How many times have you been burglarized in your home?

[Tyeraxus]

Nobody ever burglarized the house (thank God, and knock on wood), but I have seen signs of attempted entry in pretty much every place I've ever lived except my parents' house. In college, had the apartments on all sides of us broken into (and marks on our doorframe). We had some stoners 'mix up the door' and walk right in one night - we started locking the door even at home after that.

I had my truck (and everybody else's vehicles) broken into one night. We were inside a small college apartment hanging out, people in and out the front door to smoke, window facing the driveway open and everything. Bastards got stereos, CDs, a few tools, and my GPS I kept in the dashbox. They dropped a stereo that wasn't any of ours in my friend's front seat. The responding officer figured somebody interrupted them in the middle of the job, coming outside to smoke. We're lucky the punks cut and ran rather than confronting whoever it was - knifings weren't uncommon, and the local Minute Mart was nicknamed the 'Murder Mart' for a reason. It was raining, so they didn't even send anybody out to try to get prints, and insurance said here was a 1k deductible so total loss. Only bright side was they slim jimmed the doors instead of breaking windows.

 

[FFMike]

Not the house but the shed. Stole my generator.... SOB was so stupid he pawned it in the same county from which it was stolen and used his drivers license to do so.

Punk A$$ lived around the corner and was feeding his habit. Generator was home within a week!

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

In your current location? Wow.

That took A) some doing, and B) stones

Right here, not long after we built the house. Rumors of video surveillance seem to have discouraged further attempts. Or maybe it's the shooting range. Makes me wonder if the perp(s) live within ear-shot.

 

[DC-W]

We were burgled once when I was a child living with my mom.

At 3am or so, I remember hearing rummaging in the kitchen. This was a small townhouse and my brother and I's bedroom was right next to it. The sounds woke me up, but I figured it was my mother since she woke up early for work -- I didn't know the exact time... I dozed off, thinking nothing of it.

Then, I remember my mother screaming. I woke up and ran into the kitchen. Stuff was everywhere and the back door was wide open. The thieves had pushed open the window next to the door, and then reached in to unlock the door itself. They tore apart the kitchen and got away with only my mother's purse. They were junkies living two-doors up from us and were quickly apprehended. Thankfully, I didn't investigate the sounds on my own (I was 10...) and they didn't hurt anyone.

We then moved to another part of Dundalk and didn't have any other problems. Even where I currently live, all of the townhomes here have alarms, and I think the criminals know it. Break-ins are rare here. Regardless, I'm ready for those that aren't as smart...

 

[AntiGun]

...
We then moved to another part of Dundalk and didn't have any other problems. Even where I currently live, all of the townhomes here have alarms, and I think the criminals know it. Break-ins are rare here. Regardless, I'm ready for those that aren't as smart...

My neck of Dundalk experiences periodic variations in crime including the occasional round of burglaries. The last time my house was the target there were 5 other burglaries in the area. Presumably all the same person that was linked to at least two of them. Since then there was another round that did not involve me and mostly focused on sheds. One neighbor had an atv stolen from a shed. Thieves removed and left the rear seat of a van on the sidewalk so they could fit the atv in the back of the van.

 

[dratodd]

3 months after we moved into our home in Middle River, someone tried to break in to our new home.

My wife works from home, this took place on the one day she had to go to a meeting, so we know someone was watching the house. If the door wasn't deadbolted they would've got in. Here's the double kicker: it was a t 10:30am and the would-be intruder was a middle-aged female.

After consulting with our next door neighbor who has lived there a long time, we believe this woman was looking for the previous occupants. Prior to the home being renovated, there were all kinds of fine upstanding citizens going in and out of the house at all times of the night.

I am finally taking my HQL course and will be a proud owner of a firearm soon. This will NOT happen again to my wife and girls.

 

[spclopr8tr]

Never burglarized, but I have had stuff stolen by people we trusted. Once back in the early 80s we had a baby sitter steel my wife's watch and some Morgan silver dollars. We notified the girl's mother who promptly found the watch which we got back. The Morgan silver dollars (3 I think) were replaced by 3 one dollar bills. I don't remember why we didn't push back harder as the Morgans were worth about $20 each at the time.

The second time was a caregiver for my wife. We noticed the controlled pain killers were disappearing but wrote it off initially to my wife's own consumption. My daughter started counting the pills in each bottle before the caregiver came that day. And it then became clear the drugs were disappearing on days my wife didn't take any. We confronted the caregiver who of course denied it. We fired her on the spot. She passed away two weeks ago from an apparent drug overdose.

We have always lived in the suburbs or on Navy bases that were not prone to burglaries. And we continue to live in a very secure neighborhood where the worst has been TP of yards, ringing doorbells, and the occasional rifling of unlocked vehicles.

 

[jonnyl]

Zero for home, although my wife's home was burglarized when she was a kid.

I had some stuff taken from my car in the driveway when unlocked. I lock my door 99.99%, so the fact that the one time I missed it was the time something got taken was either an amazing coincidence or someone was checking for unlocked doors pretty regularly.

 

[DC-W]

My neck of Dundalk experiences periodic variations in crime including the occasional round of burglaries. The last time my house was the target there were 5 other burglaries in the area. Presumably all the same person that was linked to at least two of them. Since then there was another round that did not involve me and mostly focused on sheds. One neighbor had an atv stolen from a shed. Thieves removed and left the rear seat of a van on the sidewalk so they could fit the atv in the back of the van.

Sheds are treasure chests around here for sure. My mentor had a dirtbike stolen this way.

Thieves will do anything for quick cash... That van seat thing is ridiculous, lol.

 

[AntiGun]

Do you think this 50% decrease in rate has anything to do with higher gun sales?
63.4 victimizations per 1,000 U.S. households in 1994
27.6 victimizations per 1,000 households in 2011

28 percent of burglaries involve people at home
http://www.crimeinamerica.net/2010/...ome-good-doors-windows-prevent-violent-crime/

Presents rates and trends in household burglary
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=321

FBI data on burglary
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uc...rime-in-the-u.s.-2012/property-crime/burglary

Will Your House Be Broken Into This Year?
http://www.asecurelife.com/burglary-statistics/

 

[protegeV]

Sheds are treasure chests around here for sure. My mentor had a dirtbike stolen this way.

Thieves will do anything for quick cash... That van seat thing is ridiculous, lol.

Yup, I know more than a few people who have had sheds robbed. Usually it's the ones who have them all the way in the back of the yard very far from the house.

 

[gaueri]

How long did it take to get your gun back? I've been told 6 months or more from a local guy that was involved in a shooting.

I fought for 9 months. If, I hadn't keep up with Baltimore City Police I probably would not have gotten the gun back. I keep calling the Det. on the case after the court hearing and he gave me a run around. Finally, I call down town. Then gave me the number to the gun vault. They told me they are doing test still on the hand gun. After two months told me the Det has to release it or to destroy it. Took about 3 and half week to do that. Then I had to fill out paper work like I was buying my gun back. To see if I was able to have a handgun. Also, I had to show that I was the owner of the gun. I had to go to the State police and get paper work to show that it was my gun. Then write a letter telling them why they had my gun. Have to get all the papers notary. and have my hqls. If I didn't keep up on them and called several times a week I wouldn't of gotten the hand gun back at all.

 

[EL1227]

Once ... Edgewater area, from my detached garage ...

Someone stole my son's 4-stroke 450 dirt bike by pushing it about 1/4 mile away then bent the decompression valve trying to kick start it without releasing the compression first. Hopefully they broke their ankle trying.

They abandoned it behind a BG&E substation where an employee found it the next day and the police traced it back here by the VIN.

Since then I have installed zone alarms around the garage and property with automatic lights ... and added lasers to my AR and handgun.

Now, if I could just keep the damn barn cats from triggering stuff at 3AM.

 

[AntiGun]

I fought for 9 months. If, I hadn't keep up with Baltimore City Police I probably would not have gotten the gun back. I keep calling the Det. on the case after the court hearing and he gave me a run around. Finally, I call down town. Then gave me the number to the gun vault. They told me they are doing test still on the hand gun. After two months told me the Det has to release it or to destroy it. Took about 3 and half week to do that. Then I had to fill out paper work like I was buying my gun back. To see if I was able to have a handgun. Also, I had to show that I was the owner of the gun. I had to go to the State police and get paper work to show that it was my gun. Then write a letter telling them why they had my gun. Have to get all the papers notary. and have my hqls. If I didn't keep up on them and called several times a week I wouldn't of gotten the hand gun back at all.

That's a hefty burden to reacquire something taken as evidence in a case that was closed in your favor.

 

[protegeV]

That's a hefty burden to reacquire something taken as evidence in a case that was closed in your favor.

Anything to make it harder to defend yourself

 

[Turbohugh]

Well, when I moved into my house, I had 3 incidents. I think the third incident solved the problem.

First , some one stole my Jeep .. It was old no club on it, during a rainy night, however the Jeep's fuel gauge reads in reverse, so it appears full as it is almost empty. Needless to say they ran out of gas within 5 miles of my house, but the subwoofer amp -and stereo were stolen. I recovered the jeep with minimal damage 2 weeks later from the police.

Then--Same jeep, a month after I fix the window and ignition, someone tries to steal it again, however this time I had a club on it. They succeeded in bending the steering column, which I had to spend 200 $ on replacing.

Third time, someone tried breaking in the car I owned at the time [88 Conquest TSI]. I came home and forgot my telephone in the car, and came out the back of my house to see a man lying in my car, working a screwdriver and destroying my dash. I slammed the door on his legs [breaking his left knee and right ankle] , dragged him out of the car and beat him until the cops showed up. Of course, he wanted to 'sue me' for his injuries, however that was disallowed as I was defending myself [he was armed with the screwdriver].

Word got around and the stealing stopped for now. I guess they didn't want to risk permanent injury or death stealing my stuff. Now I have a security system on my home so I can monitor from work, as well as booby traps [if someone tries going into my basement, and they don't know what's waiting for them [vintage bear trap on stairs] they gonna get hurt..

 

[frdfandc]

I hit zero instead of 1.

Bastards broke into my shed and stole my weed wacker, chainsaw, and circular saw.

As for the house, zero.

We use an alarm system, with other security measures for the unseen windows/doors. Also, both my neighbors to the left and right of me are retired, so they are always home. And my schedule is erratic.

 

[Bob A]

Stuff stolen off front porch a few times; friend of granddaughter stole some checks from wife's checkbook - she was a guest at a Thanksgiving dinner, sweet.

 

[casualmadness]

In my current home...none.
Previous to current home; I surprised two guys trying to get into my front door one night around 1am. Wife heard something and woke me. I heard it and went to the front door. Pulled it open while simultaneously raising my Mossberg 500 to their faces. One guy ran while the other slowly backed away apologizing.

Another time in that same home...a knock on the door one morning. I looked out to see a group of guys in all black-tacticooled out. When I got a look at them, the last guy was pulling a mask down over his face.
Scary chit and a long story (more than I want to type). Bottom line was they had the wrong address and once they discovered that, they ran. I still don't know who they were and frankly, I don't want to know.

Many break ins and home invasions as a kid growing up. Our house was hit literally about 12-15 times in 20 years.

-When I was around 10 years old, I woke up one night to find a strange man in my room. He put his hands around my neck and began to squeeze and suddenly he stopped and left. Not sure why but he took off.

-At four years old, I watched a man strong arm his way into our back door. My mom ran to get between him and her children. He beat her like she was a man. The only reason he stopped hitting her was because my old man came home from work and my sister ran to the window screaming, "Dad!! Bring your gun!! There's a man in the house!!!" As soon as she started yelling, the guy ran out of the house. If not for my old man keeping that 38 in his glove box, I imagine that man would have killed my mom and probably us as well.

-When I was 14, my sister ran in my room one night and said there was a man in her closet. We went into the hallway and her bedroom door opened. Out came a man with a knife. We ran like hell. Luckily, he didn't follow us. When the police arrived, I was outside looking around. Was carrying a baseball bat. Off duty LEO showed up driving his personal car. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He saw me and likely thought I was the bad guy because he ran toward me. I thought he was the bad guy so I ran right back at him. I should add-at 14 I was six feet tall and about 200lbs. Thankfully he identified himself as police..."GET ON THE GROUND!!!!!" I complied, all was good.

-At about 16'ish, my sister was taking a shower one Saturday afternoon after being in the pool all day. When she came out of the bathroom, she was met by a man who had just opened the back door and strolled right in.


I could keep going but yeah...I've been through it a few times.

 

[Redcobra]

Once, when I lived in Baltimore City.
What did I do?
I moved to the County.