Know who's at your door.

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Years ago, I saw an interview w/ a (thankfully incarcerated) mafia hitman on TV. He said that one of his favorite tactics was to walk up to the door, put a sawn-off shotgun at about chest level, knock and/or ring the doorbell, and wait for the peephole to go dark. Then he'd just pull the trigger, turn around, and walk away.
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He sounds like the least competent hitman ever.
He doesn't know whether he shot the intended target or shot someone else, or missed altogether.
And he doesn't know if he really killed the intended target or not.
I doubt that the real mafia puts up with that kind of incompetence.
 
We have the lower half of our porch windows tinted. Due to the angle of the front door and the shade from the eaves I can be right at the window and anyone at the front door can't see me. This arrangement has come in handy multiple times.
 
easyg said:
He sounds like the least competent hitman ever.
He doesn't know whether he shot the intended target or shot someone else, or missed altogether.
And he doesn't know if he really killed the intended target or not.
I doubt that the real mafia puts up with that kind of incompetence.
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+1

Urban legends... For some reason, people will believe anything that comes out of the mouth of a criminal, unless it is "i didn't do it...". But if they tell silly stories on how they worked for the government as a navy seal / cia black ops / svr top secret ninja assassin people believe it.

Don't use or deal illegal drugs, and you will vastly reduce your chances of this kind of attack.
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Tell that to the family in Conn. The point is, it isn't true. It can and does happen. Make sure that you have a a defined perimeter, some kind of early warning system, preferably a few (motion lights, alarm, dog, video system). And have an old cell phone and a .38 in your safe room.

Might be a good idea to build a choke point / fire lane in your house. If something goes bump, plan and have the ability to fort up in the choke point, call the cops and wait them out.
 
I never open the door or even respond unless I know who's on the other side. The times when cops have been around the area I can tell from the squelches and (though it sounds odd) the way they knock. They're not subtle.
 
ISN'T ANY GUARANTEE: "Don't use or deal illegal drugs, and you will vastly reduce you

SUPERNAUGHT: That's an excellent hint: to tint. In our neighborhood of 12 streets, there are 23 houses that have the same house number -- or one digit less or more -- than mine. How do I ensure that LEO or DDLO (drug dealers' law enforcers) don't kick in my doors accidentally? I can't. It's my tax $$$$, so when I get a 0300 wake-up knock, I dial 911 before I go towards the door. I do have four slip-chain fasteners on the storm-door, and three on the main door, and they include a wind-shear spring attachment on each of them, and are absolutely impossible to kick open. We have a "One-Buck General Store" in the area which is moving its location. I have dibs on their old security system, and am looking forward to playing with those new toys. Until then its a JC Higgins 20-ga and a Glock.
 
I have two Rottweilers that answer the door. Also have a small gated courtyard. Whoever is ringing the doorbell is 12 feet away from my actual front door. Kind of a sally port setup. Also have exterior cameras with 2 angles of whoever is standing in that spot.
I can see them before I decide to answer or not.
 
Years ago, I saw an interview w/ a (thankfully incarcerated) mafia hitman on TV.:) He said that one of his favorite tactics was to walk up to the door, put a sawn-off shotgun at about chest level, knock and/or ring the doorbell, and wait for the peephole to go dark.:) Then he'd just pull the trigger, turn around, and walk away.:)
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And why would a mafia hitman want to kill a THR member?:confused:
 
How would the hitman know if he was murdering the right person? Sounds more like roulette, chancing that the target will not be hit then go into hiding.

We dont answer door. Sign on it says do not knock. Leave message or telephone.
 
One side asks if he would really care
the other side just thinks guy rings your bell and asks for Bob, is he home, and if you are not the target, says sorry and claims he is buying a book case off of craigs list.
 
i don't answer the door unless i know a friend is coming over, or if i look through the blinds and see it's a close relative such as my dad or grandmother. sometimes they will knock for a long time, that's usually about the time i set my car alarm off with the clicker.
 
Home security is about the whole package, not just one aspect.

First off, I picked a place to live that has an extremely low crime rate,where I know and like and aggressively pursue a good relationship with all my neighbors. Neighbors and I will not hesitate 2 seconds to call PD for any suspicious activity in the neighborhood. I live in a small house that looks just like every other house in a town where the police have a ridiculous number of surveillance cameras around the town including one that has my front yard in view. Word has it from a friend that is a city engineer that the cameras are equal to the cameras in a casino and can zoom in good enough to tell the denomination of bills I am tipping the pizza guy with. I have motion detecting lights all over the outside of the house, break resistant film on windows and patio door, and reinforced security doors on front door, garage door into house, and side door into garage (it also saves wear and tear on screen doors which I had to replace frequently when the kids were little) with peep holes in all doors. Garage door is manually opened (cars are not kept in garage, too full of stuff) and are kept closed and locked so as not to show what's inside. Rose bushes under windows kept trimmed down so as not to block the view. Living areas of house are in the back so door opens into a hallway. Bedroom has solid core door and kick resistant hinges and lock. No kids. Dogs alert well on strangers and sleep in the bedroom with us. Wife's gun and mine have tac lights along with hand held lights kept near bed. Cell phones (ruggedized waterproof military style)for each of us are kept charged and by bed along with blue tooth headsets for each so hands can be free while calling 911). Reloads for hers are strategically and discretely located throughout the house-mine are kept on the shotgun (not to clear the house but to fight our way back to the bedroom if necessary). And we occasionally walk through scenarios and role play along with practicing shooting as a team when we "play" in the woods.

AND I won't open the door at night if I don't know you. . .PERIOD. I usually won't open the door for anyone that even looks like they are selling something. And on the rare occasions when I do open the inner door for someone I don't know, we're talking through the security door. And I'll probably have a handgun tucked in my back waistband. There's more to it than that but suffice to say, whenever we buy ANYTHING, safety and security is an aspect we consider along with price, durability, aesthetics, etc. The house doesn't look like a fortress.

I also have a liberal amount of fire extinguishers throughout the house (wife and I both blow the charges at small fires when it comes time to service just to practice) along with CO detectors, smoke detectors, etc.

And we are well stocked with first aid supplies, I taught wifey how to fix booboos big and small) and I am a paramedic (still licensed but have a cushier indoor kind of job now) with a lifelong opportunity to see how accidents, and fires, and crimes happened and what people could have done different.

Point is: Don't key on one facet, take a holistic approach. Look at weaknesses as well and the first step should be awareness and avoidance. Evaluate things from a safety and security aspect as well as price and appearance and function. Everyone likes bling but does it make you look like a target, is this purchase going to make the house more or less vulnerable, is this a fire hazard, a health hazard, is this going to make us more vulnerable, or safer?
 
"Omnes Veniant"

Nice regimen. Very similar to mine, except we had to retire to a suburb due do a relative's health problems. You have it all well-sorted out. I'm book-marking your post. Thanks for more ideas. dao.
 
Oh, I forgot something important. Ladies (and some guys): Take EVERYTHING off your keyring but the keys and maybe a small knife or multitool. Pictures, ID tags, key fob store membership cards, all of it. Just a ring of keys. If they are lost or dropped, they could belong to anyone, anywhere. No reason to tell anyone what locks the keys go in. And no more cards in your wallet or purse than you actually need. Less to remember to cancel if the wallet is lost or stolen. Ladies-ALL store cards are phone number linked, you don't have to carry ANY of them. For some reason that was the hardest thing to convince my wife of. I don't know what it is about that.
 
I like sniper5's post.

We have hurricanes and power outages to deal with here and they present a whole new challenge to security. There's typically more door to door traffic during those times throughout the neighborhood. We have to modify, or go to our "back up" plans when this happens, otherwise my post would sound very similar to sniper5's.

Solar powered motion sensing lights are a must. The "back up" phones we use are what we didn't turn in for upgrades. They stay charged in case we need a sim card swap because texts are all that go through sometimes. There's no such thing as too many flashlights. We have them placed all over the house in discrete locations. Because the storms hit during the summer the windows usually stay open. Generators help alleviate that, but they break and are easy targets for theft. Dogs! Two really BIG dogs are a good idea, but only if you can't afford to feed 3.

If you run a gennie long enough you can rest assured that everyone will know you have fuel :uhoh:

Cameras won't always work unless you have a gennie running or a UPS, so we've had to devise a back up plan. Always need a back up plan. In a nutshell, we go to FPCON Charlie because of the added vulnerability and the high probability that a crime is going to occur somewhere. Opening the door can easily become a 2 person operation, if it is opened at all. At night, it is highly unlikely that it will be. Any of my friends or family will call my name if they're at the door. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but, you never know. We won't always have the option of someone (friend or family) calling before they come over.

I keep my house key separate from the rest for easy access. I agree with "only the cards you need." Having had my wallet stolen it is a colossal pain to have ALL of your cards replaced and not have anything to use in the mean time.

While the times that we have when power is down for a significant period of time is statistically low, it is poses the greatest vulnerability since many of the system that we have in place in day-to-day life do not work. And this of course isn't an all inclusive list either.
 
I'm not just playing devil's advocate (although I usually like to), but I remember several times when I was a young teenager riding bikes with my friends, if one of us got hurt (not bad enough to go to the hospital, but still pretty scraped and cut) we'd immediately go to the nearest house and ask if they had a first aid kit. In this situation, you would have 3 teenagers coming to your door (two early teens one mid teen), one of them looking beaten up. I must say, I'm glad the families that helped us actually did.

Which brings me to my question - how do you know if it's someone you should open the door for or not?
 
Which brings me to my question - how do you know if it's someone you should open the door for or not?
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If I were put in that situation I would render aid, but they would not come into my house. There is nothing I'm qualified to do that would make any difference if they were inside or out. If they needed medical supplies, blankets or phone they are more than welcome to what they need.

My home has a set of high steps leading to the front entrance. They would be better off at the foot of the stairs on the patio where aid could be rendered and medical personel could get to them and transfer them if need be to a hospital.
 
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