A reminder to run through your personal safety plans

[Wonk]

Yesterday my parent's house was broken into and robbed.  It was a brazen act--the perp kicked in the front door at 2pm, walked up the stairs and went after the jewelry first.  Fortunately, my mother was out visiting a friend and my father (ironically) was out buying a rifle.  Father gets back to the house, sees the door kicked in and retreats back to the car to call 911.  Couple minutes later the perp walks out of the house, sees my father and gets out of dodge. 

After hearing about the details, it was a big time reminder to re-examine my family's defense strategy--not only at night but also in the day.  For instance, last year I pushed them to get a handgun for the house (which they did), but they keep it locked away and unloaded.  If my mother was home when the perp kicked in the door, no telling what he would decide to do with her.  She'd have no chance to defend herself as the weapon would be out of reach.  I used to laugh at the suggestion to keep numerous loaded firearms throughout the house so that you are always close to one.  Now I'm thinking that's a pretty good idea for them as they have no children at the house to worry about.

This was also a reminder that it's not always a "bump in the night" type of scenario.  This can happen to anyone at any time of day.  You need to be prepared--always--and figure out what weaknesses you have.  Is there something you can do to give you more time to protect yourself?  I promptly suggested getting an alarm system installed and getting a dog.  Both should help in deterring an intruder.  Worst case, if someone kills your dog at least you know what type of person you are dealing with immediately.

So, I figured I'd drop in and say hello because it's been a while.  Hope everyone is doing well in the new year.  Let this be a quick reminder to examine your defense strategies and figure out where you are weak.  This stuff happens all the time.  Fortunately for my family, no one was hurt.  Not everyone will be so lucky.

[Pointedstick]

That sounds very scary. I'm glad your folks are okay!

I don't think storing loaded guns around the house is such a great idea though... what if an intruder finds it before you do? Now you have an armed or better armed intruder. And if you're not at home, you just made it eaier for the intruder to steal a loaded gun.

As paranoid as it might seem, a safer and more reliable solution is to carry your gun around the house and keep all the other ones locked up. That way you know that there's always one safely within your reach, and that none of the others are accessible to anyone with ill intent.

[MediumTex]

If you have a sturdy locked storm door, your door can't be kicked in.

Bad guys usually aren't even going to mess with a storm door.  Two locks, two barriers, lots of noise, etc.

[hogtied]

I wear my side arm at home about 40% of the time.  I also have loaded handguns in strategically placed hidden locations throughout the house and garage.  Therefore I am never more than 10 feet from a loaded weapon when inside.  My wife and I always carry when outside the house.  I have conditioned myself and my wife has conditioned herself to always be in "condition yellow" mode while we are awake, that is always alert to unusual appearances of animals, people, vehicles or anything that may cause us or the neighborhood harm.  There are no children living with us.  We also have a central alarm system, outside motion sensor lights, locked storm doors and deadbolts on the main house doors and locks on the interior back door.  My loaded handgun and flashlight is 2 feet from me when I am asleep.  Our valubles are in a home safe.  After reconsidering our safety, we will start to arm our alarm sytem when we sleep.  The reason we have been reluctant to do this in the past was that when we did do it, we would forget to disarm it before we left the house the next morning and the system would then alarm and notify the central monitoring station.  We are not animal lovers therefore there is no dog.

[clacy]

A couple of weeks ago, an acquaintance that I used to work with, but haven't spoken with in 3 years, was at home sleeping with his new wife.  They had just moved into the house and still had stuff in boxes.  They heard rustling around in the middle of the night and figured it was their cat. 

They fell back asleep and woke up a few minutes later with two large black men standing in their BR.  My friend jumped up they beat him unconscious.  He woke up to see the men raping his wife.  He jumped on one and they pushed him off and shot him. During the commotion she escaped to a neighbor.  Thankfully the cops caught the suspects after a chase.

He's now paralyzed from the chest down.  His new bride was raped.  These two guys will be in prison for many years.  Such a senseless tragedy......

http://www.wral.com/family-victim-in-ra ... /11956329/

[clacy]

My story....

Last spring I awoke in the middle of the night when I heard a loud crash and my walls vibrated a little.  I jumped out of bed in a nano-second because I'm a light sleeper.  I didn't hear my security alarm so I figured no one was in the house at that point.  I quickly loaded my shotgun, looked out the windows but couldn't see anyone/anything.

I went down stairs to check everything out.  Couldn't find anything out of place.  Went back to sleep after my blood pressure dropped and the adrenaline subsided. 

The next morning, I let my dogs out in the backyard. My wife screamed from upstairs that they were running down our street, which is a busy parkway. 

I corralled them and then investigated.  My gate had been propped open, and the door handle was busted off.  The loud bang I heard was them trying to kick in the door, but my lock and door frame held.

We then dead bolted the inside of our gate.

About two weeks later, in the middle of the night (around the same time), I heard my gate rattling and then some talking.  I looked out to find several black males talking and heading towards the house next door, which was empty and being renovated.  I called the cops and loaded my shotgun. 

The car they were driving didn't have license plates so I couldn't get that.  The car took off, but one of the guys was still over around my neighbors.  The cops showed up a minute or two later.  I saw several cruisers roaming around and heard the helicopter above, but I don't think they found them. 

This stuff does happen all the time in my neighborhood, so we have an alarm and guns. 

[TripleB]

A couple of weeks ago, an acquaintance that I used to work with, but haven't spoken with in 3 years, was at home sleeping with his new wife.  They had just moved into the house and still had stuff in boxes.  They heard rustling around in the middle of the night and figured it was their cat. 

They fell back asleep and woke up a few minutes later with two large black men standing in their BR.  My friend jumped up they beat him unconscious.  He woke up to see the men raping his wife.  He jumped on one and they pushed him off and shot him. During the commotion she escaped to a neighbor.  Thankfully the cops caught the suspects after a chase.

He's now paralyzed from the chest down.  His new bride was raped.  These two guys will be in prison for many years.  Such a senseless tragedy......

http://www.wral.com/family-victim-in-ra ... /11956329/

It's a good thing the homeowner and his new bride didn't have a firearm by their bedside or the situation could have been significantly worse. A disarmed America is a free America.

[clacy]

Yes, I'm sure those two thugs would have complied with all federal, state and local gun laws.....

[Pointedstick]

A couple of weeks ago, an acquaintance that I used to work with, but haven't spoken with in 3 years, was at home sleeping with his new wife.  They had just moved into the house and still had stuff in boxes.  They heard rustling around in the middle of the night and figured it was their cat. 

They fell back asleep and woke up a few minutes later with two large black men standing in their BR.  My friend jumped up they beat him unconscious.  He woke up to see the men raping his wife.  He jumped on one and they pushed him off and shot him. During the commotion she escaped to a neighbor.  Thankfully the cops caught the suspects after a chase.

He's now paralyzed from the chest down.  His new bride was raped.  These two guys will be in prison for many years.  Such a senseless tragedy......

http://www.wral.com/family-victim-in-ra ... /11956329/

How absolutely horrible. That's probably one of the worst things I can possibly imagine happening. It's enough to ruin the rest of your life.

Be safe, everyone.

[Coffee]

80% of all home invasions happen through the front door.  We've got one of these, and because they're anchored into the floor, it's virtually impossible to kick the door in (but you have to be home, you can't use it when you're out of the house, obviously)
http://www.nightlock.com/

It's a really ingenious device.

I've also got something similar to this (a door frame reinforcement mechanism) that helps prevent kick-ins when you're not home.  (Deadbolts with a normal door frame are not enough).
http://kickproof.com/

Even a little dog that barks can help alert you in advance.  Get a dog. 

[MediumTex]

Thanks for posting those links Coffee.

[annieB]

Good Lord!
You don't have to live in fear like that.
Sell a little of your armory and move to a better neighborhood.
The stress is going to kill you...
Just sayin..

[Pointedstick]

Good Lord!
You don't have to live in fear like that.
Sell a little of your armory and move to a better neighborhood.
The stress is going to kill you...
Just sayin..

Stuff like that can happen anywhere, even good neighborhoods.

My first night in an apartment complex in an *extremely* safe neighborhood a few years ago, some shady-looking dude in a hoodie tried to break in through the front door. The noise of me chambering a round in my pump shotgun scared him off.

There are no safe neighborhoods, only safe people. And dangerous people are mobile. Living far away from them is a good start, but they can come to you.

[moda0306]

This stuff is horrible. Thanks for sharing, cuz people need to hear this stuff.

Any recommendations for a guy with a walk-out basement?

I don't have young ones to worry about so my dad's old 20 gauge should suffice in my room, but I would love to start "bunkerizing" my place. 

[hoost]

My old roommate had glass break sensors and motion sensors as part of his alarm, as well as the normal door triggers.  There were a few different modes you could set.  Away, Stay, and Night.  I think the glass break sensors worked in all cases, the motion sensors only worked in away mode.  The difference between Stay and Night was that in Night mode the alarm was instant.  Stay had a delay...so you could be inside the house, and if someone else from the family came home, they wouldn't set off the horn...they'd have time to disarm the system.  Also, the alarm would charm every time a door opened or closed.

My alarm is not quite as advanced.  Just door alarms and a motion sensor in the master bedroom for Away mode.  I wish it had a "Stay" and "Night" feature.  There is only one and it's instant.

We rescued a Doberman last year; I think that was probably the best home security purchase we've made, although our primary motivation for getting the dog was not home security.  She lets you know when someone is coming up to the house or if someone is there who doesn't belong (plumber, etc.).  Around the house she'd be a 70 lb lap dog, if you'd let her.  She's actually a bit of a scaredy-cat, but most people aren't willing to press their luck given the common perception of Dobermans.  You have to be willing to spend time training and exercising them, though, because they're very active, intelligent dogs.

[Pointedstick]

I am a big fan of the old-fashioned security system: a dog and a gun. The dog tells you when someone's coming close and will probably scare away opportunistic crooks who just want a soft target. If not, then that's what the guns are for. Becoming a father has really brought home the preciousness of innocent life, and I think it provides an everyday reminder of our duty to protect and defend those who depend on us.

Hardening your home's entrances is a great idea too, but less of an option if you're an apartment-dweller, sadly.

[Wonk]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.  I'll pass the links on to my parents.  I would imagine a shatter-proof storm door with reinforced door frame should do the trick there.  I've already recommended high-decibel window sensors.  I'm still pushing for the dog and am a big fan of deterrents so that you make shooting someone an absolute last resort.

The other downside to this event is that it didn't do anything positive for the race conversation we have from time to time.  His mind was already made up--this, unfortunately is now going to be his proof (sigh).

[MediumTex]

Never underestimate the laziness of criminals.

Simply giving them more work to do to get into your house (along with not appearing to have anything worth stealing) is a powerful deterrent.

If you have a regular door and a storm door and you can only lock one of them, lock the storm door and use this as your primary keyed entry point of your house.  A locked storm door creates the natural assumption in the mind of an intruder that the wooden door behind it is also locked.

In one of the links that Coffee posted there is a video of someone breaking into a house by kicking in the door.  There was a very nice storm door that was not locked in front of the wooden door that was kicked in and thus the bad guy simply opened the glass storm door and kicked in the wooden door.  The homeowner invested in security cameras to prevent a burglary but didn't lock his storm door and thus he captured on camera a crime that probably could have been pretty easily prevented.

Doh!

***

As far as the idea of carrying a loaded gun on you at all times when you are at home, I wouldn't want to do this myself.  It seems like a lot of work in preparation for an event that will almost certainly never happen with properly hardened entry points.

A good exercise is to case your own house and figure out how you would break into it if you were a bad guy.  Make sure you pretend you are a lazy bad guy though, because these are the guys whose thinking you are trying to predict.  In other words, no tunneling in or dropping onto the roof from a helicopter.

Using Medeco locks on exterior doors is also a good idea.  Medeco locks are WAAAAYYYYYY harder to pick if there happens to be a locksmith in on the burglary.  I happen to have once known a locksmith who was also a criminal, so I have always kept the ease of picking most locks in mind when thinking about home security.  The guy I knew was very lazy like most criminals, but he happened to know how to get past 99% of the locks on residential doors in about 2 minutes.

[moda0306]

MT,

What's your tip on a walkout basement patio door?  I'm reiterating my prior concern because it's by far my house's most vulnerable entry point.

Also, a lot of people have decks with stairs.  Doesn't that create another easy break in situation?  Are glass doors and the breakability and opposing noise more of an attraction or deterrent to criminals based on those opposing factors.

Thanks.

[MediumTex]

MT,

What's your tip on a walkout basement patio door?  I'm reiterating my prior concern because it's by far my house's most vulnerable entry point.

I don't know what a walkout basement patio door is.  Is it a sliding glass door?

Also, a lot of people have decks with stairs.  Doesn't that create another easy break in situation?  Are glass doors and the breakability and opposing noise more of an attraction or deterrent to criminals based on those opposing factors.

Thanks.

As far as sliding glass doors go, they are hard to secure and attractive to bad guys.  There are some security measures such as track blocks and door pins, but that's a tough one.

[moda0306]

It is a sliding glass door at the ground level, essentially.  Door pin and bullet proof glass?  Haha.

[MachineGhost]

Good Lord!
You don't have to live in fear like that.
Sell a little of your armory and move to a better neighborhood.
The stress is going to kill you...
Just sayin..

+100

Too much paranoia can effect karma and quality of life.

However, I find the links from Coffee to be quite reasonable compared to spending $1300 on a door.

[MachineGhost]

Hardening your home's entrances is a great idea too, but less of an option if you're an apartment-dweller, sadly.

I really don't think a landlord is going to bitch about 3 holes in the floor for enhanced security if you are naive enough to tell them.  If they do object, then fuck 'em and pay the repair bill after you move out.

I actually think it would enhance the resale or lease value once people get over the knee-jerk.

[Reub]

I'd consider putting up a few well-placed signs and stickers announcing that the house is alarmed as an inexpensive deterrent.  This is true whether or not you actually have a house alarm. If you can persuade the criminal to find an easier target then you are ahead of the game.

[Mark Leavy]

I have yet to try this, but I've always imagined that an effective (pre-shooting) response would be to hook up your alarm system to a cheap glycerin fog machine, some disco ball lasers and a looped recording that blares:
"DENIAL SYSTEM ACTIVATED!  CYANIDE GAS DEPLOYING!"

A little peppermint oil in the glycerin might add to the affect without making accidental trippings too obnoxious.