Good list. I don't ever answer the door. ^^He does. I cut my own grass and do my own work. My AC guy is ex military. His name is Happy, and he's not a criminal. I also don't answer the phone. If you can't reach me on my pc, then you can't reach me.
Posted on 04/30/2010 8:14:48 AM PDT by ladyL
13 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You:
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)
8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Protection for you and your home... If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat:
Wasp Spray ~~ A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.
The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. Thought this was interesting and might be of use.
Wasp And Hornet Spray ~~ On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.
Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray... "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."
***************************************************************************
Wonderfully helpful! Thanks for posting and I’ll pass it along!
The wasp spray is a great idea for those poor folks who don’t want guns in their house.
Good idea - thanks. We have a “no soliciting” sign out front and it really ticks me off when someone (other than kids) comes to my door. It’s not that I’m too cheap to buy something, but I know that often they are casing the place just as mentioned in the article. I had one guy recently ask all sorts of questions about dogs and husband’s job - I wish I had thought to say he is a sniper and teaches self defense classes. lol
There’s another use for spray cans as well.
When I was a kid, I had this friend who demonstrated that ...
NUMEROUS spray cans of various types contain flammable liquids pressurized by flammable gases.
A ‘Bic’ lighter and a spray can of the right stuff make an OUTSTANDING flame thrower, particularly those cans with a ‘stream’ setting.
No, the can WILL *NOT* explode.
In the right environment, the effects are powerful and startling.
I’m not sure if wasp spray is flammable. hmmmm
But I do remember that the old spray deodorants were, as well as many of the hairsprays.
WARNING: do **NOT** use a can of ether starting aid!
“2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.”
Great article about the effect of armed homeowners on burglaries in America, including a contrast with Canada and the UK: http://www.davekopel.com/2a/LawRev/LawyersGunsBurglars.htm
My German Shepherd loves children and visiting family but goes ballistic when a stranger comes on the property. What a good dog.
Good Advice
Things I don’t tell burglars:
1. The dog will only stop biting when you stop struggling.
2. The warning shot into the floor is the last round I shoot, not the first.
3. I always assume that you are a killer or a rapist, and I shoot killers and rapists.
4. I don’t always answer my door when someone knocks, but I am always ready to shoot an intruder (see #3).
Depending on my mood, I ask them why they can't read English? If I get a snippy answer, I tell them they are tresspassers and I am going to call the police. (I can do that because it is a closed neighborhood posted "owners and guests only.")
Those are the same poor folks who are worried about the kids getting a hold of their gun, but will leave a can of poison for the kids to play with on the nightstand.
True that.
In our house, S&W is our preferred protector. And other brands. And our Jack Russell. She’s small, but could inflict a ton of hurt on someone.
Good list. I don't ever answer the door. ^^He does. I cut my own grass and do my own work. My AC guy is ex military. His name is Happy, and he's not a criminal. I also don't answer the phone. If you can't reach me on my pc, then you can't reach me.
I’ve done that too but after hearing about some folks going to the door to ask if you need mulch/mowing/etc and then pushing inside, I don’t even answer - just look out the glass and say NO
BTTT
Alarm system (and used all the time) - check.
Large Doberman (who doesn’t like strangers) - check.
Home protection more lethal than wasp spray - check.
Common sense safeguards mentioned here - check.
I think I’m OK - if not at least I’ve done what I could.
I never answer the door. If I’m not expecting you, you’re not coming in nor will I speak to you.
My neighbors do not put blinds up. I can see inside their homes from my back patio. No one covers the beveled glass on their front doors around here except us.
It’s a crime opportunity waiting to happen.
We cut our neighbor’s yard and pick up packages by their front door because we don’t want anyone knowing he’s away training.
A little common sense goes a long way.
I don’t want my last words to be I shouldn’t have opened the door.
The last, and possibly most important, thing is that burglars prefer easy targets. Given the choice of two houses, one with a sticker warning of a security system and a barking dog, and another with neither, they’ll try the latter first. Make your home not only BE secure, but APPEAR more secure.
A police officer told me that if anybody comes to the door asking to use the phone, tell them you’ll make the call if they give you the number. Then call the cops whether he does or not.
Wasp spray works great on wasps, too.
An enormous dog food bowl with some large kernel dog food in it and an equally impressive water bowl by the back door, and some giant dog chew toys in the yard are good to have. The giant dog to go along with them isn’t bad either.
When we lived in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in SoCal, we were the only house in the neighborhood that was never broken into. I think it might have had something to do with our family pet- a prejudiced 150 lb. Great Dane.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.