I think my house just got probed for burglary

[Shadow 7D]

Sadly, you find that you own less than you think
while you are a paying tenant of the state, you find that those with OFFICIAL business do in fact have access to your land

Powerline down, see what happens if you block a utility right away
call the cops on the taxman,

HIS POINT
is that for all you paranoid individuals who live in places that you have done your best to make inaccessible (or just full of trash and junk)
that those who bother to knock (if they can)
are A LOT less of a worry than those who don't.

 

[NoAlibi]

Shadow 7D: “HIS POINT
is that for all you paranoid individuals who live in places that you have done your best to make inaccessible (or just full of trash and junk) that those who bother to knock (if they can) are A LOT less of a worry than those who don't.”

YOUR POINT seems to be to cast aspersions on those whose ideas are contrary to yours; for example insinuating that that people are paranoid and use trash to make their property inaccessible. Where did that come from? There haven't been any posts alluding to that.

Legitimate worry is not paranoia, but common sense. We’ve seen this form of argument used by the antis in an attempt to disarm the populace. Besides, I always carry a firearm with me or have one very closely accessible so I wouldn’t have anything to be paranoid about.

For those so inclined to keep uninvited people off their property most states, probably all states, allow the posting of property against trespass.

My State allows me to post my property and if properly done entry upon it is a crime as supported by Florida Substantive Statute 810:12 Unauthorized entry on land; Prima facie evidence of trespass. -- (1) The unauthorized entry by any person into or upon any enclosed and posted land shall be prima facie evidence of the intention of such person to commit an act of trespass. (2) through (5) provide definitions and exceptions. As you mentioned egress on right-of-ways is protected for maintenance and repair. I have no objection to that because it is reasonable and crews that do this are in in uniform and/or have vehicles that are properly marked. How about the police - not unless upon probable cause, warrant or a perceived bona fide emergency - no “fishing expeditions” allowed. How about firemen - there are still some legal questions about this. If the fire cannot put others or others' property at risk and there is no violation of burning ordinances or criminal activity then probably no. How about the postman - if the mailbox is on the county right-of-way - yes; if the it’s the mail slot on your door - no. The price for that action is having to pick up your mail at the Post Office. All others are trespassers including solicitors.

No one here is objecting to your permissiveness about entry on your land, so have at it. As for me and many of the posters here we want you to stay off our property unless invited or permitted by law.

 

[whanson_wi]

MY POINT is that people have legitimate reasons to see a home's occupant, reasons that are legitimate in the eyes of both parties. Not everybody that comes up to the door is bent on crime. A house with no means for legitimate visitors to politely announce themselves creates suspicion and unease.

We've got enough real dangers in the world without causing blue-on-blue altercations.

 

[NoAlibi]

whanson wi: “MY POINT is that people have legitimate reasons to see a home's occupant, reasons that are legitimate in the eyes of both parties. Not everybody that comes up to the door is bent on crime.”

MY POINT is that unless I invite you onto my property or entry is required by law or official necessity your entry is illegitimate. You're right, not everyone is bent on crime. Why should I have to even concern myself with that? If you are not invited and don't come onto my property it becomes a non-issue for me. If you come onto my property uninvited the only person who will have to worry is you.

whanson wi: “A house with no means for legitimate visitors to politely announce themselves creates suspicion and unease.”

Yes, it creates suspicion and unease for ME. On my property I construe legitimate as by invitation, you may construe it any way you want on your property. At my home and curtilage thereof, I don’t want to be bothered by what you or anyone else may feel is legitimate.

The bottom line is that I just don’t want the bother - period. Is that so hard to understand or accept???

Anybody else out there feel that we have a right of an "announced (signage, etc.) privacy request or demand" that needs to be respected or am I alone in this matter?

 

[heeler]

Why would a home with no means for legitamate vistors to politely announce themselves create suspicion or unease???
I can well understand in a tract home subdivision this type of setup might be hard for the homeowner to accomplish but not so on acreage where,at least here in Texas,locked gates and fences are pretty much the norm and one would be ill advised to cross over without a prior appointment.

 

[Fred Fuller]

It's not our business here to dictate how anyone else runs their life or manages their property. Let's please let go of this aspect of the discussion at this point ...

 

[Buckyt]

Home breakin

My daughter showed us a video of a home near them in Atlanta that was burgularized 2 days before Christmas. The home had a video camera and they were not at home. You could see the car back into their driveway, one dude knocking at the door to see if anybody was home, then all 4 people jump out of the car, kick the door in, make 2 trips each into the house and carrying presents back to the car. They were in and out in less than 2 minutes. I haven't heard if they have been caught.
The police reaction time in that community is about 5 minutes.
This isn't a big city only problem. I was at my barber shop today and heard about 2 thugs in our little town who had been caught several times recently and have been released by a liberal judge each time. She has stated that she just feels sorry for these poor folks who have never had a good break in life!

 

[isaac.eck]

Ask one of your neighbors to keep an eye on your house while your gone if he's willing.
you could also dig up holes around your house and fill them back up so that there a little mound of dirt showing and then post a sign along the lines of "WARNING, MINE FIELD"

 

[george29]

I think my house was cased today, usually my car is parked outside but for the last two days it has been in the garage. Today during the Super Bowl someone banged on my kitchen window (side of the house). It was dark outside and so I went to the front door (foyer with iron door on front) and yelled, "Hello!" No answer, so I closed the door and went to the kitchen window after turning off the lights to see if I could see, but I couldn't so once again to the front door and yelled a few more times (.45 behind my back). The neighbors directly across the street were very active (unusual) and their front porch light was one of those Motion Detector Halogen lights that go on when someone goes by it. I have never seen this light before and it also happens to blind me trying to see across the street. I heard all kinds of commotion and distant yelling and decided something was up, so I went back to watching the game after arming the alarm, checking the doors and windows and making sure the dogs were in the house. I am very puzzled by it all. I'm also staying up later than usual.

 

[WardenWolf]

George29, it could have been a bird slamming into your window. Had that happen before on the window directly behind me, and it scared the crap out of me. It doesn't always kill them, so there may not be any evidence.

 

[george29]

Thanks. It wasn't a bird, I've heard that before and this was different, someone banged on the window a few times. I checked out the crime map before I went to sleep and there is a pattern of recent burglaries developing around my neighboorhood including one 4 doors down. I will call the detectives and find out what they know about this recent spike in crime.

 

[WardenWolf]

It's possible you just got scoped, then. Definitely sounds suspicious.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Providing a way for people to approach your house is tactically smart. It allows you to control how they approach, and funnel them in that direction. Generally, if you don't provide a way for someone to approach they're not just going to give up. They'll just find their own way. Maybe tap on a window, maybe come around to your backyard and interrupt a BBQ, etc. Solicitors, Girl Scouts, UPS, a meter maid and so forth all may feel they have a legitimate reason to approach your home. You may not. But since they can't read your mid, how you feel about it doesn't matter one bit. They'll do what they want anyways. By creating a path of least resistance, you can funnel them toward that entrance and set it up to give you the advantage. So instead of a FedEx guy wandering around your house looking for a side door, you can give him a nice well lit pathway and porch to walk up to. One that you can keep and eye on from a position of safety.

Understand that you cannot control other people's behavior, including whether or not they come trying to knock on your door. The world does not care that you feel like being left alone. But you can hope to influence it to your advantage by setting things up in a way as to give them an easy way to think they're getting what they're looking for, but really in a way you want.

 

[parsimonious_instead]

I live in an apartment building. Someone knocked at an odd time, and I asked who it was.
"Con Ed" he replied.
"Ok... so what can I do for you?" (There is no meter to be read in my apartment, therefore absolutely no obligation to permit a utility worker access to my unit for that reason.)
"I just wanted to make sure you are getting your proper discounts with ConEd."
Uh, huh. No company with recurring billing cycles sends people to make sure you're not on a pricey legacy plan. I figured he was either looking to commit a "push in" robbery, or at the very least was trying to pitch me to switch energy providers. I politely said, "not interested" and walked into an inner room.

 

[WilleRupert]

It's common knowledge that burglars knock and when nobody answers they kick the door in or go around back. It's dirtbag 101, and it's perfectly reasonable to be suspicious when someone in street clothes comes knocking in the middle of the day.

I hate solicitors and canvassers in general. I feel they violate my privacy and interrupt my peace and quiet. That's why I put a NO SOLICITORS sign on my door. The canvassers still come calling. I say, "No thanks, please leave my property immediately" through the door.

 

[biohazurd]

Thats why i think it is important to have a guard dog or several like my self. You cant always be home.

 

[Wanderling]

It's common knowledge that burglars knock and when nobody answers they kick the door in or go around back. It's dirtbag 101, and it's perfectly reasonable to be suspicious when someone in street clothes comes knocking in the middle of the day.

I hate solicitors and canvassers in general. I feel they violate my privacy and interrupt my peace and quiet. That's why I put a NO SOLICITORS sign on my door. The canvassers still come calling. I say, "No thanks, please leave my property immediately" through the door.

I remember reading an article some years ago - may have been in the 90s - about a group of Japanese students on vacation in the US getting lost in a neighborhood, one of them gets out of the car and knocks on the door of a house to ask for directions (common in Japan where crime rate is very low) and is greeted with a shot through the door. The Japanese student was killed, the old lady that shot him claimed she thought he was a burglar, and IIRC got away free.

There's a fine line between healthy suspicion, and murderous paranoia.

 

[Rail Driver]

I remember reading an article some years ago - may have been in the 90s - about a group of Japanese students on vacation in the US getting lost in a neighborhood, one of them gets out of the car and knocks on the door of a house to ask for directions (common in Japan where crime rate is very low) and is greeted with a shot through the door. The Japanese student was killed, the old lady that shot him claimed she thought he was a burglar, and IIRC got away free.

There's a fine line between healthy suspicion, and murderous paranoia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshihiro_Hattori

Though it's a wiki source, the actual sources are at the bottom of the article. The old woman's husband shot the kid, and was acquitted but lost the civil suit and was forced to pay damages to the boy's family.

The situation wasn't nearly as clear cut as you make it sound.

 

[.338-06]

There's a fairly simple solution when a stranger knocks on your door. Take out your phone and take a picture. If it's somebody casing your house, they now know that you have a photo to show police. It's not foolproof, but they would have to be very, very stupid to come back to your house.