Quiet Break-In at My Home Last Night

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

I opened the door leading from my house into the garage this morning to find that the garage door was wide open and the garage was dark. I turned on the light and saw that the sheet covering the front of my gun safe had been lifted up (not by me).

Checking the safe, I found all contents secure and in taking a quick look-see around, I didn't notice anything missing. But as soon as I arrived at work, my wife called to say my son had found my range bag next to the sidewalk between our home and his school bus stop. In talking about the contents, it seemed everything was still there but that the zippers had all been opened and someone had rifled through it.

Our German Shepherd was up in the master bedroom with my wife & I and didn't 'alert' to any intruders, so I'm a bit puzzled as to how the garage door was opened and accept the fact that "someone" was inside our garage, tried to get into my gun safe, and walked down the street with my range bag.

I"m filing a police report and tonight my .870 shotgun w/weapon light will be near our bedside. Any other suggestions or ideas???

 

[Cacique500]

Automatic garage door or manual? I've left mine open a couple times when I could've sworn I closed it (ours is automatic). We now have a routine every evening of checking to make sure the door is down and then locking the door going into the garage.

Amazing that the dog didn't alert...which again I might think the door was left up and somebody just happened by.

Glad nothing was stolen!!

 

[foghornl]

Since it was your garage door that got opened, a couple of suggestions...[based on it being the 'roll-up' door that was opened]

Can you lock the "track" with the rollers, etc on each side of the door? There are usually a couple of slots in each track where manual lock/release bars would go through. Set the locks before bedtime, after all are in for the night.

If you an electric garage opener, most newer models (within the last 10 years) have a way to electronically 'lock' them...pressing a button on the master control console for the opener causes it to ignore remote signals.

Another idea is the security switch...Magnetically controlled switches specifically for roll-up type doors. Instead of going to a security control panel, the switch could be wired to a light/buzzer, etc in the Master Bedroom/Family room, etc.

X-10 type motion detector & vid-cam in the garage, set to sound an alert and roll the VCR in record mode.

 

[Werewolf]

Not so strange your dog didn't alert. German Shepherds are pretty laid back dogs without training.

There are some pretty high strung dogs out there that will alert on just about anything - I'd suggest getting one - way better than an alarm system.

Our family dog is half beagle half great dane (don't ask ) and she alerts on people walking down the sidewalk across the street and that's with all the windows and doors closed. If someone she doesn't know enters our yard she goes off loud and if they approach our home one would think the world was about to come to an end and she is the doom bringer. More than one jehovas witness, mormon missionary or magazine salesman has just turned around and left without even ringing the doorbell. Those with the courage to ring usually jump back a foot or two when I open the door and they see me holding Gabby by the collar as she strains forward trying to get to them.

Lucky for me they don't know all she's trying to do is make a new friend and get a hug.

My wife and I sleep very soundly at night knowing that Gabby will let us know if anything untoward is happening near our home.

 

[HighVelocity]

Put a noisemaker on the garage door. You know, one of those motion sirens made for door knobs. They're pretty loud and I would imagine the thief or thieves would be running away with full loads in their pants.

 

[Moonclips]

Move your safe inside the house.
1. the humidity and temperature levels inside a garage are not conducive to storage.
2. garages with automatic doors are not very secure; they can be tampered with
3. it may take you longer to get your items in case of an emergency

In your particular incident, it's likely that you forgot to close the garage --- because neither you nor your dog heard it open. There is also an outside chance that some stray radio signals caused it to open.

 

[hso]

Another reason to move the safe from the garage is that it takes very little for a couple of people to tip the safe into the bed of a pickup and whisk it away to open at their leisure.

Also, put the dog out of the bedroom so that it has a chance to hear something and react. The $20 noise makers are a good idea, but you've got to be willing to set them and then use them. The strongest locks and doors are useless if you aren't willing to use them all the time every time.

 

[Technosavant]

Another possibility:

Somebody had seen what is in the garage, and they had a scanner "read" the code when you opened the door with the remote. This assumes pretty dedicated thieves, and newer openers with "rolling code" transmitter/receivers avoid it entirely.

Another way to lock it down is just to connect a regular light switch to the circuit for the opener. Flip it off, it won't activate.

 

[MNgoldenbear]

I'd suggest some type of alarm/alerting system. If they had time open and wander through your garage (attached, yes?) without alerting anyone, it sounds like all, including the dog, may be heavy sleepers. I'm thinking it would have been easier to open the door quietly if it's manual, but easy to open (just not usually as quietly) if it's a remote without anything to randomize the code. The biggest thing is to try to be alert and awake long before the person makes it into your immediate living area. Don't want to become a counter-example of home defense by shooting someone who belongs there! (I'm sure you're careful, but there have been enough who weren't to keep incidents in the press for antis.) Glad everything was secure, the punks didn't get anything, and you and your family are safe. I understand the general feeling. A few years ago, my old apartment was broken into while I was out of town. (God had His hand in that, as I was also pretty much disabled with injuries from a wreck.) The intrusion was more obvious, as the door had been kicked in (door & lock held, door frame was split!). Fortunately, the guns were all secured in a cheap (heavy sheet metal) safe that was lag screwed into a stud in the corner of my closet. The guy went through all the factory boxes and tore the place up, but couldn't get into the safe. Still left me very unsettled.

 

[lance22]

MN Golden Bear

MNGoldenBear ... "Go Bears" ... does that mean you gradimicated from WB Senior High? I gradimicated from there myself.

There may be something to be said for having the dog in your bedroom. If he / she is a heavy sleeper than the dog is better off in your bedroom where he can be woke up and save your life than sleeping soundly behind the couch downstairs while you are gettin' the crap kicked outta ya in your bedroom. We have two dogs in our bedroom, and one in the kids bedroom.

If somebody got in downstairs (all bedrooms are upstairs) I don't think there is much I'd do about it anway, except to call 911 on my cell, and to keep the upstairs secure, which is easy since there is only one way up and I have tactical advantage camping in that spot. So basically everthing downstairs is up for grabs and I'm ok with that. A garage usually isn't securable and ours definitely isn't. That said we check all locks nightly.

 

[benEzra]

Now they know that you have a gun safe and where you keep it...and they're probably out there thinking about it like it's the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow.

Definitely upgrade your garage security...

 

[foghornl]

Something else just popped into my sometimes dim brain...

If you have an electric opener, with the "emergency release handle" on a rope, BG's can sometimes press in the top of the garage door enough to slide in a 'coat-hanger' type hook, grab the emergency handle, yank....and presto...door can now be manually opened.

I have removed the 'emergency manual release handle' for this very reason. I can always re-attatch the rope if needed.

 

[lucky_fool]

It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42768

 

[psyopspec]

Growing up, our first garage was strictly manual. To lock it, dad bought two vice grips. Clamp them down on the tracks just above one of the rollers on the door. One on each side. Can also work with an automatic door by popping the emergency handle so the door can't be opened electronically, and properly placed, the wannabe(s) who are interested in your stuff won't be able to lift the door on muscle power alone.

 

[Nail Shooter]

Back pickup truck into garage, tip safe onto truck bed (if not bolted down well), drive away. Much easier than if safe was in house or basement.

 

[clt46910]

It really sounds like you may have left your garade door open and someone just took the opportunely. A thief set on breaking into your place would have taken something. They took your range bag and left it, it must be worth something, even if only a couple bucks. I am sure you would have other things out there they could have stolen and sold for money.

Leaving the door open would have been the reason the dog did not alert also. Not enough noise to be hear from the bedroom. Sound more like a neighborhood local taking an opportunely to see what they could steal instead of someone actually targeting your place.

 

[Havegunjoe]

Thieves are opportunisits.

Souds like you left the door open by mistake and some kid passing by took advantage. Dog didn't hear because the door didn't open and make noise. Set up a nightly routine where you check before bed and your wife checks to see that you checked. Motion sensitive lights are good to scare off thieves too. Make sure your safe is anchored so if they return they can't get it out of there.

 

[TooTech]

Just UNPLUG your garage opener, and it'll take a forklift to get the door open. You're at the opposite end of a lot of mechanical advantage.

 

[rick_reno]

Are you a suspected terrorist? Could have been a sneak and peak visit...

 

[Standing Wolf]

Put Rover in garage from now on.

By the bye, it wouldn't surprise me if the attempted heister were to return tonight with reinforcements. This would be an excellent night to garage the pooch on short rations.

 

[avpro]

I use C-Clamps in the tracks of the door just above one of the rollers. The door will not open with them in place. It's a little bit of a pain to do, but I know that the door is not going to be opened.

 

[Mot45acp]

Was a car left outside with the opener clipped to the visor? Sometimes its the smallest details that are overlooked but BG's notice.

 

[eastwood44mag]

Slide a bolt through the track and padlock it.

Go to the local pet shelter and ask for the dog with a history of mental illness.

Keep him in the garage.

When commotion sounds, set off a predator call just outside the door.

Get a mop.

 

[yomama]

Are your cars in the garage or parked outside? If outside are the automatic garage door openers in the car(s) with the doors unlocked or a way for easy entry like sliding glass on the rear window of alot of trucks. Could make for a real easy way into a garage!

 

[JohnKSa]

You may have left the door open, but if you didn't...

Let's think about this.

Someone opened your garage door without alerting your dog.
They apparently went straight for your gunsafe and looked at it.
They didn't take any of your tools or rummage around the other stuff in your garage.
They took a single gun related item but dropped it just down the street.

Who knows you have a gunsafe in the garage?

Hint: Have you ever taken one of those online surveys intended to rate your risk of being burgled or having your home broken into? Some of the questions are educational.