Incident this morning accelerated my heart rate

[Doug Add]

At 8:05 this morning my cellular phone registered a missed call from home, which indicated someone had called me from home and hung up before my phone rang. My wife, who has not been feeling well the past couple days, was sleeping when I took my son to school this morning.

I called home and got no answer. I called her cellular phone and got no answer, but did not get immediately sent to her voice mail as I would if the phone was turned off. I called back home and still no answer.

The street thugs have been getting more brazen lately, coming into more than one home near us while the residents were home, and a few nights ago the dog alerted to something/someone in the yard. When I went out to check I heard voices of young men going through the woods away from my house.

So, I immediately drove home not knowing what I may discover.

When I arrived, my wife was not in the house and the door from our kitchen out to the back yard was standing open--not customary on any occasion, especially on a 35 degree morning.

As I walked to the front of the house I saw her coming out of the woods with the dog. Turns out our dog had bolted out an open door. Just as she dialed my number she saw him run by the back door toward the busy four lane highway just through the woods, and hung up to give chase.

I am glad for the outcome, but for a few brief moments I thought my wife may have become a victim of a home invasion/kidnapping. Driving back to work I was evaluating our preparedness for such an event.

She knows how to defend herself, is willing to do violence to any attacker, and would not go with anyone without an intense struggle. She keeps the doors locked when home and knows better than to open the door to anyone she does not know. We have visual contact outside without opening the doors, still someone could force their way through a locked door. We are not financially able to install steel doors, and if someone really wanted to get in there are many windows that could be broken to provide entry.

So, beyond keeping one of our home defense weapons immediately accessible in any area of the house, I am not sure what else we can do. Any thoughts?

 

[up_onus]

My girlfriends house was broken into 2 times in 2 months. Once through the front door, with one easy kick....Made me think! It did cost about 200$ a door, but we installed a security door - steel screen - which is great for the summer, because you can keep the door open, and keep the steel screen locked and tight. This is twofold goodness especially if you like to open your doors in the summer the sound of breaking glass is an instant alert, while the sound of a big THUD isnt so recognizable to what is happening. Me and her didnt do the installation all at once as we couldnt afford it either, we did one door at a time but feel much safer. Also, she ended up buying shatter resistant glass for her "less" secure/obscure windows.

Keep a cell phone close for 911.
Train a dog.
Get a cheapo alarm system that sounds loud when someone enters (do the install yourself).
And get a CCW for when your leaving and entering your home as I have read that is one of the least secure times in your day.


The security screen is nicer than a "steel door" because it cannot be "kicked in", only PULLED out.

 

[armabill]

A steel door doesn't make it burglar proof. The weakest part is where the striker goes into the door jamb.

I installed a long plate screwed into the wall joist/jamb in this area.

I hope that when she was in the woods that she was carrying. You never know.

Glad everything turned out ok.

 

[Caimlas]

Doors, chains, and what have you are not safe.

Last winter my wife and I were heading for bed, and then we hear people making noise outside the door of our duplex unit. We were on the downstairs unit, neighbor had to go by our door to get upstairs. I think nothing of it, as they were noisy, rude neighbors, and we really had little to do with them - aside for calling the cops on them once or twice.

I habitually locked and chained the door at this recidence (and still do here, as well). So I'm laying in bed and I hear a loud bang and a loud voice which is significantly in my livingroom. I bolt out of bed and peak out into the hall, pistol in hand. I see a guy walking into my livingroom - the apartment is really small, so two steps and he's half way across the house. He was silloetted against the open and lit doorway (the room was dark). He was mumbling incoherrently and walking towards me; I was scared ****less and would've been in every right to remove him from this mortal coil, as it was about 1am on a week day. But I didn't, thank god, because I recognized him in time.

We moved about a week later. But, the point is that the chains and locks without deadbolts are pretty ineffective at stopping people. He was drunk, about 150 pounds, and just bumped into the door hard. It wasn't intentional, I found out - our neighbor told him to come over, and that the 'door would be unlocked' so he just gave a hefty (drunken) shove and in it came, rimming the chain holder off the wall and splintering the area round the door latch.

 

[Big Calhoun]

IMO, nothing to worry about, false alarm. Anything can happen, but how much money and time in ownership and maintenance are you willing to spend to foritfy your home?

Thankfully, nothing happened and that is the major win here. IMO, the best thing to do at times like this is to reevaluate the security measures you have in your home...doors locked, windows locked, door and window bars in place, no old broken windows still on the 'honey do' list, yadda yadda yadda. If everything is in order, I'm one to believe that you just have to put the rest of it on the hands of God and faith of man. I know the faith of man thing is a little shaky nowadays, but what else are you gonna do? Live underground?