How to Keep Your Home Safe on Halloween: Porch Theft, Kid Safety, and Smart Security Tips

Halloween is all about spooky fun, creative costumes, and front porches glowing with pumpkins and inflatables—but it can also come with a few real-life scares. From porch pirates eyeing your decorations to kids handing out candy solo, the night brings unique safety concerns for families and homeowners. 

We asked safety and security expert Veronica Moturi, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Brinks Home, for some tips on how to make Halloween a little bit safer this year. Here's her advice.

Halloween brings plenty of fun, but it can sometimes attract a little mischief. The easiest way to protect your inflatables is to make them harder to grab. Use stakes or weighted bases so they can’t just be carried off.

Motion-activated lights or cameras are also great for startling tricksters before they get too close, and even a simple security sign sends the message that your home is being watched.

If you’ve got a decoration that’s sentimental or pricey, it’s worth bringing it inside at night.

Handing out candy can be a fun rite of passage for older kids, but it’s still important to keep safety front and center. Set clear ground rules, such as never inviting strangers inside, and make sure the porch is well-lit.

If you’ve got a video doorbell or security cameras, even better. Features like two-way audio let you check in or talk directly to visitors, while video analytics can detect a person and send you instant alerts. Plus, recordings give you a clear record if anything happens.

Burglars sometimes use busy nights like Halloween to blend in, so it pays to take a few precautions. Keep your security system armed on “stay” mode so entry sensors stay active, and consider the added peace of mind of a monitored security system that can respond if an alarm is triggered. Use smart locks to ensure your doors stay secure between visitors.

If you’re out, leave the porch and interior lights on, or use smart plugs or bulbs to adjust lighting remotely. Timed or randomized lighting makes your home look occupied as trick-or-treaters and passersby come and go throughout the night.

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