I think my office was about to be robbed

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JWarren

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Hi....

About 15 minutes ago, I just had a rather surreal experience.


Typical Tuesday morning. I pull up to my office on Main Street of our little town. Usually, I know every face I see on the street. This morning, I pulled up and there were a few young guys sitting outside my office around their car. These gentlemen were dressed in "hip, gangsta"-type clothes.

No worries. People can dress how they want.


However, something seemed odd with them being there. In 5 years of having this office open, I've never seen this area as a "hangout"-- Especially at 9:30 on a Tuesday morning. Granted, there is a law firm next door, and someone could have business in there. So, I don't worry too much about it.

I gather my things together that I need for work today-- that includes putting my 1911A1 in its case and putting it under my arm. I get out of my Jeep and as I typically do, I nod to the guys and say "hello" as I am walking to the door.

All I get from all three of them is glares. No responses.

OK... not very friendly of fellows.


I open the front door and go in. Because my hands are full, I walk over to a front table and set everything down so I can turn on the lights.

I look back out the front door and I can see one of the three guys. He's the largest of them, and again-- he is just glaring at me with a look of distain.

"This isn't right," I am thinking.

Well, I have turned on the lights and immediately turn to the nearby table to gather my things. Something told me that I needed to be better prepared. So, I open the 1911A1's case and rack the slide to chamber a round.

I am visible from the front door and I can see that the one person out front is still looking at me. No suprise or concern on his face. But I hear him say to one of the other persons that is out of my sight "No... uhn-uh," let's go."

I dally a bit as I am walking to my back office and I can see that all 3 have gotten in the car and are pulling out of the parking space and leaving.



FYI: I have a private office with no other persons in it. I own the building and the company. So, I didn't break any company policies.


Obviously, there were a LOT of things I should have done differently.


First, I should have had my concealed carry holster on. I went to work casual today, and didn't bother with it this morning.

Second, I should have already had a round chambered and be cocked and locked. I was shooting yesterday afternoon and didn't bother reloading the firearm.

Third, I should have already had the firearm in a concealed carry holster prior to exiting my vehicle.


Fourth, I should not have had my arms so full of crap.


About the only thing I did right, in my opinion, was have situational awareness.


Anything else-- right or wrong that you can think of?


I am posting this primarily to illustrate why it is important not to become to comfortable with your surroundings.

I carry almost every day. Sometimes-- depending on my activities or situations, I don't.

On days that I don't carry on me, I do bring my handgun into the office in its case. It isn't obvious on the street when I walk from my vehicle to my front door. If it was obvious, the people here would not think it was out of the ordinary.




-- John
 
Wow...

Good job even though things didn't go exactly the way you wanted to. Good situational awareness.

I'd recommend calling the police/make them aware of the situation. There may be other similar robberies in the area that your description of the potential perps may help with.

stay safe.
 
Interesting. What type of business do you run? Is there anything valuable that they might come back for at a later date and time?

Also, while not particularly important, did you get descriptions of the subjects along with vehicle information? It may help at a later date in case you have a run in with these fellows again, or see them around the neighborhood.

Three subjects? Perhaps they may come back armed next time, if your place is worth the trouble. Do you have extra magazines or perhaps a long gun in your office?

I'm just running a list of things to think about, I am by no means criticizing how you handled the situation. Good job on the awareness factor. Stay safe!
 
You were aware but unprepared. Awarness is a good thing but unprepared could have gotten you in trouble.
BB
 
Thanks guys....


I did get a pretty good description of them... the one that was in my field of sight is remembered the best. The other two, I have a decent description, but not the best. I have good details of the vehicle, but no tag information. As I am writing this, I am writing down the descriptions.

I think I'll call the sheriff and let him know about what happened. He comes in for coffee fairly regularly and knows me well.


What type of business do you run? Is there anything valuable that they might come back for at a later date and time?
Click to expand...

See.... that's just it. I run an Investment Management firm. Nice big sign outside. I've considered in the past that one day someone may come in thinking I had something to steal in here.

Some folks think that investment firms have bags of cash and stacks of gold in a vault somewhere in the back. In 15 years, I have never so much as had ANY cash or asset in my office. We do all that by paperwork and electronically.



Three subjects? Perhaps they may come back armed next time, if your place is worth the trouble. Do you have extra magazines or perhaps a long gun in your office?
Click to expand...


I used to keep my Vector AK underfolder behind my desk, but it has always been inconvienient to get it to and from my vehicle. So, for the last few months, I've left it home. I think I may reconsider this. I can always start parking in the back and going in the back door.


-- John
 
You were aware but unprepared. Awarness is a good thing but unprepared could have gotten you in trouble.
BB
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.

I posted this primarily to illustrate how easy it is to let the comfortableness of our routine day get us in trouble. It was a nice reminder to me, and I hoped that it may be one for others.

Bear in mind, this wasn't in New Orleans or Detroit... this was in "small town" America-- basically one step away from Mayberry.

-- John
 
Have you considered getting surveillance cameras and a recorder? They would have given you the ability to show the sherrif who and what concerned you, which might have allowed him to recognize whether those people were known problems. Could help in the future too.
 
Have you considered survelience equipment? I have it for my home. A simple set up could be a video tape or DVD that you start recording before you leave until you return the next morning. this will tape you leaving and entering your office.
 
Have you considered survelience equipment?
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hehe... looks like great minds think alike (Robert and glockman)!

It's one the list. I've had so many projects going on both at home and at the office that so many things slip off my radar or get back-burnered.

I gotta get this done.

--
 
Don't develop a pattern of using the same door all the time. Keep them guessing. If you see someone waiting like they were, go to the other door. The front door may be the safest though, if, other businesses nearby can also observe what is going on. Maybe, if this is a small, closeknit group of businesses, you can start up a kind of crimewatch to keep an eye on each other. Just a thought.
 
I just called the sheriff's office. They thanked me for the information. They said that there have been a number of home robberies in the area, but no business ones.


Because no crime was actually committed, I doubt my call will even be remembered 30 minutes from now. But it may come up on the radar if something happens in the future to me or someone else. So, I'm glad I called.


-- John
 
i will tell you i just purchased one of these to watch our driveway after our car was burglarized twice.

http://www.transtechelectronics.com...herproof_high_resolution_night_vision_camera/

I just put a small SD card in unit and check it every morning/evening. 1GB card stores up to 12 hrs of 10 second clips. Excellent night vision. Had to tune the senstivity of motion sensor a little but otherwise very impressed. Highly recommended. The owner of that site is very helpful, too.
 
Similar opening, same time exactly. Maybe glockman and I can work up a telepathy act for television. "Last Mindreaders Standing" has a certain ring to it.
 
Why even get out of the car? Drive a safe distance away, call the police from a cell phone and tell them there are a bunch of unsavory looking individuals loitering in front of the building and to check it out. You pay their salaries, may as well put them to work.
 
Well, I have turned on the lights and immediately turn to the nearby table to gather my things. Something told me that I needed to be better prepared. So, I open the 1911A1's case and rack the slide to chamber a round.

I am visible from the front door and I can see that the one person out front is still looking at me. No suprise or concern on his face. But I hear him say to one of the other persons that is out of my sight "No... uhn-uh," let's go."

I dally a bit as I am walking to my back office and I can see that all 3 have gotten in the car and are pulling out of the parking space and leaving.
Click to expand...

So, although it was not directly stated, I am taking it that not only were you visible but that your actions of taking the pistol out of the case and racking the slide were visible as well? And you believe these were seen by whoever was looking in the door window? And that this resulted in them losing interest in you/your business? Not a good sign, but glad it happened that way. You avoided a robbery or other problem and whatever made that happen, it sounds like it was your lucky day.

(It's conceivable, the way you worded it, that you could have been visible from the back, with the pistol in front of you, not seen by the person at the door, or that they might not have been looking in at that particular moment, just glancing in occasionally with a good "stare" now and then)

Were you at all concerned that your actions of displaying a gun in front of someone might have been taken as brandishing? Not sure how that is defined elsewhere, but in CA if you so much as let the grip on a handgun become visible and there is anything less than a bright cheerful smile on your face and a lilt in your voice then it can be charged as "brandishing". Here, your call to the cops might have amounted to a confession if it included all the details. In any case, I think you had a good outcome. Thank your lucky stars.

Do you wonder if you had had your firearm totally concealed, and it had not been seen until someone made a move on you, do you think it would have gone further than it did? Maybe the act of taking it out of the case in plain view saved you from having to pull a trigger later. What a thought.
 
I will weigh in on the surveillance camera thing here, as it is something I have had running for a number of years on my property.

If your business already has a network in place, it is very easy to add network cams. They don't even need a computer to be running, they have a built-in web server. They will record any motion they see, and you can even set them to e-mail images to your home when motion is detected. If you have a wireless network, you can set a cam just about anywhere you want it, and move it if and when you need to.

I am a big fan of Panasonic's line of network cams. They offer two methods of motion detection; a thermal sensor and firmware that detects changes in the actual image. You can enable/disable either at will. Thermal is more reliable, because it will only trip on humans, so you get almost zero false triggers. With image sensing, cloudy days and trees swaying in the wind tend to set it off.

You can access your cameras from anywhere via the Internet, using just a browser, and change settings whenever you want to. Depending on how much you are willing to spend, you can get pan/tilt/zoom features, one-way or two-way audio, and even the ability to have the camera turn things on (e.g. lights) when motion is detected.

If you're shopping for a camera, consider whether it is for indoor or outdoor use, low light capability, CMOS vs. CCD imaging sensor (CCD is generally better), and resolution. Some cams automatically go to IR in low-light conditions.

I started out with a PC and a couple of webcams running in a shed in my backyard, with motion-sensing software (www.gotchanow.com) They paid for themselves almost immediately, when I busted a painting contractor cheating on his hours. A few years later, the CHP helicopter was buzzing around in the middle of the night with the searchlight, looking for someone. When I checked my e-mail in the morning, I had a time-tagged picture of the perp in my back yard, which I forwarded via e-mail to the cops. Cool stuff.

I have since moved up to the network cams, as they are more flexible and configurable, and don't require a PC to be running (just a router). The technology has come a long way in the last few years.

Would a thread on security cameras be within the scope of S&T? I don't know. If someone wants to start one up, I would be happy to contribute what I know about the subject.
 
Your situation came out alright for you.

I have X-10 cameras set up w/Motion Detectors. Those things when tripped, start the hidden VCR in 'record' for 2 minutes, [reduced from 5 minutes, wasted a lot of vidoe tape] and sound a chime in living room/Master bedroom.

Not everyone is a fan of the X-10 devices, but they do what I need.
 
Have you spoken with the lawyer next door to find out if they were associated with him?

You may have avoided a robbery attempt or you may have simply gotten their attention by greeting them and set off the "bull punk" strutting for his pals. Regardless of which, either could have posed a serious threat of injury.

If anyone looks to be around the front, try to park in back. If anyone is around the back, park in front.

If your arms are loaded down your mobility and awareness are impeded. Opening up with no impediments is preferable since the transition zone between door and door is where most people are distracted, loaded down, focused on the process of getting in and the work to be done and the ideal place for predators to pounce.
 
So, I open the 1911A1's case and rack the slide to chamber a round.
.
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Second, I should have already had a round chambered and be cocked and locked. I was shooting yesterday afternoon and didn't bother reloading the firearm.
Click to expand...

cocked and locked is the way to roll with the 1911.
 
Well, John-

They might have been up-and-coming young businessmen in the area, coming by to set up investment accounts, and you scared them away.

That's not what I would bet on, though.

John, NO ONE lives in 'Mayberry' any more. The Mayberry mindset is a symptom of Condition White. It'll get you hurt or worse. Even in small towns, even way out in the country where I live, some genuinely bad drugs are making inroads. People are getting seriously wacked out on those drugs, and doing stupidly unnecessarily horribly violent things to support the drug habits that have destroyed them as rational human beings.

I'm not pushing paranoia here, only due consideration of what is in fact a new reality all over America. Things have changed. There's a thread running here on contact with a notorious gang- way out here in rural America where I live, the road signs are tagged with a gang graffiti. A few months ago one of my neighbors had to shoot a rock monster (local slang for crackhead) who was attempting to force entry into an occupied home.

The same flag is still flying, John, but it isn't the same country any more. There's a new reality to deal with. And I think you just got a glimpse of it. Please be careful out there, in what used to be Mayberry.

Stay Safe,

lpl/nc
 
Maybe they're friends of someone whose investments didn't go well?? The cameras are a worthwhile investment, but no substitute for for awareness and preparedness, cocked, locked and instantly accessible, even in Mayberry.

Good job, this time. And thanks for the reminder,

Stay safe.
Bob
 
Why even get out of the car? Drive a safe distance away, call the police from a cell phone and tell them there are a bunch of unsavory looking individuals loitering in front of the building and to check it out. You pay their salaries, may as well put them to work.
Click to expand...

I can't say I agree with this attitude. Aren't we gun owners always talking about how the cops take 10-15 minutes to arrive, and that they aren't supermen who can be everywhere stopping every crime?
This wasn't even a crime. This was some guys loitering. Whatever city the OP lives in, I'm sure they don't have hundreds of spare police officers sitting around just waiting for the "cat stuck in tree" call. They are probably out doing the real work they are being paid for. So calling them before something even happens, unless it looks VERY wrong, is premature.

Let's be fair, just because we don't see those types of youths as the most upstanding, doesn't mean they are automatically committing crimes. You know, a lot of people think WE are criminals just because we have guns. What if you had the cops called on you every time your weapon printed by some nervous soccer mom. After all, checking out shady suspicions all day is what we're paying the police's salaries for right?

The OP did the right thing by being aware and by calling in the tip later. He could have been better prepared, but in the end he did alright. Call the police to actually stop by would have been overkill.
 
Rather than move an AK back and forth, why not go for a cheap gun cabinet with a beater 12 gauge or similar longarm and keep it in the office all the time. If it does get stolen, not a great loss. You don't have to worry about convenience, AND you don't do something foolish (making a habit of using the back door).

Also, since the gun is not for out-and-about, the heavy shotgun ammo is not an issue. You can keep all you need handy.
 
A couple suggestions

If you want office surveillance on the cheap you could use a program called tincam in conjunction with a simple web cam. It can be set to motion activated and can also email photos to you in the evening if motion is detected. It's not a perfect solution but will work until you have time to get something better installed.

http://www.tincam.com/

It's less than $20.

Also, if you keep firearms handy in your office be sure they are secured from children. You never know when somebody will show up with their grandkids and let them run wild in your office. There's nothing like having their grandkid pull out your AK and ask what it's for.:what:

A discreet sign on the door advertising your video surveillance might also help. A sign stating that your office has no cash or other valuables is a good idea, too.
 
Jwarren, you did well. You had the MOST important thing- awareness- without that, nothing else matters.
 
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