Reddit reviews Vigilant 130 dB Personal Alarm - Rape/Jogger/Student Emergency Protection Alarm with LED Light and Included AAA Batteries - Rip Cord Activation, Blue (PPS8B Blue)

Hello. You most definitely are not overreacting. The plate is definitely important but be very mindful when trying to obtain it. I also recommend you get a personal alarm, something like this : http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005BDBV18?pc_redir=1414650823&robot_redir=1

It just makes a lot of noise when pulled but can be a good deterrent if you get into a particularly uncomfortable situation as it draws a lot of attention to you.

Sigh.. Stupid landlords.

I see the investment of a dowel or stick or something jammed between the slide window part and the wall to keep the window closed. This, as you have identified, is the easy access point.

Now, there are two risk zones left here.

1.) someone getting in while you are home.
2.) someone getting in while you are NOT home.

For the "while you are home" portion, I think door bars are pretty darn effective.

http://www.amazon.com/National-Hardware-V804-Security-Nickel/dp/B001RUEWUQ

Landlord dude doesn't seem to care about upgrades, so take them into your own hands and don't sweat the door holes. You could be mean and actually legally deduct it from rent but I don't think it's a worthwhile battle.

I also suggest you get a baseball bat.

I call this the Goodwill security system. Leave it in a known place, like on the hinge side of the door or in your bedroom area. Someone weird comes to the door, grab it and leave that bar thing set. It's useful for playing baseball on a sunny day too, and it doesn't look like anything, so your friends won't think you are crazy.

You are also going to want two of these.

http://www.amazon.com/Vigilant-PPS8B-Personal-Student-Emergency/dp/B005BDBV18

Tie the cord onto the bat, the other one goes with you. Have it out and around your neck when you walk from the street to your door. I can sense you have identified this as a risk point and it seems logical.

You probably have a lamp, so get a cheap lamp timer and position it so the light spills near to the door / outside the apartment. Put a CFL or LED to save the environment and save $$ on electricity. Set it on from 6 PM to 2 AM. Come home before 2AM.

This pretty much covers part 1.

Part 2. This is probably going to be a burglar type situation.

I think a huge part of this stuff is to not look like an easy score. Simple things are to leave a TV or Radio on and have the blinds closed. Put a curtain on that door/window thing too.

If you buy a nice new thing, don't have the blinds open so people can see them from outside, and don't be obvious when throwing away the boxes.

Garden lights might be effective and a cheap solution to stab in the big shrub bed. They are relatively inexpensive so if they walk, you know you have landed in an especially bad neighborhood.

When I've traveled around, places like, New Zealand, you are very safe, but petty crime is really high. My friends I was staying with kept everything of value (cameras, hard drives, laptops, passport etc) in a simple locking filing cabinet. Most of the junk just sorta lived in it, but it especially all went in when they left for the weekend.. say the beach.. These are really easy to find used, like from University Surplus sales and Craigslist. Just make sure it has keys or (better) an external lock bar. You can't bolt it to the wall, floor, but you can at least put in big brick, a sack full of rocks, or old textbooks in the bottom drawer.... Anything heavy!

Since you can't carry mace, are you in an area where people are in earshot? If so, a personal alarm (like this) might be worth taking a look at. Another option is looking into getting a safety keychain.

medical help alert

You press the button and an alarm goes off and a light blinks which will draw attention to you for medical help or safety issues. Link above is to Amazon.