House was burglarized

Mike682

Came home on monday afternoon to find my side door kicked in (they closed the door so I really couldn't tell until I opened the door and noticed the door frame was split). I ran through the house quickly and noticed some things moved around. Called 911, cops came and searched the house. We waited outside for the detectives to arrive. The detectives took pictures, dusted some items and took other items to the lab.

The scumbags took my digital camera, camcorder, etc. They also took a lot of jewelry among other things.

My instict was telling me to get an alarm and I was just talking to others here last week about getting an alarm. I was doing some research on different alarms so I didn't have one when they broke in.

I had to replace my door that night, bought new deadbolt (old door did not have a deadbolt) and a new knob. A neighbor from another block approached us as I was replacing the door and said someone had tried to kick her back door in at 8:15 a.m. However, she has a rottweiler and they took off after the dog went nuts. She said the detectives got fingerprints from her door.

Of course, I called an alarm company and I will have my alarm installed in the next couple of days.

Detective said to also get a dog. He said it is very rare that they will enter the house with a dog barking. So I'm gonna head out to the local animal shelter to adopt a dog.

Our families have been over heping us out with things and they have been a big help.

Anyway, just moving on from this and had to vent a little to CP. If anyone has any other ideas, please chime in.

Mike

steveinaz

Sorry to hear that, glad no one was hurt brotha.

zombie boy 2000

Freakin' A... that sucks! Glad everyone is safe. I've been looking into alarm systems myself of late.

MikeC78

Sorry to hear, hope everything turns out alright for you. I wish someone would break in my house, I adopted an older Military working dog and he would still be happy to eat someone who was a stranger.

Good luck and take care,

Mike

Refefer

Wow.... That sucks major. Hope they catch those scumsuckers and let them fend for themselves in prison.

AdamRagland

if youve ever watched "it takes a thief" that show has some great tips to deter thieves. Number one of whch is always an alarm for starters but they do have some other great tips that make you go "i would have never thought of that"

shack

That sucks. I hope you had insurance. We have deadbolts on all our doors. They could still get in, but it would make a lot of noise and isn't particularly easy. I have never owned less than 2 dogs (three at one time). They stay outdoors in a fenced in back yard. Walk anywhere on our property and they bark like crazy. They are better than any alarm system. We are fortunate that in 25 years we have never had a break-in. I think the dogs have a large part in that.

Mike682

shack wrote:

That sucks. I hope you had insurance. We have deadbolts on all our doors. They could still get in, but it would make a lot of noise and isn't particularly easy. I have never owned less than 2 dogs (three at one time). They stay outdoors in a fenced in back yard. Walk anywhere on our property and they bark like crazy. They are better than any alarm system. We are fortunate that in 25 years we have never had a break-in. I think the dogs have a large part in that.

Yes we have homeowners insurance. I set up the claim yesterday and am waiting for the claims dept to come by.

ESavinon

You can try this:
http://www.x10.com/security/x10_dk9000.htm
I hope you have theft insurance.
At least they didn't take your audio gear.

bobman1235

On an old repeat of Mythbusters the other day they showed how easy it is for someone to throw themselves through a door even with a deadbolt. Doorframes aren't particularly thick, so that's usually the path of least resistance.

An alarm or dog is really your best defense.

Sorry to hear about that though, man, that's a huge bummer

sucks2beme

Better check for missing checks and ID. Lately, they have been blowing past the big electronics,
and taking stuff less risky. Jewelry is hard to trace.
Social security cards and private info seems to be the new big score.
Some local woman who had been robbed found someone at a flea market selling fake SS cards.
There was a stack of cards with her number on it!

Mike682

AdamRagland wrote:

if youve ever watched "it takes a thief" that show has some great tips to deter thieves. Number one of whch is always an alarm for starters but they do have some other great tips that make you go "i would have never thought of that"

I started watching that show recently. They actually did a radio dj's house who works at one of the rock stations here

Mike682

sucks2beme wrote:

Better check for missing checks and ID. Lately, they have been blowing past the big electronics,
and taking stuff less risky. Jewelry is hard to trace.
Social security cards and private info seems to be the new big score.
Some local woman who had been robbed found someone at a flea market selling fake SS cards.
There was a stack of cards with her number on it!

Yep, we checked and still have all of our checks and SS cards, credit cards etc.

Demiurge

Glad you're okay. It's a very disgusting feeling you can't describe unless you've been through it. Hope you end up dealing with the after affects okay. That's the worst part. :mad:

m00npie

Are you in Suffolk? It makes that article from Newsday the other day look like a bunch of crap. Come to think of it, Newsday is a bunch of crap. There is a lot of that going around right now in LI. Just be thankful you were not home. If it's going to happen, better you and your family not there. You’re on the path but be sure take the extra steps.

1.) Alarm and be sure to place the signs outside.
2.) Dog with a very intimidating bark
3.) Wireless Camera on your entrances so you can use his\her face in court when they plea “Not guilty your honor”
3.) Pistol grip, 18" Remington with a SureFire light attachment. You want to be sure you blind them in the dark and see what is coming at you. NY is very friendly to perps regarding the use of deadly force.
4.) Be willing to do what is necessary in the event you are home and it happens again.

Mike682

Demiurge wrote:

Glad you're okay. It's a very disgusting feeling you can't describe unless you've been through it. Hope you end up dealing with the after affects okay. That's the worst part. :mad:

Exactly.

Add the fact that my wife is due 3/9, it has been difficult

tonyb

Dog is a good idea,also lighting,make sure all your entry ways are lighted.
Sorry to hear this,never thought Long Island had this problem.As long as you and the family are ok thats all that really matters.

Mike682

m00npie wrote:

Are you in Suffolk? It makes that article from Newsday the other day look like a bunch of crap. Come to think of it, Newsday is a bunch of crap. There is a lot of that going around right now in LI. Just be thankful you were not home. If it's going to happen, better you and your family not there. You’re on the path but be sure take the extra steps.

Yep, I am in Suffolk. Funny, the detectives and I were talking about that article. They said it is not 100% correct.

m00npie

tonyb wrote:

Dog is a good idea,also lighting,make sure all your entry ways are lighted.
Sorry to hear this,never thought Long Island had this problem.As long as you and the family are ok thats all that really matters.

Recent Article from Newsday...

"The raw numbers are startling: There were 6,410 burglaries in Nassau in 1986 and 2,170 last year. In Suffolk, police say there were 11,153 two decades ago and 3,373 in 2006."

Statistics may show it is getting better, but those #’s are still very high despite the population on LI

polrbehr

Sorry to hear about that, bro.
I live here too.
Be thankful it wasn't one of those "push-in" robberies that I've been hearing about lately around the Island.
Nothing in the house that can't be replaced when it's all said and done, though.
I was actually planning on getting a system myself recently; I guess this is my wake-up call. We'll see how much I remember about low-voltage wiring .
Good luck with the HO insurance, too.

Mike682

polrbehr: set up that alarm.

These f!ckers even took my wife's hospital bag!

McLoki

Mike682 wrote:

Exactly.

Add the fact that my wife is due 3/9, it has been difficult

Based on that, I would wait until the child arrives to get a dog. Let the dog come into chaos rather than come into a smooth family environment that is chaos after the child arrives.

The child does not have to be very old, but I think it will help if it is already there when the dog arrives.

Michael

Mike682

McLoki wrote:

Based on that, I would wait until the child arrives to get a dog. Let the dog come into chaos rather than come into a smooth family environment that is chaos after the child arrives.

The child does not have to be very old, but I think it will help if it is already there when the dog arrives.

Michael

I agree Michael. We want to get a dog but were planning to get it after the baby is born. However, now that this happened we are thinking about how we could try to get the dog sooner

wodom1

Sorry to hear about this. My apartment was burglarized in December '05. I don't think I've ever been as pissed as I was that night, knowing that some strange **** was walking around in my place going through my things. Fortunately I have renters insurance and they took care of everything. The **** ended up taking about $5k worth of stuff, but it was all small things that could be put in a bag (which (s)he stole too). My ex and I lost 5 years of digital pictures on her laptop that we had never backed up, which was probably the most significant loss.

polrbehr

McLoki wrote:

Based on that, I would wait until the child arrives to get a dog. Let the dog come into chaos rather than come into a smooth family environment that is chaos after the child arrives.

The child does not have to be very old, but I think it will help if it is already there when the dog arrives.

Michael

Excellent advice. ^^^ Not help... absolute necessity, IMO.

I could relate a near-horror story with a neigbor of mine, his baby boy, and his Doberman. Thank God he got rid of the dog after he snarled at the baby.
BTW, the Dobie was there first. Right on, Mc.

SLOCOOKN

I too have be a victim of a home burglary. One thing that I found hardest to deal with is going to sleep at night. I would suggest that you start a load of clothes in the washer and dryer each night. A dog will help with the sleep factor.
As I do not have a dog yet I am still doing laundry.

In regards to the dog. Please be a responsible owner as well. Pick a dog that will suit you life style and room requirements.

Steve

Fireman32

Sorry to hear that man. The main thing is no one was hurt. The rest can be replaced.

BaggedLancer

Sorry to hear that. Have had my car broken into and stripped twice, can only imagine what a house is like.

Material goods can be replaced. Lives cannot. Be glad no one was home.

Shizelbs

Sorry to hear that. But hey, you get to get a dog!

ledhed

Man, that sucks. I hope they catch them. And good on you for going to the animal shelter, the best animals in the world are there if people would only give them a chance. A dog from there will likely love you more and be more grateful than a store bought etc.

markmarc

That was great advice on picking a dog that fits your environment/lifestyle. Too many times I've seen owners pick a dog that doesn't fit. It's miserable for both the owner and the animal.