Afraid of being cased by burglars

[Anonymous]

OP, get a security system, it will provide a lot of peace of mind. If you get a dog, consider fencing the yard so it can be let out rather than walked late at night. I would NOT get a doggy door, not secure.

A fence in the front yard, a no soliciting sign and visible cameras should help deter uninvited visitors.

[Anonymous]

Are you reading Nextdoor a lot?

My DH is often gone for a week at a time. You get used to it. I don’t do anything special or different to “protect” the house.

[Anonymous]

Lock your car doors. Lock your house doors. If you have sliding ones to the backyard, put a broomstick in the bottom track. Keep your front yard/porch free of temptingly portable items: don’t leave your laptop on the chair when you go in to use the bathroom, have your kids put away their bikes in the evening. For people at the door during the day, if possible I prefer to open the door to show that I’m around. But I’m very comfortable cutting off their spiel with a firm “Sorry, not interested.” I make sure they hear the deadbolt click back into place. Keep the shrubs around your windows cut back. Get to know your neighbors. Interact with them in real life, don’t just doomscroll on NextDoor.

If you’re really worried, most police departments offer a free home safety assessment. They’ll walk around and give you advice very similar to the stuff I listed above.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in highly secure city buildings with a reinforced steel door and videophone entry system to my apartment, and ancient suburban or country homes with no security whatsoever. The people who knock want to sell you stuff that's scammy, ie, not worth the price. The burglary you're most likely to be victimized by is a porch burglar stealing your packages.

That being said, I've never abandoned my ingrained city habits of locking my car and house door every time. Don't invite trouble, and then you'll feel more secure.

So try to address your anxiety issues. You only have one life. Enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Don't be afraid, just have common sense precautions in place.

- Alarm system and nest cam/ring cam/CCTV
- Alarm company signs around your property.
- Well lit outside of home. No huge shrubs or trees outside the house that can give hiding place to people
- Get on the neighborhood Listserv
- Make sure that there is no stuff in plain sight in your car. No garage door opener in your car.
- Automatic lights at dawn and dusk
- I liked the idea of the recording of a barking dog.

[Anonymous]

I'm a suburban mom who used to work in the criminal justice system. The reality is the vast majority of crime is low confrontation opportunity. Taking packages, unlocked bikes, etc. Most thieves don't want to be around people because it makes their chances of being hurt or arrested greater. So just lock your doors, secure your stuff.

If you're consumed with fears of home invasion burglaries, talk to someone, that's anxiety.

[Anonymous]

OP your anxiety is unwarranted. I’m not sure what sources you’re reading, but your fear is overblown. Get therapy for your anxiety. For your house, just lock all of your doors, get an alarm system (although get your anxiety in check first bc otherwise you’ll lose it when you have a faulty sensor or lost contact or low battery in the middle of the night), install motion detector ring cameras and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I had some missionaries knock on the door who had looked up our name (which strongly suggests a certain nationality) and they asked if anyone here spoke that language. When asked, they admitted they'd looked up our name. I got rid of them and didn't convert to their religion that day.

This happened to me earlier this summer - it was weird. They seemed flummoxed that we didn't speak Spanish and left pretty quickly once they realized we didn't.

[Anonymous]

You have anxiety. I get all of these (minus the donation pickup) and think nothing of it. I *gasp* open the door most of the time and say I’m not interested. I only do this because my dog goes crazy until they leave so I shut it down by just saying no. I’ve done this for decades. Have not been robbed once and we suck about locking our doors. We have no cameras or alarms.

Get off Nextdoor and frankly DCUM. Get a ring camera and alarm if you feel you need them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I had some missionaries knock on the door who had looked up our name (which strongly suggests a certain nationality) and they asked if anyone here spoke that language. When asked, they admitted they'd looked up our name. I got rid of them and didn't convert to their religion that day.

This happened to me earlier this summer - it was weird. They seemed flummoxed that we didn't speak Spanish and left pretty quickly once they realized we didn't.

This wasn't even Spanish, which more people in the US speak. I thought it was creepy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there women living alone with kids in the suburban houses or with husbands who travel a lot? What do you do to feel safe?
I am new to SFH living, used to live in secure urban buildings before. I feel very exposed despite security cameras and motions activated lights. I hear weird stories and daytime burglaries happening in nice and safe neighborhoods.

What do you do if you have some weird visitors (solicitors, people claiming to be from the county, people showing up claiming to pick up items for donations or sale, etc). I read that sometimes they are burglar gangs operating together trying to case houses to find vulnerable targets. Is this overblown? I know not to open the door for anyone and inquire about their business. I had some county people show up and they provided the paper authorizing them to inspect stuff. Then I had some solicitors who claim to work on neighbors houses selling their services. I had some people who claim to get donations someone posted were avail at my address. I think I am losing my mind. Is this normal?

Alarm system. Dogs (mine are LOUD when they bark so they sound worse than they are- which is they'd hide and watch me get murdered). Flood lights. Don't answer the door.

Burglars want an easy target. They want in and out easily and quietly.

[Anonymous]

It's an urban legend that burglars "case the joint" first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's an urban legend that burglars "case the joint" first.

This. I’ve been a prosecutor for a decade. Virtually every residential burglary I’ve worked on has been a crime of opportunity. Burglars aren’t looking to target a specific victim. They’re looking for homes that are unlocked, under construction, or visibly unoccupied for long periods of time. I worry about a lot of things, but a burglary isn’t one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a dog

This is my solution.

I can't have a dog, not an option. Alarm would be probably what I must do. Are they really effective, are burglars really going to avoid homes with alarm signs posted? Someone suggested to me to get a fake sign and put it in the yard as a deterrent. Can burglars tell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A camera system, a dog, and a shotgun.

FAFO.

Have a camera, maybe will install more. Have motion activated bright lights near the garage and on the back. Cannot have a large dog, not everyone can. Gun isn't my cup of tea TBH.. but if adequately threatened I can see myself getting training and purchasing one, but I would then be paranoid about proper storage(safe) vs. having it ready to go given I have kids.

I think I may go with the alarm, I just need to make sure I am not paying a lot for something that's essentially placebo effect. I want to know they really make a diff.