Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in a safe neighborhood

Aren't the safe (i.e low street crime, higher SES) neighborhoods those are most often targeted by burglars. We live in one of those and I hear about burglaries quite often.

Those places are targeted by more sophisticated, experienced thieves, not the ones who see a target of opportunity. Very little is going to stop a professional thief once he has decided your house is a good target. That's where mitigation efforts (cameras, registries of your stuff, insurance, etc.) comes into play.

That being said, neighborhoods that have security patrols, limited access (ie only a couple of ways in and out of the neighborhood by car and limited foot options), lots of well-lit streets, houses that are relatively close (ie <1/2 acre-ish lots so you can actually see your neighbors' house), living on a cul de sac so the chance of being observed going in/out is higher, picking a house deep in the neighborhood rather than on the edge, and things like that all make a neighborhood and particular streets/houses in that neighborhood less likely to be targeted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs, dogs, dogs.

Dogs are trivially easy to disable.

You don't need the dogs to attack the burglars or otherwise prevent the burglary. You need the dogs to make the burglars decide to go to the next house, which doesn't have dogs, instead.

This is a really important point.

+1 we had the police speak at our neighborhood association meeting and they said dogs are the best "security system". We have two big, loud dogs now but were dog-less for a few years and I definitely feel more comfortable home alone with the dogs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs, dogs, dogs.

Dogs are trivially easy to disable.

You don't need the dogs to attack the burglars or otherwise prevent the burglary. You need the dogs to make the burglars decide to go to the next house, which doesn't have dogs, instead.

This is a really important point.

Thanks, quoted PP here. That's what MCPD told us after we had a break-in at our last house while we (and the dogs) were on vacation many years ago. I've always had dogs because I love them, and no one should have dogs just for protection IMO, but they are a deterrent. The best deterrent is NRA membership stickers on your front door, but we're not going to go that far.

RE: the PP who asked about guns, this was a decade-long debate between my husband and me that I eventually lost. Our solution was to have a licensed, registered gun, stored loaded but locked in a combination safe bolted to a heavy piece of furniture with a combination only he knows, after he took a multiple days-long gun safety course.

Do not stick an NRA sticker on your house. That tells a thief "I have stuff worth stealing inside."

+1

Yeah, like guns!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in a safe neighborhood

Aren't the safe (i.e low street crime, higher SES) neighborhoods those are most often targeted by burglars. We live in one of those and I hear about burglaries quite often.

Those places are targeted by more sophisticated, experienced thieves, not the ones who see a target of opportunity. Very little is going to stop a professional thief once he has decided your house is a good target. That's where mitigation efforts (cameras, registries of your stuff, insurance, etc.) comes into play.

That being said, neighborhoods that have security patrols, limited access (ie only a couple of ways in and out of the neighborhood by car and limited foot options), lots of well-lit streets, houses that are relatively close (ie <1/2 acre-ish lots so you can actually see your neighbors' house), living on a cul de sac so the chance of being observed going in/out is higher, picking a house deep in the neighborhood rather than on the edge, and things like that all make a neighborhood and particular streets/houses in that neighborhood less likely to be targeted.

My friends that live on close together lots say that the only things the nosy neighbors notice is irrelevant; when their houses were hit by burglars, no on noticed a thing, unfortunately.

That's unfortunate for your friends, however, it's still true that the possibility of neighbors seeing something makes a house a less attractive target.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha sometimes I miss living in Argentina. Houses in our safe neighborhood were designed like fortresses and were basically robber proof. Unless someone followed you in, there was no way they could get in. Unfortunately we learned that the hard way when we left our keys inside and shut the front door which locks automatically. Not even the landlord has copies of keys. Just the way many houses are designed in that city.

I've never felt so safe and at times we had up to 15,000 pesos in the house!

What's that, like, $15.00US?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs, dogs, dogs.

Dogs are trivially easy to disable.

You don't need the dogs to attack the burglars or otherwise prevent the burglary. You need the dogs to make the burglars decide to go to the next house, which doesn't have dogs, instead.

This is a really important point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in a safe neighborhood

Aren't the safe (i.e low street crime, higher SES) neighborhoods those are most often targeted by burglars. We live in one of those and I hear about burglaries quite often.

Those places are targeted by more sophisticated, experienced thieves, not the ones who see a target of opportunity. Very little is going to stop a professional thief once he has decided your house is a good target. That's where mitigation efforts (cameras, registries of your stuff, insurance, etc.) comes into play.

That being said, neighborhoods that have security patrols, limited access (ie only a couple of ways in and out of the neighborhood by car and limited foot options), lots of well-lit streets, houses that are relatively close (ie <1/2 acre-ish lots so you can actually see your neighbors' house), living on a cul de sac so the chance of being observed going in/out is higher, picking a house deep in the neighborhood rather than on the edge, and things like that all make a neighborhood and particular streets/houses in that neighborhood less likely to be targeted.

My friends that live on close together lots say that the only things the nosy neighbors notice is irrelevant; when their houses were hit by burglars, no on noticed a thing, unfortunately.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in a safe neighborhood

Aren't the safe (i.e low street crime, higher SES) neighborhoods those are most often targeted by burglars. We live in one of those and I hear about burglaries quite often.

Those places are targeted by more sophisticated, experienced thieves, not the ones who see a target of opportunity. Very little is going to stop a professional thief once he has decided your house is a good target. That's where mitigation efforts (cameras, registries of your stuff, insurance, etc.) comes into play.

That being said, neighborhoods that have security patrols, limited access (ie only a couple of ways in and out of the neighborhood by car and limited foot options), lots of well-lit streets, houses that are relatively close (ie <1/2 acre-ish lots so you can actually see your neighbors' house), living on a cul de sac so the chance of being observed going in/out is higher, picking a house deep in the neighborhood rather than on the edge, and things like that all make a neighborhood and particular streets/houses in that neighborhood less likely to be targeted.

Anonymous wrote:I live in Bethesda, Bradley Hills area. Last week cops were all over my neighbors house who had been robbed. Turns out transients from another state had been stalking the neighborhood for weeks to observe routines. They got about 15 homes. Who did they not hit? Myself and any neighbor with a dog, according to police.

Anonymous wrote:Ha sometimes I miss living in Argentina. Houses in our safe neighborhood were designed like fortresses and were basically robber proof. Unless someone followed you in, there was no way they could get in. Unfortunately we learned that the hard way when we left our keys inside and shut the front door which locks automatically. Not even the landlord has copies of keys. Just the way many houses are designed in that city.

I've never felt so safe and at times we had up to 15,000 pesos in the house!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs, dogs, dogs.

Dogs are trivially easy to disable.

You don't need the dogs to attack the burglars or otherwise prevent the burglary. You need the dogs to make the burglars decide to go to the next house, which doesn't have dogs, instead.

This is a really important point.

Thanks, quoted PP here. That's what MCPD told us after we had a break-in at our last house while we (and the dogs) were on vacation many years ago. I've always had dogs because I love them, and no one should have dogs just for protection IMO, but they are a deterrent. The best deterrent is NRA membership stickers on your front door, but we're not going to go that far.

RE: the PP who asked about guns, this was a decade-long debate between my husband and me that I eventually lost. Our solution was to have a licensed, registered gun, stored loaded but locked in a combination safe bolted to a heavy piece of furniture with a combination only he knows, after he took a multiple days-long gun safety course.

Ok, so you're home alone with the kids and someone breaks in. How is that gun going to protect you? This is my problem with guns - either they are dangerously accessible to the kids in the house, or they are safely stored, but inaccessible when you need them!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs, dogs, dogs.

Dogs are trivially easy to disable.

You don't need the dogs to attack the burglars or otherwise prevent the burglary. You need the dogs to make the burglars decide to go to the next house, which doesn't have dogs, instead.

This is a really important point.

Thanks, quoted PP here. That's what MCPD told us after we had a break-in at our last house while we (and the dogs) were on vacation many years ago. I've always had dogs because I love them, and no one should have dogs just for protection IMO, but they are a deterrent. The best deterrent is NRA membership stickers on your front door, but we're not going to go that far.

RE: the PP who asked about guns, this was a decade-long debate between my husband and me that I eventually lost. Our solution was to have a licensed, registered gun, stored loaded but locked in a combination safe bolted to a heavy piece of furniture with a combination only he knows, after he took a multiple days-long gun safety course.