House Got Burglarized

I was out for just a couple of hours earlier today and when I got back somebody had kicked in my back door and tried to steal the TV off the wall in my living room. It weighs a ton so no surprise they couldn't get it.

Ironically I had ordered a TV from walmart for my daughter - it was delivered several days early - this morning - and they stole that instead.

I'm generally a pretty mellow guy but blind rage is the only way I can describe how I feel right now.

I hope they come back because I've got some hollow point love coming their way.

I can't decide whether to put in a video security system or get a pack of pit bulls. The pit bulls sound pretty good right now.

Video Camera would be best.If they don't know they are being taped you always get a good picture.

Pit bulls for sure!

Video only does soo much. A properly trained dog will leave them a bloody mess and give you a chance to come home to unload those HPs into them

I used have a pair of boxers. They are great dogs but expensive to own as they are prone to disease / cancer and they are not really that aggressive (all bark and no bite). I'd rather have a couple of more vicious dogs like pit bulls that would respond to commands and be more aggressive toward intruders on cue.

This one works too...

Sorry to hear. Hopefully the come back for the hollowpoints

I got robbed last summer so I understand your pain. It sucks.

Time to get an alarm including an alarm sign for your front yard, harden the common entry points, put lights on timers, put motion detectors on lights.

Sorry to hear that. I second the remark to harden entry points. I install doors for a living and 9 out of 10 times I replace a door that was kicked in there were only 2- 3/4" screws holding the latch plate for the dead bolt. At the least those screws should be long enough to go into the framing. Better yet there should be a backer plate behind that. Check your doors, most don't have any screws into framing at all and can easily be kicked in.

Thieves will always be able to get in, all you can do is make it harder for them.

Not much you can do about that. I find it strange that you were only gone for a few hours, so someone had to that. IMHO, a German Shepard is a good dog to have around when you are gone. Pit Bulls are the best but some are a bit on the unpredictable side and can be overly aggressive..

That sucks. Our garage was hit a few months ago. They took 3 bikes worth over $15,000. So mad.

Local police found one of the bikes with in minutes of showing up, other two are gone. Our insurance is covering replacements. I'm very tempted to get a video system that is some what obvious, auto on outside lights and an other dog. Our current dog is a lover and not a fighter... he did not even bark when this happened. My wife and daughter where home too.

We are armed, but you need to be in the house to do anything and I'm not so sure I'd really want to shot bike thieves, chase them down and beat them for sure, not shooting is an other thing.

I like the idea of hardening entry points. Might look into a security system. We had one in our old house, it was more of a PITA than anything else.

Worse thing now is I feel like we are targets as someone locally knows what we have in the garage (computer, monitors, skis, snowboards, bikes, stereo system....)

I almost wonder if it was not someone from the store you bought the tv from. Was it delivered? Did you give them your address maybe for the warranty? Just saying..

So sorry to hear that, man. No worse feeling. Are you in the Dallas area?

I decided to have a security system installed this week and I am looking into various camera setups - plan to add them too.

> Worse thing now is I feel like we are targets as someone locally knows what we have in the garage (computer, monitors, skis, snowboards, bikes, stereo system....)
That is my feeling exactly - they left a lot of stuff behind, so I could see them coming back at some point in the future.

Yea Jason - I'm right on the border between Garland and Richardson right now - your basic Dallas suburb - nothing special. When the cop showed up to take the report I asked him if there had been a lot of burglaries in this area and he just shook his head and said "in the last 24 hours there have been 84 burglaries, 9 armed robberies and 5 carjackings in this city - that's why I look so tired."

A Python!!! That's nasty.

I recently installed a home security system with motion detectors and every entrance is bugged. At my home they would have had 30 seconds before the most god awful sound sirened, and voice came over the speaker warming them that police were on the way. The last time it went off, the cops were there in 6 minutes. And according to the alarm company, they can hear a pin drop over the microphone.

Just a thought. It was only about 400$ to install and about 50$ per month. We also have a panel in the bedroom over the bed with a panic button for my wife.

The best defense against burglary is a dixie flag hanging from one window and another window covered with a tin-foil shade. I know if I was a burglar (or anyone else) I wouldn't go near a house like that.

I went with an alarm from SimpiSafe. Motion detectors in the big rooms, entry sensors on the doors, a 107 db siren, a keypad and a seperated base station with a built in cell phone (100% wireless). I installed it with ease and I own the equipement. I also pay $15/mo for monitoring and web/app status reporting (you can pay $5 more per month for control through the web/app). I am thrilled with my choice. I also added motion sensing lights around the exterior of the house using sensors that switch the light switches on lights that are not easily disabbled (will take time and make noise). You should also harden your entries and put your most commonly stolen items in a safe that is bolted to the foundation.

This is the second time in 2 years where I've had keys stolen - truck got broken into last year too. I am now keeping my wallet, keys, and phone in a hidden location inside the house. It's pretty friggin' bad when you have to hide your stuff in your own house.

You mentioned it before. Get a big dog.

Some other random thoughts on home security.

Check your guest room windows after guests leave. I just noticed both windows in our guest room were unlocked. Granted they are on the 2nd floor, but I have a 24' extension ladder on the side of the house right underneath one of them

Lock up the ladders. I never thought about it as we live in a pretty nice area but it wouldn't take much to prop up the ladder and climb in the 2nd floor window.

I have heard this in several e-mails but it makes sense. Don't enter your actual home address into your GPS. A thief could smash and grab your GPS and not only know where you live, but what you drive.

One last thing, a stick in your sliding glass door is easily defeatable. These work much better at securing sliders.

http://www.amazon.com/Strybuc-16108C...glass+door+bar

a friend went with several remote cameras that he runs through his computer. He gets a text when there is motion. He can activate a speaker near the camera and talk into his phone. He uses it at the front door for example to tell UPS where to leave packages. He uses the excuse that he is in the shower. He got the cameras on ebay for less than $80 each. He also uses them to monitor his house keeper.

The break in at my house was through the side yard garage door which is said to be the number one break in location. The gate to my front door was also left wide open indicating that he likely went to the front door to knock/ring the door bell to make sure nobody is home. So, it seems that an intercom door bell that calls a cell phone would be a nice product if it existed. It would want to seem like the call is into the house even when it is not. It could also trigger a randomized dog bark noise or door closing noise.

To harden the garage side door, you can add a bolt blocker into the cement...

Just got an alarm system installed. It's pretty sweet - totally wireless including the monitoring. Plus a key fob to arm / disarm just like a car alarm so I don't have to use the keypad all the time. I am finishing up hardening the entrances and then am looking into some type of a camera setup.

The installer told me a friend of his lives about 3 blocks from me - 3 weeks ago his wife came home and walked in on burglars inside their house. Same as me - they kicked in the french door in the back. She ran out to her car and called 911 on her cell phone - they heard her and she saw them get away over the back fence. When the cops showed up they looked around the house - the guy is a big hunter and they had all his guns laid out in the back yard ready to steal before they ran off.

Timely thread. On several counts. First, we were talking to a guy at work. He said his neighbor had cameras at his house with a Iphone app that notified him of movement on the cameras. He was at a nearby gas station and opened his app when notified. He saw the perps going around the house and was able to pan another camera to follow the two. They looked at the neighbors house and car and then meandered across the street. He could see them peering into cars and into back yards. One stood lookout. While this was happening he was driving home and he carried. When he got out of the car he confronted them. One took off and the other tried to explain that they were looking for a friend. Not sure if he stuck around for the cops.

The second count is that I'm getting a new tv delivered tomorrow. What struck up the conversation in the first place was that a third party on the conversation stated that when someone attempted to break into his house, the first thing the cops asked was if he had recently gotten a tv delivered. BTW, the neighbor of the camera dude, when he got home he actually found that one of his vehicles had been rifled.

Sorry to hear about your robbery BigTx. My alarm system is been down for awhile. I'll prolly wait to repair it when it's too late.... We never think it'll be us until it is.