BURGLARIES- Burglaries Can Be Dangerous

Burglaries can be dangerous for the burglar. The burglar can face an irate homeowner who does not like strangers in their house. As a result the burglar can risk arrest and/or physical harm. The ideal for the burlgar is not to have anyone around when he/she enters the house. In our modern age, the best time is during the day to enter a house when both the man and the woman are most likely at work and their kids are at school. So, as burglars goes down the street, they have to determine which house has the least risk. Which house does not have anyone around. So, when they decide on a target house, knocking on the door makes sense. If someone shows up, make an excuse then go to the next target. If not, enter the house.

If the burglar miscalculates it can be bad for both the burglar and the victim. The local press has reported on two burglaries where the victims were hurt or came close to being hurt.

In Tacoma a woman heard noises in her home and saw a man with a bag run away. She chased after him. The burglar fired one or two shots at her from a gun. The burglar was arrested later in the day.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/crime-law/surprised-burglar-opens-fire-tacoma-homeowner/nLY3Y/

Earlier in the month, in Burien, an 80 year old homeowner came home to find two burglars in his home. They struck him in a brief confrontation. One of the burglars was arrested by police.

      Police dog finds burglary suspect:

http://today.seattletimes.com/2012/03/suspected-burglar-caught-by-k-9-dog-in-burien/

http://burien.komonews.com/news/crime/728845-man-injured-after-coming-home-burglary-progress

While circumstances can be different, recent meetings held by local police agencies have recommended the following:
If you come home and the door is ajar or you think a stranger is in your home-

• Don’t go in! Stay outside!
• Call 911 immediately. This will become a priority call.
• Don’t confront the burglar. Burglars do not want to be caught. They can hurt you trying to get away.

If you are home and you hear an unexpected knock at the door- This is often a quandary for citizens. Do you go to the door or do you run and hide? Burglars often will go to a target house and knock on the door to see if someone answers. If someone does answer, they will make up a story (some better than others) that they are selling something, or they are looking for someone, or they need some sort of help. If no one answers, then they will try to kick in the front door or they will go to the back of house and break a window or enter through the sliding glass door. If you want to maximize your safety in this situation:

• Look through your peephole to see who it is.
• If you don’t recognize them, yell through the door that you are not interested. If the person outside refuses to leave or gets surly, tell them to leave and that you are calling 911.
• Noisy alarms usually cause burglars to leave. If the person on the other side continues to not leave, press the panic button on your car’s key fob. That makes the horn or other alarm sound from your car. That should convince the person to leave. It also helps alert any neighbors who may be around that you need help.
• Call 911 and report what happened. A good description of the suspicious person on the other side of the door can be very helpful to deputies.

Single women- Make it look like a man is around. If someone that you do not recognize is at the door, come to the door with your phone in hand like you are talking to someone on the phone.