Home Invasion Scenario

[CincyKid]

A friend of the families house was broken into on Thanksgiving while they were away for dinner. This got the conversation topic rolling tonight at the dinner table with my teenage daughter. We talked about things she should and shouldn't do during a break-in... and I thought I would bring it up here to see if we missed anything, or if someone has other suggestions.

The scenario I gave her was simple... "what should you do in the middle of the night if the burglar alarm goes off"... after we talked about it a bit, we agreed she should do pretty much the same thing whether its the middle of the night or middle of the day.... and it really doesn't matter much whether someone is home with her or not.

Note that our burglar alarm is not monitored by an alarm company. The neighbor's houses are close enough where they would likely hear the siren if they were out in their yard, but it's doubtful that they would hear if they were inside. I have every door and window wired, so any intrusion would be announced. The alarm is enabled 90% of the time during the "daylight hours" and always at night or when the adults are away.

If my daughter hears the alarm's warning beeps going off unexpectedly, here is what we came up with for her action plan....

1) Grab your cell phone if it is nearby.
2) Grab your pepper spray if nearby.
3) Find a dark corner nearby and hide.
4) If siren goes off after the 45 seconds of warning beeps, Dial 9-1-1.
5) Explain situation to 9-1-1 operator. Stay on the phone with them and follow their directions.
6) Wait for police.
7) 9-1-1 operator will know when the police arrives and should be able to tell you.
8 ) If anyone enters the room you are in without announcing themselves as the police... hose them down with the pepper spray and run if you can.

As we talked she said she would be a little hesitant to call 9-1-1, thinking that the alarm might be false alarm. I told her that, from what I have heard, the police and 9-1-1 operator would be extremely understanding if it were a false alarm. I told her they would rather receive a mistaken call... than have her not make the call when she really needed it.

We are in a fairly low crime area, but just like the conversation about house fires... I thought this is something we should "plan" for.

Any other thoughts?

[HancockCountyHAl]

4) If siren goes off after the 45 seconds of warning beeps, Dial 9-1-1.
Any other thoughts?

Wait 45 seconds? Why?

[CroManGun]

When I felt that my kids were old enough to be left home alone, they had already been familiarized with firearms and were trained in how to access them in the event of an emergency. Don't know if it matters, but that was thirty years ago. Now they're training their kids.

[Jim-in-Toledo]

4) If siren goes off after the 45 seconds of warning beeps, Dial 9-1-1.
Any other thoughts?

Wait 45 seconds? Why?

Maybe, so CincyKid has a chance to turn the alarm off when he gets home?

[glocksmith]

One piece of advice I can give is that, if someone knocks on your door - ANSWER IT!!! Or at minimum, make lots of noise. Even if they look shady. Otherwise, they'll assume they have an unoccupied home to break into - and they usually will. I know this all too well.

[ArmedAviator]

Why pepper spray? Why not a firearm? You've trained her for the scenario, now train her with the proper equipment.

[DontTreadOnMe]

As we talked she said she would be a little hesitant to call 9-1-1, thinking that the alarm might be false alarm. I told her that, from what I have heard, the police and 9-1-1 operator would be extremely understanding if it were a false alarm. I told her they would rather receive a mistaken call... than have her not make the call when she really needed it.

We are in a fairly low crime area, but just like the conversation about house fires... I thought this is something we should "plan" for.

Any other thoughts?

1. Get over the reluctance to call 911 and make that part of the immediate behavior. It will take minutes for the police to arrive, and a home intruder can do a lot of damage in those minutes so any additional delay increases your risk of serious harm.

2. Get some inert cartridges & practice with the pepper spray. You said "hose the intruder down" but it's important to know how the spray will actually behave. Also, it's generally recommended to spray in 1-2 second bursts, immediately move (if possible) and spray again if necessary. This site has some good info & tips: http://pepperspray.lifetips.com//cat/59 ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3. Don't make yourself or your home an inviting target. There's tons that could be discussed about this topic but the basics are have exterior illumination at night, don't advertise your 'stuff' (keep curtains/blinds pulled, don't put out cardboard boxes that show you have expensive stuff, etc.), and although you mentioned alarms you didn't say whether you've got signs up. If you don't, get some and put 'em up.

[CincyKid]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

The burglar alarm beeps for 45 seconds if one of the "normal" entrances are opened or there is motion detected in the garage... as was pointed out, the entry delay gives you time to come in the door and key in your password. If a window or non entry door is opened, the siren will go off immediately. My kids know that if the burglar alarm beeps in the middle of the night... that they shouldn't wait for the siren before dialing 9-1-1.

I have always heard that alarm yard signs are a deterrent... but, since I have never paid a monitoring fee... I don't have the signs. I guess I can "borrow" some from a house down the street on my next run (just kidding)... or more likely I should try to make one up in MS Paint, etc.

When I told the kids to hose down the intruder with pepper spray... I meant to not be shy about making sure the BG is incapacitated... too much is better than not enough. Though, I am wondering what you should do in close proximity or actually in the grasp of a BG. Do you spray him knowing you are going to dose yourself too? I'm thinking if you have already called 9-1-1, it might buy you some time, even if the spray incapacitates you too

We have some pepper spray cans that are more that a few years old... maybe it's time to practice with them in the yard to see how the spray reacts.

I have thought about giving one of my daughters access to the gun safe, but at this point, she is not that comfortable with firearms.... but, someday (note, too many of her friends are hanging around to not use a safe)

I am open for more suggestions on what to tell the kids to do when someone knocks on the door when the adults are away. I've told them not to answer... but understand that this might be an invitation for a break-in. The only thing I can think of is crank up the stereo/TV and watch the visitor through the window without being seen... with cell phone at the ready.

[NERES]

... The only thing I can think of is crank up the stereo/TV and watch the visitor through the window without being seen... with cell phone at the ready.

Just a thought that this may not be the best idea since you will not be able to hear what is happening. Sometimes one perp will be at the front door while another is around back. Just speak loudly through the closed door "What do you want?". This lets them know the house is occupied and that you know they are there and without the TV blaring you can hear any response or activity.

Same with the siren. Mine is set to sound just long enough to alert me and my family then it shuts off so we can hear what is happening.

[schmieg]

Also, with many alarms, you can set them to go off immediately when you go to bed no matter which entry is breached. I set mine on delay when we go out during the day, but when we go to bed at night, they are set for no delay on the siren (and the notification of authorities). I also set it for immediate if we go out of town and then use our remote to turn it off when we return. Otherwise, we keep the remote locked up as I don't like to carry it (if someone gets your keys and remote, they have the keys to the kingdom).

[DontTreadOnMe]

I have always heard that alarm yard signs are a deterrent... but, since I have never paid a monitoring fee... I don't have the signs. I guess I can "borrow" some from a house down the street on my next run (just kidding)... or more likely I should try to make one up in MS Paint, etc.

Or you could get 'em off eBay or Amazon. It's probably best if they look professional.

Though, I am wondering what you should do in close proximity or actually in the grasp of a BG. Do you spray him knowing you are going to dose yourself too? I'm thinking if you have already called 9-1-1, it might buy you some time, even if the spray incapacitates you too

If the alternative is getting attacked by a home intruder? Probably worth the risk of spraying yourself/herself.

I am open for more suggestions on what to tell the kids to do when someone knocks on the door when the adults are away. I've told them not to answer... but understand that this might be an invitation for a break-in. The only thing I can think of is crank up the stereo/TV and watch the visitor through the window without being seen... with cell phone at the ready.

I agree with Neres that cranking the volume has downsides that make it maybe not the best option. Not answering the door is an option (and the person could always yell "Who's there" if they hear the person trying to get in) but let's be honest, if you've got a teenaged daughter is telling her never to answer the door when you're not around an option? As an alternative, how about

- Always check the peephole, every time. Even if a friend just left 5 sec. ago and you hear a knock. Always look first.
- Never open the door unless you're certain it's someone you want to let in. Here's a tough one: Even if it's a woman crying saying she needs help, her baby's sick and her cellphone's dead, whatever. Offer to call 911. Don't open the door to a stranger if you aren't around. Even if the person claims to be a cop -- she should call 911 and tell the person she's going to have 911 confirm he's really an officer before she opens the door.
- Never say she can't open the door because she's alone. It sounds obvious, but it's worth saying. "My Dad's busy and can't come to the door right now." A criminal may not buy that, but it's better than "I'm not supposed to open the door because I'm all by myself".

[BobK]

You can get a cheap intercomm system with the speaker at the front door and the inside station out of sight.

When my doorbell rings, I simply say "Go Away, not interested".

[schmieg]

You can get a cheap intercomm system with the speaker at the front door and the inside station out of sight.

When my doorbell rings, I simply say "Go Away, not interested".

I heard that the Publisher's Clearing House Prize Patrol was turned away from a house in Texas, so they gave the money to someone else.

[Aesinsp]

While not for everyone, it'll add my two cents - big dog. While not the end-all be-all, certainly a deterrent.
Last week, sometime during 'normal business hours' the neighbors apt was broke into. I'd imagine ours heard the sliding glass door shatter and reacted, but no one was around to notice at the time.

[ArmedAviator]

If you don't want to get a real big dog, you can just get a CD with the "big dawg" sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLqFizYrfWk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;