, leave for work, and within an hour you are being notified that your alarm is going off. You come to find out that your alarm is being set-off by your motion sensor which is now being triggered by your new best friend. So we have identified the problem. What is the solution?

1. Discontinue use of your alarm system and leave your home and new best friend to fend for themselves.
2. Disconnect your motion sensor and rely solely upon your window/door sensors. (Maybe your new four-legged buddy will intimidate anyone looking to break-in.)
3. Contact your alarm manufacturer and pay to upgrade your motion sensor to be pet-sensitive. If you have a contracted alarm provider, you may be able to negotiate with them on the price of the sensor but they may still charge you for installation and set-up.
4. Save some cash and do the following suggestions from SmartSecurityPeople.com

Motion sensors have a zone of reference and range. This zone of reference depicts what the range is of your motion sensor. The chart to the right reflects a motion sensor that has a 20ft reach with a left to right range of 90 degrees and an up and down range of 30 degrees. So what does this mean? Well, this information helps up to figure out how we can make the best use of your motion sensor while avoiding false alarms from Fido.  You have 2 solutions: You can either tilt your motion sensor up or you can put a piece of medical tape on the bottom half of the sensor. (We suggest medical tape only because it will blend in better with the color of your sensor.) The ultimate effect of either of these solutions is that you now have a motion sensor that only detects movement that occurs higher than 3 feet off of the floor. If your dog is taller than 3 feet, then you probably don’t need a security system! Keep in mind though, if your potential robbers are vertically challenged (short) they could avoid this set-up as well.

A question that comes to mind: Is this how other pet-immune motion sensors work? The answer is most probably no. The pet-immune motions sensors of today have circuitry built into them that only cause the alarm to be triggered if a large mass of movement is detected (usually anything under 40 lbs is ok). That is how these sensors differentiate between human movement and pet movement. If the sensor detects movement by an object larger than 40 lbs, it will trigger the alarm. Under 40lbs, no alarm.  As long as you are not being robbed by anorexic robbers or kindergartners, you should be just fine with this set-up.

Hope this information is helpful. Should you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. we are always glad to help our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com.

There are many ways to secure your home, your family, and your belongings. This article represents the top ten approaches that Smart Security People have recognized as being the most effective in keeping intruders at bay and your family safe.

1. Lock Your Doors: I know that this sounds very basic and you would think that it is a “no brainer” but folks really need to make sure they lock their doors. It is the easiest approach to securing your home.
2. Lock Your Windows: Again.. this is one of the easiest things you can do but people seem to forget the obvious. Especially make sure that you lock and secure windows that are on the lower level and may be obscured by bushes or privacy fencing. Window air conditioners are popular entry methods for burglars, make sure those are secured as well. Lastly, put up some curtains or blinds. It maintains the privacy of your home and belongings… and besides.. your neighbors will be grateful as well. (Remember.. “ugly naked guy” from FRIENDS?)
3. Invest In A Light Timer: This is really important if you plan on being away from your house for a period of time and you want your home to maintain the “lived in” look to those passing by.
4. Install Motion Lights Outside Your Home: Motion lights, when first introduced, used to be very pricey and only the more affluent could afford them. Now you can get them just about anywhere (Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, WalMart, etc..) and you can pick them up for less than the cost of a meal at a sit-down restaurant.
5. Adopt A Dog: Go to your local Humane Society and find the biggest, friendliest, most intimidating dog that you can find and take him home. Even though he may be a very nice dog, any potential intruder will pass by your home if he sees your “new best friend” in the window.
6. Get An Alarm System: If you feel that you need that extra level of security, get a monitored security system from ADT or get a self monitored system. One will cost you more than the other but each have their own unique benefits.
7. Don’t Let Your Mail Pile Up: If you are going on vacation, pay the neighbor kid a couple of bucks each day to pick up your mail and pile of newspapers accumulating at your doorstep. You can feel good about contributing to the responsibility and welfare of the kid next door and knowing that you don’t have a big “We’re Not Home” sign on your front porch. If you don’t like the neighbor kid, fill out a form at the post office to hold your mail and call your local newspaper as well.
8. Start a Neighborhood Watch Program: This is actually a great way to get to know your neighbors and the bright orange with black lettered signs that you put in your windows will be sure to get noticed. Also, if you live in a “seasoned” (older) community, chances are that you have some retired people that are looking for something to keep them occupied during the day. Give them badges and a big stick and put them on sidewalk patrol. You will be surprised at how effective it will be.
9. Don’t Park Your Car Outside: If you have no choice because your garage is filled with your Star Wars action figure collection (1st and 2nd generation), that is ok. Just be sure to bring in your garage door remote each night. Nothing is scarier than waking up in the morning to find your car window broken, your garage door open, and your life size replica of Yoda missing!
10. Get A Vault: You don’t have to get anything fancy that has biometric sensors, a laser guided opening mechanism, and a retina scannner. The cheap thing that you find at your local discount store (BigLots) will do just fine. If you have it in your budget, spring for the fire proof rated model. Keep any important documentation (Car Titles, Birth Certificates, Wills) and valuables (Rings, Cash, Gold) in this vault.

Now of course, this is only the top ten approaches (judged and ranked by Smart Security People) that you can take in making your home and valuables more secure. We are positive that there are many more tips and tricks that can be utilized.

What are some things that you have done around your home to make it more secure and safe?