Homes in my area being probed

I'm also considering getting a security system, which is the main part of my question - do you guys think they're worth it?

Click to expand...

I do think its worth it.
Security systems are amazing these days. You can get home automation features where you can turn lights on and off from anywhere in the world via an internet connection. Remote view cctv camera systems are available as well.

They're more reasonably priced than they've ever been.

And most insurance providers give a discount on your homeowner's insurance for having a monitored system, further negating costs.

I was just on another thread where someone's home had gotten broken into. The OP mentioned some things including pepper spray triggered by an alarm system. Some said that might be over the top and could potentially make the intruder even more angrier to do more potential damage to your home, including burn it down.

I think it would be a lot better to make your home as less attractive as possible to criminals. You should start with the alarm system. While it is not P.C. to post a large sign in your front yard stating, "My neighbors' homes as less secure than mine!" it would be a good idea to get a yard sign from a recognized alarm company (A?T) and then work on getting an alarm system if you don't have one. A loud barky dog would be good too. We have a small chihuahua-wiener that we love to death, but that dog is LOUD. She barks at sounds that we don't hear right away from inside.

I don't generally answer the door after dark. Unless it is an expected family member. And I never answer the door alone.

Also, get a family emergency plan together. There are other things, but I just mentioned these.

Like mentioned the systems nowadays are a far cry better than only a decade ago. The wireless thing is great as they can cut the wires and disable the older type systems. They upload things to a secure point somewhere off site so even then if they do get in they can't destroy all of the evidence of them being there.

The dog is another deterrent but can still be overridden with laced treats or by simply letting them out of the yard. Once they are out they may or may not give a darn about what is going on behind them as they sniff up every other pooch that has been down the block.


One other thing that is nice about most alarm systems is that you usually get a keypad by the front door. On ours it has a silent button for the police, if pushed nothing happens tipping anyone off, and the police arrive in a hurry and they ain't happy when they do. Just trust me on that one.

It also has the panic button right there as well which DOES make some noise, PLENTY of noise, and it ain't going off till you call it in either. So when answering the door later than normal we always have our hand across that blue button. It doesn't take much to push it in if needed, and even a swipe of your finger can do it. Least that's how I found out anyway.

My dogs let me know as soon as someone is on my porch, and they let that person know too.

The weakness is, I can't do anything if I'm not around as I could with a security system (lights, monitoring etc)

41 Mag said:

Like mentioned the systems nowadays are a far cry better than only a decade ago. The wireless thing is great as they can cut the wires and disable the older type systems. They upload things to a secure point somewhere off site so even then if they do get in they can't destroy all of the evidence of them being there.

The dog is another deterrent but can still be overridden with laced treats or by simply letting them out of the yard. Once they are out they may or may not give a darn about what is going on behind them as they sniff up every other pooch that has been down the block.


One other thing that is nice about most alarm systems is that you usually get a keypad by the front door. On ours it has a silent button for the police, if pushed nothing happens tipping anyone off, and the police arrive in a hurry and they ain't happy when they do. Just trust me on that one.

It also has the panic button right there as well which DOES make some noise, PLENTY of noise, and it ain't going off till you call it in either. So when answering the door later than normal we always have our hand across that blue button. It doesn't take much to push it in if needed, and even a swipe of your finger can do it. Least that's how I found out anyway.

Click to expand...

Wireless systems, as well as your cell phone, can be easily defeated with jammers. No system is perfect. But they ARE generally much less expensive than the wired systems. Redundancy using both systems would be ideal, but mega expensive.

The point is, get something, even if just a sign in the yard.
And yes, place a weapon (secure from kids) within reach.

Well, you may have been probed or not. I'm guessing your neighbor did get probed, though. Those were some strange questions/comments that didn't correlate. What does the thermostat have to do with the security system?!

As for your comment re: wearing your gun...you're wrong. It is a heck of a lot better than keeping your house gun on the top shelf of your closet or completely locked in your safe. If it is on your body in a good holster, how is it going to go off? Ok, let's say that for some insane reason, one of your kids is able to rip your gun from your holster . . . . Keep an empty chamber. Not ideal but a hell of a lot better than running upstairs to grab your house gun when someone is trying to break in.

yes, yes, no, depends.

A security system being "worth it" is entirely dependent on where you live. Heart of a major city get one for sure, in the boondocks not so much.

I have one on my end table right now and every day.

Motion sensitive light, dog, alarm all good things to have.
Ring my bell at 9 PM and you are visible to a very loud protective dog.

A call to 911 might be in order also. Most towns do not allow solicitations after dark, and no utility "checks" things at night.

Home security....

A) get a dog. A good well bred fido will keep your kids entertained teach them to respect/care for wildlife-animals & offer a level of security/protection.
Many convicts & felons say a dog in a house would deter them more than a occupant.
B) get a decent security system & post signs(front & back). A new system that you can run with a tablet or smart phone is a great idea. Prices vary but don't go cheap.
C) ask your local PD or LE agency if they have crime prevention officers or community policing offices. They may have a officer or deputy that can inspect your property & advise you.
D) learn what sector or zone you are in for fire/rescue & law enforcement. My county sheriff's office is in zones. Some urban some wooded/rural. Being aware of the street address & the sector may speed up the first responders.
E) Don't buy high value items or products then throw the empty trash on the street or trash can. You got a new 60" flat screen TV? Great, now every thug or rip crew in a 4 block radius knows too.
F) It's more for identity theft or fraud, but buy a good office shredder like Fellowes & rip up any old records, bills, credit cards, bank statements, etc.
Where I live, I caught a strange guy going thru bills/letters in a trash dumpster. This was in late 2012 or so.
G) If you get a lot of mail or packages, consider a off site mail service like UPS. They offer small business rates & you can get items delivered there.
H) You can "combat park" your vehicle in the driveway. Back it in so if required, you can jump in & pull out quickly. If you own more than one car or SUV this may not work but having a fueled, ready motor vehicle is a smart idea. An injury or accident may need a fast trip to the ER or you might want to flee if needed.
Watch the insightful HBO Films doc; The Chesire Murders & you'll get this point. See; www.imdb.com .
I) Do safety drills & get the family involved. Check the smoke alarms, practice going to a safe room/location, plan what you'd do in a critical event.
J) Get a safety word or duress code word. If you get a text or a family member says __ on the phone, you know everything went to #%+*.
I learned this method in the US military. It was also in the plot of the hit 2000s era NBC series; Las Vegas. The security staff heard; "all aces" & knew the property had a serious problem/people were held hostage.

Safety & security isn't complex or complicated but with plans and some training you'll be okay.

I was really expecting this to be one of those cool alien abduction stories.

Since you are getting a lot of specific advice, I'll give some general advice.

You want to "shift the bulls eye" which is a term I learned in the executive protection world.

Make yourself (home) a harder target than the one next to it and thus shift the bull’s eye off of you. If this sounds cruel a) you can never control what others do so why be a victim (martyr?). b) ideally, your neighbors will do the same (and you can help them), then the bulls eye gets shifted to the next street over. Even better.

Low cost things that are very visible are keeping hedges trimmed, good visibility to the home (no places to hide), motion lights, alarm yard signs.

You want to think of your property in concentric rings starting at the property line and have a method to deter and detect at each ring.

So at the sidewalk the deterrence could be a fence or a yard sign or the motion lights coming on when they step in the yard. The light itself helps detect an intrusion or the lack of hiding place helps them get detected.

At the door, deter would be good locks, reinforced door, barking etc. Detect, also barking, noise made to bash the door in, alarm going off, camera.

You get the point, this concept continues inside the home, then into your room. Final deter, maybe bedroom door, detect, motion hall light or chime or dog or your squeaky floor. Inside room, deter AR-15, detect 500 lumen weapon light!

mgmorden said:

... Had I needed it it was a good ways off... but I've got two small children in the house (3 and 5) while are often jumping up on me and such and I just don't like them hitting a handgun on my side as they play.

Click to expand...

My boys are 4 and 6, so I'm in the same boat. I front-pocket-carry a .38: they have no idea. To borrow a phrase, if I'm wearing pants, I'm carrying.

In my opinion, a monitored alarm system is a good investment.

I always answer the door with a M&P .45 in hand and .40 S&W M&P in back pocket after looking through the peephole...if it's a cop I stick .45 in pocket and open door....If it ain't I keep .45 in hand...scared the crap out of an alarm salesman not more than a month ago....Last time a car alarm went off here (Pretty Common.... it took 45 minutes for the cops to show and tell the sleeping idiots to turn off their crap.)....because nobody wanted to get out of bed and see what was going on or couldn't hear it....told Alarm salesman if its telephone connected its garbage....sent him on his way

Buy a new type alarm people.....cell phone connection only!...Cut phone lines still gets you to the cops quick! Answer door with visible gun if it aint a cop.....will stop a lot of this crap from going on!

This sort of "false flag" probing has been happening in my area for the last several weeks. None have reached my area as I live in a fairly remote area. The biggest and easiest factor being reported to authorities is the vehicles used are never company owned as you would expect from a utility company. It always pays to be vigilant.

mgmorden said:

J
I'm also considering getting a security system, which is the main part of my question - do you guys think they're worth it? Do they really have any impact? Is it just as effective to just get a sign for one of the companies and put it in the front yard?

Click to expand...

If you have good mobile coverage in your area, I'd recommend SimpliSafe (www.simplisafe.com). You buy the panel, base unit, window and door sensors (and others if you like). Once installed, the base unit works by contacting the mobile network so cutting your phone line won't cut off your alarm. Basic monitoring is $14.99 per month. Once it's up, monitoring calls the police/fire if a sensor fires and you don't give them the all-clear password, or if you hit your included panic button. We've been pretty happy with the responsiveness, low cost and ease of installation.

splattergun said:

Wireless systems, as well as your cell phone, can be easily defeated with jammers. No system is perfect. But they ARE generally much less expensive than the wired systems. Redundancy using both systems would be ideal, but mega expensive.

The point is, get something, even if just a sign in the yard.
And yes, place a weapon (secure from kids) within reach.

Click to expand...

Cell phone jammers cost boo coo cash.....250$ to 800$....Trust me some ghetto blaster aint gonna waste his money on this crap....Get a cell phone connected alarm....a 3$ set of Harbor Freight wire cutters can cut a phone line!...ADT and all those other trash companies are stealing your cash for nothing! http://simplisafe.com is what you want!....nope not working for em either!

SSGT PRIDE said:

Cell phone jammers cost boo coo cash.....250$ to 800$....

Click to expand...

And have the added disadvantage of being illegal anyway. This doesn't tend to stop the bad guys, but it looks as if the FCC is going to get after the sellers of such devices. And yes, an enterprising criminal can build one, but if they were that far up the intellectual food chain they might also be more into electrical engineering than home burglary methinks.

http://simplisafe.com is what you want!....nope not working for em either!

Click to expand...

No arguments here on that point - see my previous post.

Pro-active.....

It's good to be "pro-active" too. Keep a keen eye out for any strange vehicles parked around or near your home. Watch for things like piles of cigarette butts or candy wrappers in places near your property of home. Tire tracks, foot prints, bent brush/limbs etc may be signs of someone watching or spying on your home.
If you have a older neighbor or senior who may need medical care, check on them too & apply some of the same methods to their property too(with permission or consent, ).
These seniors can benefit from your help & they can be a "force multiplier" to your home system.
About 3/4 weeks ago, 2 senior citizens in my community had a "push in" robbery by 2 violent thugs who posed as fake cops.
The older couple was beat up but not seriously hurt. The 2 robbers are still at large.

Rusty

A cell-based system looks good, but where I live cell service goes out regularly, and the land lines are hard to access. That said, I'm considering adding something like simplisafe as a back-up system. Redundancies and layers.

I'll echo the calls for a cellular (both is better, and not always more expensive) dialer and add that you should consider a very loud siren, if your neighbors are close. SimpliSafe has some pretty attractive features, but remember it is wireless, so you'll be at the mercy of any interference in or near your home. Having worked in and around the alarm industry for almost a decade, however, SimpliSafe would be at or near the top of my list if I were buying an alarm system right now.

I don't know about your area, but many states require anyone selling alarms to be licensed and have that license visible. Violating that would likely be an arrestable offense on its own. Don't let them in and immediately call the police.

Extended mags, S&W M&P8 .357magnum .....

There is merit in having extra phones, extra batteries, extra white-lights(flashlights), extended magazines(pistols) or buying the N frame M&P TR8 format .357magnum. The M&P revolver has a cool 1913 rail & it's popular with the ESU(emergency services) in New York City. The cops deploy it with "body bunkers" for barricades or CQB situations where a pistol may not be the best choice.
The heavy N frame size could be used a impact weapon or club in a pinch too.

I'd add that if any repair people or uniformed personnel come to your door, ask to see their ID or how you can verify their work order/call out.
Even police & troopers know they need to ID themselves. Some do not comply or act like jerks but they know a IA complaint or Professional Standards beef will be the result.