Are you prepared for "Wild Bill"?

Airing tonight on Dateline is a segment called, "Wild Bill: Breaking & Entering" and features ex-NY cop and private security analyst, Bill Stanton.

The premise of the show is simple. Bill stages fake breakins and abductions to demonstrate just how easy it is in America today to be a criminal. The message - have you properly prepared yourself to defend your home, your kids and yourself?

The truth - most Americans aren't prepared and wouldn't know what to do when confronted with violence of any kind.

You can be sure that the sheep out there don't like to be reminded about the wolves. (See Prey, Predator or Sheepdog for more details.)

Your security has to extend past your physical abilities. When I purchased my last house in a nice suburb in NJ, the first thing I did was replace the windows with proper locking mechanisms and ripped out all the bushes in front of the windows that someone could hide in. The next thing I did was get my house alarmed. (See Big Kahuna for some great systems)

So this week take some time and become your own Wild Bill. Take a look at your home, is it alarmed, well lit, motion sensors, properly secured and locked? Are the windows and doors off the street properly locked? Walk around your property, if you were a criminal, how would you get in?

If you had to break into your house, how would you do it? Once you've identified the weaknesses, fix them. If you can think of them, you better believe the criminals can!

For more tips and advice on safety, check out our Safety Tips page.

**Angie M. Tarighi is the CEO/Founder of Women's Self-Defense Institute and EasySafety4U.com providing self defense training, education awareness & personal protection products empowering women to fight back against crime.