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Burglary Protection

3K views 45 replies 25 participants last post by  Strike Hold! 
#1 ·
We all have made steps to protect ourselves from burglars (namely being armed) but what is our statistical threat risk & some of the details? I looked at info aggregated from DOJ,FBI, BJS, and a few other sources. Note: I DID NOT create the info, if you disagree that's okay. Let's jump in:

One in 36 homes will suffer a burglary at some point.

Over half are committed by people known to the victim.
2.5 Million happen per year in the US
7% involve violence
88% Are drug-motivated
62% happen during daylight hours.
Average burglary lasts less than10 minutes.
Cash, prescription drugs, jewelry & electronics are most common items taken.



---------------- Obviously they'll take guns too if they can. But the above items are in nearly ALL homes so I can see why they top the list.

So if you get burgled it's MOST likely to be by someone in your circle who has a drug problem, like your problem nephew, your coworker's crazy ex, etc. Random Druggies take 2nd place.
They will likely do a quick in-and-out, grabbing whatever is easy.
This is most likely to be in the daytime, when you are out.

Interesting stuff.

For me, My bedside gun is my carry gun. So if I'm out it's not at home. All other guns (and watches) are in two VERY heavy safes ---bolted to floor joists & wall studs. Of course they are not totally impregnable but it would take quite a bit of time & tools to defeat or remove them. Getting them IN was a massive job.

Other loot? ------------ well, there's not a lot of lucrative, pawnable stuff here other than automotive tools.

------------- Stay safe!
 
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#3 · (Edited)
There is a bit of discrepancy here between posts#1, and post #2. Is it a one in 36 chance of being burglarized in one year or overall? That is a pretty wide discrepancy. At any rate I can only guess that I am pretty good shape here for a number of reasons. I do not know or associate with any dope heads at least that I know of. And it is pretty much the same for the people that I do know. Another thing is that my wife and I are here all of the time. We are enjoying the heck out of our retirement on our 45 acres of heaven in the blue ridge mountains. Raising most of our own food, and enjoying our hobbies suits us just fine. Having a 150 yard rifle range on the property is nice as well. I have been everywhere and anywhere in my 34 years as a professional mariner and am pleased as punch to just not have to go anywhere. Off topic so that's it. But burglary is not high on my list of concerns.Just sayin.

Funny that note about the master bedroom though. It would be a pretty neat trick to get into our master bedroom without a pretty good amount of time and the proper tools.
Handle Fixture Door Dead bolt Wood
Handle Dead bolt Fixture Door Window
Handle Fixture Wood Door Floor
 
#10 ·
There is a bit of discrepancy here between posts#1, and post #2. Is it a one in 36 chance of being burglarized in one year or overall? That is a pretty wide discrepancy. At any rate I can only guess that I am pretty good shape here for a number of reasons. I do not know or associate with any dope heads at least that I know of. And it is pretty much the same for the people that I do know.
(Not so) fun fact: dope heads can be really good at hiding it. At least for a little while. I didn't realize a close family member had become a heroine addict until they OD'd on it and had to make a trip to the hospital. They made it, much to my chagrin, and I've cut contact since. Needless to say there were a lot of revelations that day.

And that's relevant to the topic because I'm fairly sure that person is the same reason some family valuables came up missing.
 
#4 ·
If you have a neighbor you can trust let them know if you're going away on vacation.

If you have a neighbor you can't trust make sure to keep your mouth shut.
 
#5 ·
Better yet just leave stuff out to attract the local bears. :D
 
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#6 ·
I have the goodies secured and my edc on me. I have multiple cameras that cover the property that can be seen on my phone from most anywhere.
I have a very alert dog with a dislike of strangers and a very loud bark.
There is a 12 gauge packed with 00 buck and slugs that could magically appear.
I think my unarmed cat owning neighbors are a softer target. Time will tell.......
 
#16 ·
But since the China pandemic, I'm usually home, so I don't worry as much.
Same here. Probably won't stop people from carting away my stuff, but they'll have to do so while dodging fire.

Speaking of which, it's also important to think about burglary protection WHILE you're home. Especially during the summer months people tend to leave their doors and windows unlocked or wide open, and John Q. Scumbag could easily sneak in while you're on the crapper or busy making a sammich in the kitchen.
 
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#8 ·
When I was married, my ex wife would tell anyone/everyone pre and post internet, if we were going to be away on a vacation, trip etc.🤪 She’d actually post it on FB!! Used to make me nuts…lol. Ironically, she and the lawyers were the biggest thieves. Now, I‘ve had at least 1 good neighbor, to keep a watch if I’m gone at all, plus the dogs and dog walker/house sitter.
Every now and again, I’ll hear of some burglaries in the area but not too much because it’s rural around here and most people are armed in some way and with dogs etc. As far as where things are and how they’re secured, well, that’s between me and my dog..;)
There’s NO “WELCOME” mats outside my house Either!

btw: USMM, love that door!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Those statistics are interesting and shocking to a degree. 1 in 36 is an amazingly high number (overall)...But like all statistics, choosing the best sample set makes all the difference in accurate results. To wit, I'm sure someone living in Chicago's crime ridden areas are probably a bit higher than 1 in 36. Whereas, someone living in a peaceful community are dramatically lower than 1 in 36.

Either way it is good to be prepared, to what degree depends on your assessment and beliefs.
 
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#11 ·
I'll tell you what I'm thinking about doing to prevent a breakin. I'm going to buy a couple of large eye bolts and drill and anchor one into my front porch concrete and mount another into one of my deck uprights. Then I'm going to attach about 15 feet of medium weight chain with a carabiner on the end. I'm also going to put a large stainless water bowl at both locations and keep them filled with water. I'm going to create the illusion that I've got a rather large dog in the house, which I don't. I've heard that most thieves look for the easy targets. I'm guessing most would pass on a house with a large dog.
 
#15 ·
Years ago I had a friend that worked as a detention officer. He told me that he once asked a professional burglar how he dealt with dogs. He told him that he would take a bread slice and roll it up with a hand full of peanut butter and toss it to the dog. Whenever my agency would serve a search warrant they would bring a C02 fire extinguisher if the home was known to have a dog. Something about dogs being afraid of the large cloud of C02 coming at them.

I had a German Shepherd dog that I kept in my backyard while I was at work. One day I came home and found him dying in the backyard. I got him to the vet, who kept him overnight. He died that night and the vet told me he believed he was poisoned with rat poison. I reported it to the city and they put out flyers the next day advising people with pets that someone was tossing raw hamburger meat over people's back yard fences containing rat poison. I guess they must have already known something about this because I didn't know anything about the raw hamburger meat. The point is, a dog won't stop disgusting people that don't care about human or animal life.
 
#12 ·
Cameras watching the driveway and the inside the house covering all points of entry. I've got 2 very good neighbors that I trust and let them know when we are going to be gone for the weekend or longer as I do the same when they are gone.

About the only thing in house of value that could be taken quickly is the TV and our laptops. Gun safe holds all important papers and firearms and is bolts to the studs and floor (studs and joists are native lumber) and weighs 700q pounds empty so it isn't going anywhere easily. The only guns not in the safe is what I carry.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
As for being robbed by someone you know, a good friend of mine was almost robbed by his grandson. He and his wife were at work, his grandson, whom they had given a key to their home to, entered their home and tried to get into his gun safe. When he couldn't just open it, the dirt-bag called a local locksmith and told the guy he had "forgotten the combination". Thankfully, when the locksmith showed up and noticed that no "adults" were present, walked out. The company then called my friend and told him about the incident. This wasn't the first time the kid had taken items from "grandpa" and if he hadn't got some jail time soon after that for another theft, there would have been more attempts. Did grandpa call the PD and report it? No, "he's a good kid and was only joking around". He was so lucky he was in the habit of locking his safe every time he closed the door.

You have to be aware, even close relatives can be a threat.

Grumpy
 
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#14 ·
When I started carrying a gun for self defense I learned to prepare for the worst case scenario, not the average one. If you're prepared for the worst one you will be better better prepared to survive any scenario. Just like that FBI Uniform Crime Report that people use as their guide to their choice of EDC. If you go by that, then you will only be prepared to encounter one threat and it will end quickly with only a few rounds expended. Kind of like gunfighters facing off at high noon in the street in the open, only 10 ft. apart.

Based on that one would only need a revolver without any reloads. I've read too many deadly encounters where the bad guy(s) started shooting and absorbed more than 10rds before being incapacitated. Then there are the situations where the bad guy brought friends. Armed friends. Some of these incidents are home invasion robberies. Others are just plain car jackings, regular strong armed robberies, and hate crimes (like the BLM rioters that targeted like Kyle Rittenhouse, or the Army Sgt. that happened upon a BLM riot in his car in San Antonio, etc).

"So if you get burgled it's MOST likely to be by someone in your circle who has a drug problem, like your problem nephew, your coworker's crazy ex, etc. Random Druggies take 2nd place.
They will likely do a quick in-and-out, grabbing whatever is easy.
This is most likely to be in the daytime, when you are out."

Breaking down the above, I don't have any relatives that are drug addicts, nor do I even know anyone that is a drug addict. I'm retired so I don't have any people from work to worry about. They were all law enforcement officers anyway. As far as the quick in and out burglary, not necessarily. The professional burglar would be the one that conducts surveillance, knows when homeowners are likely to be out of the house, and gets in and out quickly with specific goals on what he/she believes is inside. I'm not as concerned about the professional burglar as they don't want confrontations and most aren't even armed. Plus I don't live in an expensive house/neighborhood, so most professional burglars don't bother.

There are unprofessional, more dangerous burglars that don't care about preparation or whether or not anyone is home. These types will break in no matter if it is daytime or nighttime. And many are armed and don't care about human life. We get more of the burglars of opportunity who try to kick in doors (day or night) without a care whether someone may be home or not. Plenty of people in my neighborhood have reported one or more people that have walked up and tried kicking in their front door. Some have broken the door frame. Someone stole a full size trampoline out of my backyard in broad daylight while I was at work. I put a padlock on my backyard gate. One weekend day I came home from the grocery store and observed a wood slat from my front gate was broken off. Someone had unsuccessfully attempted to kick their way through my locked gate.

An example of the burglars that aren't the avearge, there was a man in a Dallas suburb that decided to break into a house. It was morning (daytime) and the homeowner was at home watching his baby. The burglar kicked in the front door. The burglar had a gun. The homeowner was an off duty Dallas PD officer and produced his own gun. A gunfight ensued until the burglar finally ran out the back door and got away.

Something that happened nearby my neighborhood. A uniformed off duty police officer just left his house at around 4 AM to drive to his job. When he went outside to his car he observed a man attempting to burglarize a neighbor's car. The man saw the cop and pulled a gun and shot at him without hesitation. The cop shot back and somehow the burglar was able to get into his own car and drive away.

You can limit your survival plans on whatever the statistics state are the average. You do as you see fit. I plan for the ones that will get you killed if you aren't prepared.
 
#17 ·
USMM guy -------------- The "One In 36" stat I posted was that one in 36 homes are burglarized At Some Point, not yearly. Btw, I've seen that beefy type door you have at nearly every apartment I've rented in Europe. As a front, not bedroom, door. It's standard stuff there. Haven't seen many in the states.

INV136 --------- Sorry about your dog. I don't know the details on your rat poison / hamburger thing but sometimes dogs or other scavenging animals die from eating strychnine'd mice or rats.
 
#18 ·
USMM guy -------------- The "One In 36" stat I posted was that one in 36 homes are burglarized At Some Point, not yearly. Btw, I've seen that beefy type door you have at nearly every apartment I've rented in Europe. As a front, not bedroom, door. It's standard stuff there. Haven't seen many in the states.

INV136 --------- Sorry about your dog. I don't know the details on your rat poison / hamburger thing but sometimes dogs or other scavenging animals die from eating strychnine'd mice or rats.
That is what I would expect, one in 36 homes at some point. Boge's reference seemed a little excessive. Not too surprising about those doors in Europe. They are actually made in Italy, the brand that I got at any rate. And seeing as most people in Europe live in apartments. This to include wealthy people, certainly more so than here. No big surprise that they would have security doors. Especially considering how difficult it is to come by firearms. And God help you if you ever shot a home invader over there.
 
#19 ·
We have an electronic alarm, impact (hurricane) windows and keep doors locked; but, arguably these two are more of a deterrent than a electronic alarm.
Knock-knock or ding-dong results in my German Shepherd letting whoever know (loudly) that he is on the other side of the door; the Bullmastiff doesn't bark, surprise.
Plant Dog Green Carnivore Dog breed


Full disclosure: If burglars bring treats my dogs would probably welcome them as their new friends :rolleyes:
 
#21 ·
Dogs are trained to varying degrees, or maybe not at all. I had a buddy that had a Belgian Malinois that was trained not to eat anything except what was given him by his owner. I cannot swear that he would not eat something tossed in the yard, but my buddy said he wouldn't. Obviously, my buddy's Belgin was way more trained than average and probably more than needed.

Grumpy
 
#23 ·
I've buffered many Auto Burglaries, but only a few HOME burglaries.

1st was a kid (his name was Robin ----real name, F him! ) ----- that I went to school with (7th grade) & we had hung out a few times. Our house started getting broken into by someone who stole Snack Pack Pudding Cups. I suspected Robin because he was always asking me to give him mine at school. Sure enough when my Mom & I went to confront him at his house there were a pile of the empty cans outside his bedroom window. He fessed up. His parents offered to pay.

Shortly after that Mom noticed that there was another missing item: Her 1800's Vintage Gold $20 coin (set in a necklace) , which was worth over $500 back then. We went to his house again. He turned white & big-eyed when we told him the value of the coin. A true (oh crap!) moment. Difference was that THIS TIME his parents, who had accepted his guilty plea on the pudding, now circled the wagons. They said that their kid (the admitted thief) would NOT have taken the coin. So that's the limit of their willingness to compensate.

I bet the punk had swapped it for candy or a Mad Magazine , with zero idea of it's value.

2nd was the boyfriend of one of my roommates. After she dumped him he came to the house & vandalized her room, stealing things & writing on the walls & such. He broke my room's door & took a CB radio and my work boots. What an idiot.

Last was at my prior house 15 years ago. Some creep ninja'd into my open garage and stole a bike & my bolt cutters. This was embarrassing because I was taking a car-repair break, near my open front door, eating a sandwich at the time! That's pretty bold.

--------------------------- Maybe it was that bastard Robin again! :LOL:
 
#26 ·
An officer who worked for an old friend and mentor, who told me the story, kept his service revolver on his night table. His apartment was hit by a cat burglar while he was sleeping. When he woke, he had been burglarized, small valuables, his & wife's wallets, etc. A piece of paper had been rolled and stuck in the revolver barrel, "Bang, you are dead!". I keep a pistol on the night table, big dogs on the bedroom floor. A cautionary tale!
 
#27 ·
We all have made steps to protect ourselves from burglars (namely being armed)
Just to be clear, if you are home, it's considered robbery, not burglary.

Burglary is stealing from an unoccupied structure.
Robbery is stealing using the threat of physical force.
 
#29 ·
My buddy D. and his girl (I don't remember if they were married yet) were sleeping in their downstairs apartment. She woke up screaming because some perp was feeling her up. The creep ran out, and additionally, her purse was missing from the kitchen.

D. did not wake up until PD was in the room. They asked what the rifle in the corner was for. He quietly answered ".............protection"

She never let him live that one down.
 
#30 ·
My female Pit Bull (85lbs) was acting weird and kept going to the back door. Coming back looking at me and making a soft growl. I cracked the back door open, and she went airborne like Superman. There was a loud blood curdling scream. It was illegal alien (Undocumented POS) gone into my back yard at night and picking the lemons off the tree. The bag of lemons flew up into the air along with a body. The body got halfway over the fence and rolled into the next yard. The screaming persisted for a few more minutes then faded away. The dog had a pants leg in her mouth. No more lemon pickers since.
 
#38 ·
Something came to mind… someone I know dropped one of their CBD gummies on the floor, and their 24 pound dog ate it before they could get it. Once it kicked in, the dog was extremely lethargic for the remainder of the day. She didn’t even want to hold her head up. She wobbled when she walked. They took her to the vet, who said she was just very high and would probably be fine. The next day she was normal. I don’t know if criminals know this or not. They don’t have to kill your dog, just get it to eat a handful of gummies, and your dog is probably gonna be out of commission. That is if they are willing to wait a couple hours for your dog's head to get bad.
 
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