Posted on 11/10/2015 11:05:36 PM PST by packrat01
We had a bit of a scare this evening. It was after dark. Several LE vehicles on the roads around our house shining spotlights, soon joined by a helicopter. Obviously looking for someone. Before the helicopter joined, I had thought it might be an exercise, but one of the neighbors said our county can't afford a chopper for a practice run.
It was 'bout a week ago when the LE did find a different someone, hiding in a culvert not far from here. Suspect in a high-speed chase who had fired (allegedly) at the LE in pursuit. We were wondering if it was more of the same, or something similar.
We had just gotten home after meeting one of the LE vehicles spotlighting. We called several neighbors to make them aware, urge caution, and ask if they knew what was happening. Nothing learned.
We made some strategic and tactical mistakes this evening, in our response to the events. Most of the mistakes were of the we-had-our-heads-up-our-butts kind of things. Some were things we had forgotten, and some were things we hadn't practiced in a while. Actually, we had gotten slack in our state of alert and preparedness. Shame on us.
We hope to never again become complacent in our "alleged" security. The following are notes to myself as much as anything.
Lock the house. Even if we plan on only being gone a short time (that turned out to be a long time). As we hadn't locked up when we left, we should have immediately...
Clear the house FIRST. Don't fret the non-essentials, like feeding the dogs. Yeah, we had just gotten home and they were probably hungry, but a hungry dog is NOT a bad thing if there is a BG in the neighborhood. Practice clearing the house. Don't wait for a maybe-event to prompt us.
Earlier in the day, the pup had exhibited "weird" behavior, and Missus Packrat did not investigate. Next time, check it out!
Light discipline. Interior lights OFF, exterior lights ALL on! Flashlights! Rotate your batteries. Don't present a silhouette. Cover, or change out of, your light colored clothing.
Movement. Know where everybody is, at all times. Move together. Communicate if you're out of direct line-of sight. Have names for different rooms in your house and any placed you MIGHT have to clear that only y'all know, so the BG can't anticipate your movements by your communications. ("I'll check the bathroom" lets him know your heading his way IF he's in there. Don't telegraph to the BG your intentions.)
Firearm selection. Don't put down the .22 single-action until the .40 semi is in your hand. (Note to self: get a sling for the shotgun so you're not leaving it for the BG to find.)
Get ALL the neighbors phone numbers, not just a few of them. Get everyone watching, listening, preparing, and communicating.
If you can learn from our mistakes, please do so. Hints and suggestions would be MOST welcome, particularly in regard to a good sling for the 870.
Turns out that a plane went down in our area and three counties and the state were all searching. Unknown outcome at this time.
I’d set the house on fire, see if anyone runs out, call the insurance company.
Don’t be stupid.
How’d I do? lol
Been there, done that. the old “Oh crap! that could have been really bad!” Or “Oh shiite! that was bad, I could be dead!”. All good advice.
You must be out in the sticks. Those of us closer to urban areas always lock the house, even when we take out the trash.
If you really want to get serious about it, practicing basic hand signals informally on a daily basis would be a good idea for being able to speak silently when you need to. Work out some useful words and connect them with hand forms.
Also, get a big dog and train it to search the house and yard.
>> You must be out in the sticks. Those of us closer to urban areas always lock the house, even when we take out the trash.
We’re out in the sticks, and behind a closed electric gate on the road entrance.
Nevertheless, we ALWAYS lock the doors.
I understand that neither the gate nor the doors (nor windows) will keep an intruder out who wants in.
But they WILL have to BREAK in — and that breach will be my first clue that “something ain’t right here” when I return home.
I had a recent "bad guy" incident in which light discipline solved everything. I spotted intruders literally at my window, and in under 60 seconds I had all the interior lights off, exterior lights on, and had armed myself. Then I called 9-1-1. The police apprehended the (three) criminals at another neighbor's home. They were armed and had done occupied home invasions before. One of their comments was that they left my home and went to that house because "it was creepy" that someone would turn the lights off after seeing them. I think they're stupid that they didn't go home. The police took ten minutes!
What I did was an almost exact duplicate of what I had practiced two nights before in reviewing how I should respond to someone breaking in. Practice is everything.
If you’ve got a free hand while clearing your house, consider carrying your car keys in that hand.
Modern car keys have a panic button, so you now have a way to alert family members and neighbors immediately, should you need to. Of course, it’s a good idea to tell them in advance what that repeated car honking will mean.
By the way, that’s also why it’s a good idea to keep your car keys on the table next to you at night. Keep the spare set in the kid’s bedroom for the same reason.
bump
Modern car keys have a panic button...
I carry mine in my left hand, keys protruding from between my fingers. If I am assaulted and not disabled they work well on eyeballs, faces and the brachial plexus. Since this is New Jersey and I'm not "connected" I can't admit to being armed...
Keep stuff cleared off the floor. For example, You wouldn’t want to stumble over a pair of shoes in the dark.
Thanks, but I could macrame one in 2-3 hours...
We been hitched long enough we finish each others’ sentences, but yeah, hand signals ARE almost as quiet as telepathy.
Thanks, but we don’t do you-tube. Got a few cats that can emulate a steak knife weed whacker.
I am glad your BG’s were not the sharpest tools in the shed. Kinda makes sense, though. If you’re a run-of-the-mill BG, you ain’t too bright. Three. They brought their own support group.
The neighbors don’t hear so good, but it would be a distraction for the BGs.
We best find out if our panic alarms even work...
Hmmm. We know where our stuff is, and get around in the dark. Maybe we ought to strategically place a few things on the floor so the BG would stumble.
Or do like Dick van Dyke so (very) long ago on his TV show; sprinkle corn flakes on the floor under windows and just inside the door.
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