This is a typical home invasion

[Phaedrus/69]

I guess it's hard to say what "a lot" really is. If my door is the one getting kicked in then I guess a lot means just the one (to me). I've been in situations where I had some tense interactions with guys looking for the previous tenant, although neither one turned violent. So yeah, that absolutely does happen. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, sometimes the mistaken home invader is a cop. To me that's the worst possible event. I can recall at least three incidents off the top of my head where a cop or sheriff served a warrant at the wrong address or based on incorrect interaction, leading to a shooting. Usually the occupant is the one that gets shot although sometimes it's the cop. A homeowner was recently acquitted for killing a LEO in this kind of a situation, and one state was working on legislation that would protect home owners that kill LEO in this situation (don't know if it passed or not).

Probably there aren't a "lot" of random home invasions, but what does that matter? There aren't a lot of muggings where I live either but I still carry a gun. I've seen enough security cam footage of genuine random/stranger home invasions to know it's not completely an urban myth. Even if it's relatively uncommon there's no reason to hide your head in the sand and pretend it can't happen to you.

 

[Glock Doctor]

I can't say that I agree with the original premise of this thread. All the way back in 1990 our home was invaded, bright and early, on an otherwise quiet October Sunday morning. The guy was enormous, filthy dirty, and I'll always remember him best for the distorted leering grin he had on his face as he walked towards me!

Fortunately for my wife and me, (I was only three days out of the hospital and on crutches.) our two Pit Bulldogs, who weren't busy eating any of the neighbors' children at the time, took care of the problem for us; but, for a few moments there, I really did think that I was going to die! In fact, as paradoxical as it might seem, I was so afraid that I actually forgot we owned Pitbull Terriers; and, as that huge thug continued to come towards me, all I could think of was that I needed start praying! (Which I did.)

I felt like I was, 'frozen in time'; I was helpless - Helpless! My legs wouldn't work; and I simply couldn't think! Neither did I want to, even, imagine what that filthy dirty cretin was going to do to my very beautiful wife after he had me out of the way! (Thank God for Pit Bulldogs - Well trained Pit Bulldogs who knew exactly what needed to be done, and did it without so much as a moment's hesitation!)

So, ....... home invasions can and do happen - Even to people who think it'll never happen to them!

 

[txblackout]

i live in an upscale neighborhood (houses are all 700k). I personally know 2 people who have suffered kick in burglaries (in my neighborhood of about 300 homes) and one who had a burglar come into their house at night and then leave when he realized people were home.

I know another three single women (one employee, daughter of friend and cousin of friend) who lived in apartments where a man kicked in their door and entered the home. All three were not raped but were incredibly shaken up. In all three cases the home invader left when he realized someone was home.

Another friend was in her backyard when someone entered an unlocked front door and stole her purse.

In my limited experience lots of "home invasions" are actually burglaries gone wrong. Generally the burglars just want to smash and grab and leave without contacting the homeowner.

 

[g.willikers]

There's probably similar occurrences in just about every neighborhood.
In our own, there's been a few of the usual types, the cars broken into, homes burglarized during the day, and one genuine home invasion.
An elderly couple had their front door forced open, the husband knocked to the floor, the wife scared out of her wits, and the house ransacked.
All by one invader who could take advantage of a frail, older and defenseless couple.

The closest we've come is having my old pickup broken into out in the driveway.
And the thief didn't take anything.
He didn't like any of my stuff well enough.
How insulting.

 

[Jeff White]

I think we need to define what legally constitutes a home invasion and how it differs from a burglary. Laws vary from state to state so the definitions I am posting may not be exactly the same as in other states, but they will be similar.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilc...hapterID=53&SeqStart=62600000&SeqEnd=63400000

Here is the definition of Home Invasion:

(720 ILCS 5/19-6) (was 720 ILCS 5/12-11)
Sec. 19-6. Home Invasion.

(a) A person who is not a peace officer acting in the line of duty commits home invasion when without authority he or she knowingly enters the dwelling place of another when he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons is present or he or she knowingly enters the dwelling place of another and remains in the dwelling place until he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons is present or who falsely represents himself or herself, including but not limited to, falsely representing himself or herself to be a representative of any unit of government or a construction, telecommunications, or utility company, for the purpose of gaining entry to the dwelling place of another when he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons are present and

(1) While armed with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm, uses force or threatens the imminent use of force upon any person or persons within the dwelling place whether or not injury occurs, or

(2) Intentionally causes any injury, except as provided in subsection (a)(5), to any person or persons within the dwelling place, or

(3) While armed with a firearm uses force or threatens the imminent use of force upon any person or persons within the dwelling place whether or not injury occurs, or

(4) Uses force or threatens the imminent use of force upon any person or persons within the dwelling place whether or not injury occurs and during the commission of the offense personally discharges a firearm, or

(5) Personally discharges a firearm that proximately causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, permanent disfigurement, or death to another person within the dwelling place, or

(6) Commits, against any person or persons within that dwelling place, a violation of Section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, or 11-1.60 of this Code.

(b) It is an affirmative defense to a charge of home invasion that the accused who knowingly enters the dwelling place of another and remains in the dwelling place until he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons is present either immediately leaves the premises or surrenders to the person or persons lawfully present therein without either attempting to cause or causing serious bodily injury to any person present therein.

(c) Sentence. Home invasion in violation of subsection (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(6) is a Class X felony. A violation of subsection (a)(3) is a Class X felony for which 15 years shall be added to the term of imprisonment imposed by the court. A violation of subsection (a)(4) is a Class X felony for which 20 years shall be added to the term of imprisonment imposed by the court. A violation of subsection (a)(5) is a Class X felony for which 25 years or up to a term of natural life shall be added to the term of imprisonment imposed by the court.

(d) For purposes of this Section, "dwelling place of another" includes a dwelling place where the defendant maintains a tenancy interest but from which the defendant has been barred by a divorce decree, judgment of dissolution of marriage, order of protection, or other court order.
(Source: P.A. 96-1113, eff. 1-1-11; 96-1551, eff. 7-1-11; 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13; 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)

And here is the legal definition of Burglary:

(720 ILCS 5/Art. 19 heading)
ARTICLE 19. BURGLARY

(720 ILCS 5/19-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 19-1)
Sec. 19-1. Burglary.
(a) A person commits burglary when without authority he or she knowingly enters or without authority remains within a building, housetrailer, watercraft, aircraft, motor vehicle, railroad car, or any part thereof, with intent to commit therein a felony or theft. This offense shall not include the offenses set out in Section 4-102 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.

(b) Sentence.
Burglary is a Class 2 felony. A burglary committed in a school, day care center, day care home, group day care home, or part day child care facility, or place of worship is a Class 1 felony, except that this provision does not apply to a day care center, day care home, group day care home, or part day child care facility operated in a private residence used as a dwelling.

(c) Regarding penalties prescribed in subsection (b) for violations committed in a day care center, day care home, group day care home, or part day child care facility, the time of day, time of year, and whether children under 18 years of age were present in the day care center, day care home, group day care home, or part day child care facility are irrelevant.
(Source: P.A. 96-556, eff. 1-1-10; 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13.)

Basically to be a home invasion the suspect has to know the dwelling is occupied or have reason to believe it's occupied before entry and use force or threaten the use of force against the occupants of the dwelling. A lot of incidents that people call home invasions are really burglaries.

Glock Doctor said;
I can't say that I agree with the original premise of this thread. All the way back in 1990 our home was invaded, bright and early, on an otherwise quiet October Sunday morning. The guy was enormous, filthy dirty, and I'll always remember him best for the distorted leering grin he had on his face as he walked towards me!

You don't understand the premise of the thread. No one here is saying that home invasions never happen to innocent people. The premise of the thread is, that if you don't live a criminal lifestyle or allow people who do to reside with you and if you don't hang out with people who live a criminal lifestyle or allow the people who live with you to, you have greatly reduced the chances of becoming a victim of someone breaking down your door for the purpose of harming you or someone who lives with you.

Now if you are the manager of a bank, an armored car company, a check cashing business or a jewelry store, you have a higher risk of becoming a victim of that kind of crime. If it's public knowledge that you keep a large amount of cash or jewelry in your home then you have increased your risk factor.

A high profile home invasion that gets a lot of news coverage usually generates several threads here on upgrading the weapons one keeps handy, clearing your own home and conducting close quarter battle drills in one's living room.

The purpose of this thread is debunk the notion that there are gangs of heavily armed criminals randomly targeting people for home invasion robberies, rapes and murders. It's just not true.

Here is a list of steps you can take to make yourself safer. They are listed in priority order:

1. Don't live an "on the edge" lifestyle. That means don't do or sell illegal drugs, run the streets engaging in bar fights, road rage or other hot tempered conduct.

2. Don't live with anyone who lives that kind of lifestyle.

3. Don't become romantically involved with someone who has a violent ex. If you do, you have to be aware that you are accepting his or her's problem ex as your own problem and your risk of becoming a victim has increased.

4. Don't keep large amounts of cash, jewelry or other valuables in your home. If you must, keep the number of people who know that you do to the barest minimum. Vet everyone who has knowledge of the fact there is cash or valuables in your home. Remember the only way something ever stays secret is if only ONE person knows the secret.

5. Harden your home. You need a layered defense that starts with security lights on the exterior, an alarm system with cellular backup, good locks on windows and thorny plants under them to dissuade people from attempting to use the windows as entry points. Door jambs should be solid and hinges and strike plates should be secures with at least 3 inch screws. Deadbolt locks that require a key to open from the inside. A way to view who is at your door without exposing yourself. Video is getting to be fairly inexpensive and is better then a peep hole in the door however that may not be possible in an apartment. The door to the safe room should meet the same standards as the exterior doors, solid core, 3 inch screws for the hinges and strike plate, long throw deadbolt lock.

6. Don't let anyone you don't know into your home. Call and verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a police officer, firefighter or utility company employee. Anyone with a computer can produce authentic looking ID for any organization. Several months ago I ran off a man who claimed to have been hired by the company I have my home owners insurance with to update the photos of the house. He couldn't produce any identification to prove that's who he worked for. I immediately called my insurance agent after he left and within 30 minutes the agent called me back and said that yes, the company had hired an outfit from out of state to take new photos of the homes they insured in the area. And no they didn't provide them with any ID or a number that homeowners could call to verify. My agent agreed with me, that it was a stupid thing for the company to do. I don't regret running him off at all even after it proved legit.

7. Sanitize areas of your home that contractors and service people will have to access to do their work. Don't leave guns, valuables or other intel that could make you a target visible. Do your best to vet anyone you let into your home to do any work. This will be hard with things like the cable company. But do your best.

8. Dogs are good, but you should not rely on them to provide early warning or defense. I know that there are many here who will scoff at that notion, but it's true. A dog is only part of a defensive strategy and they are fallible just like everything else.

9. Have a plan to move everyone in the home to the safe room if a breach is attempted and rehearse the plan.

10. Have a firearm, a cell phone and a good flashlight handy. Train with them.

 

[Hangingrock]

There is a weekly paper that includes the Sheriffs Department Report that covers weekly incidents and arrests. There is usually a pattern of association in regards to criminal activity. Home invasions are not common occurrences but when it happens its people association or drugs being the main cause that precipitates the event.

 

[coloradokevin]

Jeff White: I 100% agree with you on this thread! I've very rarely encountered the stranger-on-stranger home invasion that didn't involve other illegal activity on the part of the victim (ex: drug culture, gang culture, etc).

The closest most normal victims come to such a situation is what I'd refer to as the "burglary gone wrong". In this instance a burglar breaks into a home thinking it was unoccupied and discovers otherwise, or the homeowner comes home to a burglar in the residence. In most of these cases the burglar wants to un-encounter the homeowner as quickly as possible, though these cases can occasionally turn violent if the burglar decides to take a "fight" instead of "flight" approach to the situation.

Nevertheless, as much as we discuss the issue around here, the stranger-on-innocent stranger home invasion is a relatively rare occurrence. Similarly rare are stranger-on-stranger sexual assaults and kidnappings. All of these events do happen, and it's worth being aware of them, and prepared for them. But, most of these events involve: 1) Other illicit activities, or 2) People who already know each other.

 

[old lady new shooter]

I think we need to define what legally constitutes a home invasion and how it differs from a burglary. Laws vary from state to state so the definitions I am posting may not be exactly the same as in other states, but they will be similar.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilc...hapterID=53&SeqStart=62600000&SeqEnd=63400000

Here is the definition of Home Invasion:



And here is the legal definition of Burglary:



Basically to be a home invasion the suspect has to know the dwelling is occupied or have reason to believe it's occupied before entry and use force or threaten the use of force against the occupants of the dwelling. A lot of incidents that people call home invasions are really burglaries.



You don't understand the premise of the thread. No one here is saying that home invasions never happen to innocent people. The premise of the thread is, that if you don't live a criminal lifestyle or allow people who do to reside with you and if you don't hang out with people who live a criminal lifestyle or allow the people who live with you to, you have greatly reduced the chances of becoming a victim of someone breaking down your door for the purpose of harming you or someone who lives with you.

Now if you are the manager of a bank, an armored car company, a check cashing business or a jewelry store, you have a higher risk of becoming a victim of that kind of crime. If it's public knowledge that you keep a large amount of cash or jewelry in your home then you have increased your risk factor.

A high profile home invasion that gets a lot of news coverage usually generates several threads here on upgrading the weapons one keeps handy, clearing your own home and conducting close quarter battle drills in one's living room.

The purpose of this thread is debunk the notion that there are gangs of heavily armed criminals randomly targeting people for home invasion robberies, rapes and murders. It's just not true.

Here is a list of steps you can take to make yourself safer. They are listed in priority order:

1. Don't live an "on the edge" lifestyle. That means don't do or sell illegal drugs, run the streets engaging in bar fights, road rage or other hot tempered conduct.

2. Don't live with anyone who lives that kind of lifestyle.

3. Don't become romantically involved with someone who has a violent ex. If you do, you have to be aware that you are accepting his or her's problem ex as your own problem and your risk of becoming a victim has increased.

4. Don't keep large amounts of cash, jewelry or other valuables in your home. If you must, keep the number of people who know that you do to the barest minimum. Vet everyone who has knowledge of the fact there is cash or valuables in your home. Remember the only way something ever stays secret is if only ONE person knows the secret.

5. Harden your home. You need a layered defense that starts with security lights on the exterior, an alarm system with cellular backup, good locks on windows and thorny plants under them to dissuade people from attempting to use the windows as entry points. Door jambs should be solid and hinges and strike plates should be secures with at least 3 inch screws. Deadbolt locks that require a key to open from the inside. A way to view who is at your door without exposing yourself. Video is getting to be fairly inexpensive and is better then a peep hole in the door however that may not be possible in an apartment. The door to the safe room should meet the same standards as the exterior doors, solid core, 3 inch screws for the hinges and strike plate, long throw deadbolt lock.

6. Don't let anyone you don't know into your home. Call and verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a police officer, firefighter or utility company employee. Anyone with a computer can produce authentic looking ID for any organization. Several months ago I ran off a man who claimed to have been hired by the company I have my home owners insurance with to update the photos of the house. He couldn't produce any identification to prove that's who he worked for. I immediately called my insurance agent after he left and within 30 minutes the agent called me back and said that yes, the company had hired an outfit from out of state to take new photos of the homes they insured in the area. And no they didn't provide them with any ID or a number that homeowners could call to verify. My agent agreed with me, that it was a stupid thing for the company to do. I don't regret running him off at all even after it proved legit.

7. Sanitize areas of your home that contractors and service people will have to access to do their work. Don't leave guns, valuables or other intel that could make you a target visible. Do your best to vet anyone you let into your home to do any work. This will be hard with things like the cable company. But do your best.

8. Dogs are good, but you should not rely on them to provide early warning or defense. I know that there are many here who will scoff at that notion, but it's true. A dog is only part of a defensive strategy and they are fallible just like everything else.

9. Have a plan to move everyone in the home to the safe room if a breach is attempted and rehearse the plan.

10. Have a firearm, a cell phone and a good flashlight handy. Train with them.

"Don't become romantically involved with someone who has a violent ex."

This was the cause of a shootout in the street on my block a few years ago. My street is mixed single- and multi-family, in a fourplex lived a young man who had started dating a young woman whose former boyfriend was a gangbanger. The gangbanger didn't like that so he came over with a few of his homies and waited with them on the front lawn for the resident to come home, with the intention of killing him. One bullet went through the wall of a house across the street, right into a bedroom where children were sleeping, thankfully they were not hurt. The police locked down the whole neighborhood while trying to catch the gangbangers, everybody got robo-calls saying to stay inside and then about six hours later another robocall saying it was ok to go outside again.

 

[Hardtarget]

The one that worries me is when the police get the wrong address. They hit the door for a "no knock" entry and your world explodes!

This happened to the parents of a lady my wife worked with. Her father thought it was a home invasion, grabbed his shotgun, and died. OOPS! Wrong street....wrong address... wrong name...wrong race...our bad...

Sure, they "announced"... POLICE ! The bad guys can say it just like the cops.

Very bad thing all around.

I am not saying bad stuff about the police. I'm just pointing out a very sad/bad situation that can ruin lives in a heartbeat.

Mark

 

[boatdoc173]

Nope but after 25 years in LE I can say that the primary cause of home invasions is hanging out with the wrong people or someone who lives with you hanging out with the wrong people.

that may have been so years ago ...but these days in my area they are random---

we live in a hurricane hit area of a coast line state.... many homes are empty-- others are just summer homes. We have a newer home that withstood 2 hurricanes BUT someone tried to break in before Sandy( as the area was supposed to be evacuated like during the previous Hurricane (Irene)-- and after Irene the cops did little and there was a lot of looting) luckily I secured the house properly so the perps could not get in--we did not have any weapons at that time either---

.. we finally sleep better now that we have permits, guns and the training to us e them--we alarm the house at all times( sadly we are the prisoners and the criminals run free to do what they want). My wife even reported a couple of slimeballs staking out homes in the past. Never felt so vulnerable as we did waiting those months for our permits.

the world has changed for the worst.

I would like to carry at all times BUT I cannot go into a hospital carrying nor can I carry into work without it being an issue-- not the best scenario for self defense-- Guess I have to have faith that my maker will protect me-- as I am not allowed to do so and violent crimes in this area are rising so fast we call the local news" who was shot today"

how's that gun control working out? NOT!!!!

 

[boatdoc173]

Just to clarify, that doesn't mean that there aren't other factors that could make one a target, just that the people you associate with is the biggest factor

agreed that thos e familiar with you and your habits are the ones most likely to steal from you BUT my point is that a growing # of crimes seem to be random-- they find empty vacation homes... very attractive..

 

[anothernewb]

As my old XO loved to say "the stupid shall be punished"

so try not to be stupid!

that's a good one.

My father (who was a marine in Korea) had a similar line. his was

"It should hurt to be stupid"

back on topic. Around my area the drug situation has gotten worse. Not in so much as the level of drugs has gotten worse - but some of the people on them have gotten, well... really dumb. no thinking process at all, and they go about their lives in some of the most blatantly idiotic processes. Then again, I could just be getting older and more cranky and more apt to call them on it.

So far my issues have been limited. 2x now in the last winter I've busted dumb kids - and by kids I mean 14 year old range - in my shed smoking pot. Nothing's been stolen so far, but that doesn't mean it won't happen sometime. I can see why my shed's an attractive target. it's hidden totally from street view by landscaping and trees/bushes. and it's along a vacated alley, but within earshot of the bus stop. Here's the dumb part - my next door neighbor is a city cop. and his house is only 150' from my shed. and both he and I have clear line of sight to it. They watch for the bus - but ignore the rest. Dumb, just - dumb.

 

[SSN Vet]

Whether statistically probable or not, it's the pedophiles that keep me up at night.....

The Idaho home invasion and murder of the Groene family, and the subsequent kidnapping, repeated rapes of 8 & 9 year old children Shasta & Dylon, and the murder of Dylon is the "text book" case that I'm talking about.

The killer (a convicted child rapist released from prison after serving only a fraction of a 20 year sentence) drove by, saw two cute kids playing in the yard, stalked the house for three days and then executed his plan with a shotgun.

But even in that case, the killer was nervous and almost bailed on his plan... deciding to go forward with it only after discovering that the back door was unlocked.

Perhaps some folks aren't paying attention or have their heads in the sand, but sexual perversion and addiction, child molestation, teen rape and college campus rape are epidemic in this country.

More and more, the cesspools from which these "activities" are spawned, (porno, perversion, infidelity, etc...) have become acceptable and "mainstream" behaviors. And anyone who calls them out is labelled a puritanical bigot.

So in my estimation, the forecast is not good.

The Cheshire, CT home invasion, kidnapping, robbery, rape and murder of the Petit family is another prime example.

IMO, our societies refusal to deal appropriately with the scum on the bottom of the pool is largely to blame.

So probability has to be weighed with the horror of the crime...

 

[benEzra]

Just a minor nitpick regarding an excellent post:

Basically to be a home invasion the suspect has to know the dwelling is occupied or have reason to believe it's occupied before entry and use force or threaten the use of force against the occupants of the dwelling. A lot of incidents that people call home invasions are really burglaries.

According to the sample statute, it appears that a burglar who enters thinking no one is home, but then remains in the home when someone shows up (or he realizes someone is home) and threatens the occupants, also commits a home invasion. So an incident can start as a burglary and become a home invasion at a subsequent point, legally speaking.

(a) A person who is not a peace officer acting in the line of duty commits home invasion when without authority

• he or she knowingly enters the dwelling place of another when he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons is present or
  
• he or she knowingly enters the dwelling place of another and remains in the dwelling place until he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons is present or
  
• who falsely represents himself or herself, including but not limited to, falsely representing himself or herself to be a representative of any unit of government or a construction, telecommunications, or utility company, for the purpose of gaining entry to the dwelling place of another when he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more persons are present....

So if I read that statute correctly, a "burglary gone bad" would still be a home invasion even if the burglar didn't originally enter the home with the intent of attacking the residents.

 

[Jeff White]

That's correct. If the burglar stays in the residence and commits a violent act or threatens a violent act, then it's a home invasion. The operable part is the next paragraph which defines the other elements of the offense. Note the word and at the end of the paragraph you quoted from. It has to include one or more of the other elements listed in the next paragraph in order to be home invasion.

Without violence or threat of violence you have either trespass or burglary.

Of course what gets charged is up to the prosecutor.

Home invasion is a very serious charge in every jurisdiction I'm aware of and conviction brings severe penalties.

 

[ACP]

Thanks Jeff.

I have a reporter friend who has covered crime for many years in a mid-sized metro area.

He says "home invasions" come in two flavors:

1) gangs or wannabe gang members raiding other people's apartments. etc. for drugs, cash and guns..

2) asian business owners who are targeted by other asians who know they keep large amounts of cash in the home.

The scenario of armed strangers breaking into your home by chance to get whatever they can (or can't) is a rare instance. But that's what my Mossberg 590 and S&W 686 are for.

 

[BLB68]

He forgot a couple of flavors, though I agree the first two flavors are most common:

3) Rapists.

4) Thrill killers.

Some people do break into a home that's occupied with the primary goal of harming the occupants, even though it may be the smaller number of cases.

 

[Jeff White]

He forgot a couple of flavors, though I agree the first two flavors are most common:

Not forgotten. Deliberately omitted because they happen so infrequently they are statistically insignificant.

If you lay awake nights worried about rapist or thrill killer who is about to break into your home and harm you, then you are probably watching too much "real crime" tv or reading too many lurid thrillers.

You miss the point of the thread which is the people you allow into your life are the greatest single threat you face. If you are careful about the people you associate with your changes of becoming a victim to a home invasion drop to near zero.

 

[Jeff White]

Another example: Ax-wielding intruder fatally stabbed by homeowner in Franklin County http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_91509ae8-ff0f-5dd2-9dfc-145f3ec65594.html

 

[Fred Fuller]

From the article ...

the homeowner, 55, told police he'd had an argument with a man earlier in the night

Wonder what the argument was about?

 

[Jeff White]

Don't know Fred. The article also states he used the homeowner's axe to break in. Another tip; Don't leave the tools they need to break in where the bad guys can access them.

 

[Jeff White]

More detail in this article. The same homeowner shot and killed an intruder back in February:

Franklin County homeowner kills intruder for second time in four months.

http://www.kmov.com/story/29392574/ax-wielding-man-attacks-homeowner-in-franklin-county

 

[Jeff White]

He definitely hangs out with the wrong crowd.

Franklin County homeowner said he feared for his life before killing intruder – for 2nd time this year http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_91509ae8-ff0f-5dd2-9dfc-145f3ec65594.html

Of course if you hung out with this homeowner, you would probably be hanging out with the wrong person.

 

[BLB68]

Not forgotten. Deliberately omitted because they happen so infrequently they are statistically insignificant.

If you lay awake nights worried about rapist or thrill killer who is about to break into your home and harm you, then you are probably watching too much "real crime" tv or reading too many lurid thrillers.

You miss the point of the thread which is the people you allow into your life are the greatest single threat you face. If you are careful about the people you associate with your changes of becoming a victim to a home invasion drop to near zero.

I haven't missed the point. I already agreed with the point.

As to the odds of a rapist breaking into a home: My grandmother's home was broken into by a serial rapist, and my brother's upscale neighborhood had a guy breaking into children's bedrooms at night and molesting them. So, yeah. I must come from a criminal cartel or something, right?

We aren't armed because of the likelihood of an event happening, but because of the severity of the event should it happen. I'm fine if you want to keep the thread to only discussing one element of risk management, but set aside the snark. It's pretty low road.

 

[grter]

If there is a roving gang of psycos there is also a good chance it may never be reported and dealt with at the police level.

Police commanders in the highest crime areas are very likely cooking their crime statistics to appease what ever polititians they happen to be brown nosing that season.

This means unless (Until ?) that psycopathic rapist murders or kills someone in a way that provokes public outrage, all his attempts to maim or kill and his stalking will be reported as simple misdemenor assaults or harrasment complaints rather than felonies which means no apb, no investigation beyond filing a report (for which they make you sit and wait a long time before assisting you.)

This keeps the violent crime from being addressed and nothing is done while inoccent people are endangered.

I do notice is they love to somehow imply it's the victims fault whatever the reason be they will make up a reason if they have to rather than dealing with the issues of violence that plague their jurisdiction.

This type of law enforcement is widespread and happens as frequently as Mcdonalds flips hamburgers.

The jewish neighborhoods are safer a lot of jews patrol and watch the places they reside. They are not dependent on the cops to tell them what is going on and do not need suedo common sense dictated to them.

They walk the streets at any time they feel like in numbers and rightfully so. It is their neighborhood and they don't allow criminals to rule their areas. We should learn somthing from them.

There is nothing wrong with securing your residence to protect your loved ones, yourself, and your way of life. To do so no only makes you safer but others as well and is one of the core characteristics of the American way without a doubt.