4 Ways to Protect Yourself During a Burglary

Imagine sitting in the comfort of your home, your castle, and suddenly finding yourself face-to-face with a burglar or two, breaking in while you are home alone. This was not just a scenario, but also a very real and scary reality for the mother of a colleague of mine.

The mother was home alone and heard the doorbell ring. She went to the door, peered through the peephole, and saw two girls outside. She didn't recognize them and assumed they were selling something. The homeowner did not want to be bothered with a sales pitch so she did not answer the door.

Perhaps a minute after the two girls walked away, the woman heard the doorbell again. She peered through the peephole once again and this time saw two men outside the door. Again, she ignored the doorbell, thinking that the two were more solicitors. However, this time the two did not just walk away. One of the men walked across the porch to a nearby window that opened into the front room. The window was open and he immediately began climbing through the screen into the home. The woman began screaming and ran to another part of the house. She turned and saw the male climbing back outside and she had the presence of mind to realize that the two burglars might try to enter through the back door, which was unlocked as well, or one of the other open windows. She ran to the back of the house and began locking up before calling police.

She was not hurt and nothing was taken. For many police officers and security professionals, this would seem like a relatively minor offense. After all, it is a property crime and no one was hurt. However, my friend's mother was extremely upset afterwards. She would not stay home alone and insisted that an alarm system be installed. The family even considered buying a firearm for protection. In short, she no longer felt safe in her home.

The good news is that the police caught the suspects a few days later. All four were working together, with the girls checking on which homes were empty for the two men who were following and would commit the burglary.

Burglary crime prevention tips usually focus on how to protect yourself when no one is home. This case though points out the risks when you are home during a burglary. Some crooks are so brazen that they will enter a home in the early evening during dinner and sneak to bedrooms or other areas, searching for valuables. These thieves have found that homes are often unlocked in the evening, but these thieves are a rare breed and target large, upper-scale homes.

Most burglars who encounter an occupant will be just as upset or even scared as the victim. And that could be dangerous too, if the burglar resorts to violence in a panic.

So, what should a homeowner do, if you happen to surprise a burglar in your home?

1.     Prevention. Keep doors locked even when at home. If you want open windows, an ideal solution would be to block or lock the window where it is only open enough for air flow, but not large enough for someone to come in.

2.    Plan. Think through your plan in advance. Ask a couple of simple what-if questions about how to respond if you encounter a burglar. It is no different from thinking about how you would escape during a fire.

3.    Create a “safe” room. Set up a location where you can escape to, if you cannot leave the home. A room with a sturdy lock and a phone is ideal so you can call for police. If you are comfortable with the idea, you may keep a gun here for protection as well. Most crooks, as in the case above, will leave once they realize they’ve been discovered. However, some may try to corner the homeowner and this becomes a very dangerous situation. In fact, it is no longer a burglary, but a robbery, and the victim could be in danger. If the crook knows you are barricaded in a room, the police are on the way and you are armed, then they may very likely leave in a hurry.

4.    Stay calm. It is easy to say, but harder in a real-life scary situation. Take deep breaths and stay focused on what you need to do. Having a plan will definitely help as you will be following steps you already thought about. Ultimately, your mind and ability to outthink the crook is your best weapon and best defense.

Realizing the potential risks and thinking through the steps you will follow helps you survive a chance encounter with a burglar.

For more tips, read about how to mentally prepare for danger and how to survive a home invasion.

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Eric is available for staff education and security awareness training as well as business coaching to help organizations provide safe workplaces. To learn more email Eric at businesskarate dot com.

 

If you would like to reprint this post, please contact Eric at Eric at businesskarate dot com.

Surviving a Home Invasion

Your home is your castle.  It is the last refuge – your private escape from the world.  But what happens when that last barrier is breached and a stranger forces their way in?

A home invasion is quite simply a robbery that takes place in your residence.  Robberies at any location are extremely dangerous and account for almost half of the homicides committed during a felony crime.  Not only are they very dangerous, it may be much more common than you think.  Nearly one out of five robberies occurs in residences according to FBI crime data.  In contrast, bank robberies make up only about 2% of all robberies.

Recently, the second suspect in one extremely nefarious home invasion was sentenced to death.  In this case, the home invasion did not start at the victims’ home, but while they were at a grocery store on a Sunday afternoon.  The suspect, Jason Komisarjevsky saw two of the victims, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 11-year old daughter, Michaela Petit, and followed them home.  Via texts, Jason contacted his accomplice, Steven Hayes, and they planned to return later, primarily to get drinking money, or so they claimed.

At 2 a.m., the suspects returned to the home, entering through an unlocked basement door.  Upon finding William Petit sleeping on a couch, the two beat him with a baseball bat and tied him up in the basement before attacking Jennifer, Michaela and a second daughter, 17-year old Hayley.  Komisarjevsky and Hayes could not find the cash or jewelry that they had hoped, but found a bank statement for an account with several thousand dollars.  The two waited in the home until the banks opened.  Hayes took Jennifer to the bank where she was able to alert the teller to what was going on before returning to the home with Hayes.  The teller called the police and they began setting up a perimeter around the neighborhood. 

News photo of Petit family

Sadly, as the police officers surrounded the area, the suspects escalated the crime further.  The two sexually assaulted Jennifer and Michaela.  Meanwhile, William Petit escaped to a neighbor’s home to get help.  The suspects found William gone and bound the three remaining victims, doused them with gasoline and set the home on fire.  They were arrested moments later as they tried to drive away in the family’s car.  Jennifer and her two daughters all died at the scene.  Eventually, the two suspects were sentenced to death, a sentence that will probably take years before finally being carried out, unfortunately.

Crime scene photo of Petit home

In tragic situations like this, it is hard to go through the details and look for lessons learned.  Analyzing incidents after the fact may feel like a criticism of victims.  While there are valuable crime prevention lessons in this case, it should not take away from the horror of this crime, nor take away the fact that two people alone are to be blamed one hundred percent – Steven Hayes and Jason Komisarjevsky.  However, there are many more evildoers out there, who may target anyone, at any time, and it is important to learn what might be done differently in the future.

·        Awareness.  Being alert to your surroundings and the people around you is one of the most important security or crime prevention tips for almost any situation.  In this case, the suspect watched the victims in the store and followed their car home.  There is an old saying, once is happenstance; twice, coincidence; and three times, enemy action.  If you keep seeing the same person and they seem to be watching you, then you should go to red alert.  Do not dismiss it.  When driving, check the rear view mirror and look for any cars that seem to be following you.  As you get into a neighborhood, it should become even more suspicious and noticeable.  If in doubt, drive around a couple of blocks in an adjoining neighborhood.  Then someone following will become obvious.  And do not think that this never happens.  Even police officers have been followed home from their departments in order to be targeted, sometimes simply because crooks know that they have guns and want the chance to steal them.  If you are being followed, drive to a crowded area or store and call the police.  Provide all the details you can on the suspect vehicle, including license plate and driver description.

·        Lock doors.  Crooks often become crooks because they are not motivated.  The most common way into a home for a burglary is through unlocked or open doors and windows.  It is the easiest way in.  It is also the easiest to fix.  Make it a habit to lock all doors when leaving or before going to bed.  Some professional burglars liked to hit larger, upper-end homes around dinner when everyone was occupied or not paying attention.  Don’t forget to check windows as well and make sure that all lower-level windows are locked.  Periodically, walk around the house and look at possible ways that someone could get in via upper windows also.  Leaving ladders lying around or items such as trellises, trees adjacent to the house or even trashcans could be used to reach upper levels.  Not only do locks deter or delay a crook, the sound caused breaking in could alert you and give you the chance to retreat to a safe room and call police.

·        Never trust the suspect.  Many suspects will try to convince their victims that continued cooperation will keep them safe, but are really just looking for collaboration to make their crime easier.  When a suspect has made threats or is holding a deadly weapon, assume that they are ready and willing to follow through.  No matter what they say or what excuses they use, consider them very dangerous.  In the Connecticut home invasion, Jennifer Hawke-Petit told the bank teller that the suspects only seemed to want money and hadn’t hurt them.  She may have inadvertently downplayed the danger.

·        Always look for a way to turn the tables.  In this case, once at the bank, Jennifer could have told the suspect that she would not get any money out until the rest of the family was brought safely to the bank where they could be released before even withdrawing the money.  If the suspects were truly after money, they may have given in.  If not, then Jennifer could still shift the balance by refusing to leave until police were there and keep the suspects separated.  The suspect at the home may have panicked and tried to escape without raping or killing anyone, knowing the police were on the way (assuming Steven called him).

·        Do not depend on the police.  In movies and on TV, anytime the police are called, they roll up with lights and sirens, signaling that all is well and just in time for the end credits to pop up on the screen.  In reality, law enforcement may have information that is incomplete or sketchy.  As happened in this home invasion, the response might be more of a focus on setting up a perimeter while trying to get more details.  If you are in a dangerous position and the police are not there, remember that they may be trying to gather more information.  Never give up and keep fighting no matter what happens when your life is threatened.

Home invasions are a very dangerous form of robbery, one that can end tragically.  The good news is that some basic security measures will help protect you and your family and minimize your risk and, ultimately, make your home a real castle in a perilous world.

              

Eric Smith, CPP is the leading authority on organizational self-defense.  He has extensive experience in law enforcement as well as security management.  Eric is available for staff education and security awareness training as well as business coaching to help organizations provide safe workplaces.  To learn more visit http://www.businesskarate.com. 

If you would like to reprint this post, please contact Eric at eric@businesskarate.com.