OPERATIONAL SECURITY – YOUR FIRST PRIORITY
Before we get into actual methods of hardening your apartment, let’s talk a little bit about OPSEC and what you need to do to keep yourself secure from an information standpoint. Here are some tips for living the apartment life securely;
- Keep drapes or blinds closed, especially if you face other units. Apartments that overlook each other over a common area are notorious for the ease at which they can be seen into from numerous vantage points.
- Keep a heavy towel or rug underneath your front door to prevent sound escaping into the hallway. Most apartment doors have a generous gap underneath the main door, and this gap passes information with ease.
- Secure your wifi networks as much as possible. Apartments are teeming with wifi signals, and your network and data are easily hijacked.
- Keep conversations about prepping, guns, or sensitive items to hushed tones behind closed doors.
- Do not use the trash chute or common dumpsters to dispose of the packaging for items such as ammunition, firearms, or anything of that nature. Religiously collect this trash and drive it somewhere far, far away.
- Never tell your neighbors about your preps or plans unless you know them extremely well and are certain that they are like minded. Remember, they will see everything you do from an extremely close vantage point.
- Severely restrict the ability of the apartment management to enter the unit. Most states have laws on the books that describe what sort of notice must be given to enter the premises. Apartment management should never be allowed to enter the unit without you there; make sure you supervise the visit, and take anything that would be a cause for alarm out of the room.
