Anyone else had their home burglarized?

[keving]

The week before Christmas my home was burglarized. It's sucks! They took a lot of stuff. I've slept on the couch in the living room since then only getting like 3 hours of sleep a night. We are still finding stuff missing.

By the way, we believe they were going around the neighborhood knocking on doors asking to hang Christmas lights for money. While making some repairs to my house, I talked with my mailman who says he remembers a certain vehicle in my driveway that day. He remembered it because he's never seen it before.

It was pretty bold of them to back up to my front door and start loading up in the middle of the day!

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Were any of your things recovered? Did the police every call to follow up? How did the dealings with the insurance go?

[PennyQuilts]

Someone stole my doorknobs a few weeks ago but the house was vacant - not nearly so much a violation as what you are going through. We've had some breakins in our neighborhood. Someone broke into the neighbor's house during the day, ransacked it and beat up the golden retriever. The whole neighborhood is horrified over that. That guy better hope no one gets hold of him because he is utterly hated in this neck of the woods. We've had some cars broken into, also. GPS are being taken. We think it is kids. I don't keep my GPS in the car.

[Kerry]

When I was kid someone broke into our house while we were on vacation and stole everything, even some of the appliances. It is the reason I moved out of California as soon as I was old enough. We also had a car stolen by someone that broke into our home during the night and got the keys.

The only way we were able to recover anything was what my dad could find, and could prove ownership of, at local pawn shops. There was some stuff he found but couldn't back because he couldn't prove we owned it (serial numbers, receipts, and photographs). Now a day it is a little easier because all of the pawn shops are required to collect the name of anyone pawning items and all of the items are put in a single database. Now all you have to do is prove one item was yours and you can get all of the other stuff pawned by the same person. Plus, they can find the person that did the pawning.

The bottom line for us is that we only recovered about 10% and never caught the people that did it.

[bornhere]

This goes back to my complaint that pawn shops are basically fencing operations carrying a few legit goods for cover. I think burglaries would go down dramatically if pawn shops were illegal.

[Kerry]

This goes back to my complaint that pawn shops are basically fencing operations carrying a few legit goods for cover. I think burglaries would go down dramatically if pawn shops were illegal.

Bornhere - you are right about that. While at OU I worked in the warehouse of a small Norman company. One of my co-wokers left and we hired a new kid that just didn't seem to be honest. A few months later I left but I stayed in contact with my manager. Not long after I quite, items started disappearing from the warehouse (chainsaws mostly). Acting on a hunch, my manager checked a local Norman pawn shop and saw one of our chainsaws sitting on a shelf (the name of the company was on a label on the box). This kid had pawned 10 brand new chainsaws over a period of a few weeks.

If I was running a legitmate business I would start to ask myself how/why an 18 year old is showing up with 10 $500 chainsaws still in the box. It might also occur to me to call the name of the company on the freaking mailing label stamped on the box to see if they were missing any chainsaws. However, if I was running a business where the fencing of stolen items wasn't unusal then I wouldn't do anything - just like the pawn shop did.

[Curt]

This goes back to my complaint that pawn shops are basically fencing operations carrying a few legit goods for cover. I think burglaries would go down dramatically if pawn shops were illegal.

Exactly what I have awlways beleived

[TaoMaas]

This goes back to my complaint that pawn shops are basically fencing operations carrying a few legit goods for cover. I think burglaries would go down dramatically if pawn shops were illegal.

I don't doubt that there are shady pawnshops, but I think the majority of them try to be careful about the merchandise they carry. As someone pointed out, there are regulations and systems in place now to make it much easier to track stolen goods. Did break-ins go down when the regulations were put in place? No, not significantly. Shutting down pawnshops wouldn't eliminate break-ins. The burglars would just find other markets for their goods...flea markets, auctions, garage sales, or just selling to other shady folks.

[Kerry]

I don't doubt that there are shady pawnshops, but I think the majority of them try to be careful about the merchandise they carry. As someone pointed out, there are regulations and systems in place now to make it much easier to track stolen goods. Did break-ins go down when the regulations were put in place? No, not significantly. Shutting down pawnshops wouldn't eliminate break-ins. The burglars would just find other markets for their goods...flea markets, auctions, garage sales, or just selling to other shady folks.

They might find other places to sell the stolen goods but the amount they receive for selling their ill-gotten booty would go way down, and thus make the occupation of thief a low paying enterprise that wouldn't feed the drug and alcohol habits these people are generally trying to fund.

Springfield NRA Meeting

LENNY
Assault weapons have gotten a lot of bad press lately, but they're manufactured for a reason: to take out today's modern super animals, such as the flying squirrel, and the electric eel.

HOMER
Learning something, Marge?

MARGE
Hmm...

Moe approaches the podium.

MOE
Uh, hi, I'm Moe S.

CROWD
Hi, Moe.

MOE
Yeah, so last night I was closing up the bar, when some young punk comes in and tries to stick me up.

The crowd gasps.

SIDESHOW MEL
Whatever did you do, Moe?

MOE
Well, it coulda been a real ugly situation, but I managed to shoot him in the spine. (crowd applaud) Yeah, I guess the next place he robs better have a ramp! Ha ha!

[TaoMaas]

They might find other places to sell the stolen goods but the amount they receive for selling their ill-gotten booty would go way down, and thus make the occupation of thief a low paying enterprise that wouldn't feed the drug and alcohol habits these people are generally trying to fund.

Serious question, Kerry....how many times have you been in a pawnshop during the past year?

[fuzzytoad]

They might find other places to sell the stolen goods but the amount they receive for selling their ill-gotten booty would go way down, and thus make the occupation of thief a low paying enterprise that wouldn't feed the drug and alcohol habits these people are generally trying to fund.

you've obviously never sold anything to a pawnshop.

selling at a flea market, garage sale or craigslist is *much* more profitable.

[mcgrawsdad]

This goes back to my complaint that pawn shops are basically fencing operations carrying a few legit goods for cover. I think burglaries would go down dramatically if pawn shops were illegal.

Agreed!

[rbayless]

If you are still looking for an alarm system provider, I recommend PSI. I had ADT and was paying $36/mo for monitoring (windows/doors/motion/heat/smoke). PSI is $10/mo cheaper and uses the same equipment. All they have to do is come out and change the board in your alarm panel which they do for free. On top of that, the first three months are free. However, best of all, if your alarm goes off, they call the monitoring station the first second until waiting 30+ seconds like ADT does.

My .02..

[Karried]

omg, that is so horrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you.

One consolation, at least they didn't come in at night while you were home.

Can you get an alarm, a big dog or a gun?

You might want to put an alert on your credit cards ( call credit reporting agencies) just in case they snagged one ...also, put deadbolts on your doors and alert all of your neighbors to keep an eye out for one another.

So sorry. I imagine it's a horrible feeling of vulnerability and helpless anger.

I think I would go get a License for a firearm, it would make me feel better.

[centralparker]

I had a break in several years ago. They only took a few things so I assume they were on foot. The main thing they got was my laptop. I actually did get it back about six months later. A crack dealer got busted, and my laptop was one of the items the cops seized. Being broken into is horrible, and I hated that someone had been in my house going through my things. I was also worried that they might have seen things they would want to come back for. The insurance was ok to deal with, they wanted documentation of the costs of the items. When the police came they weren't really interested in trying to solve the crime. They filled out the report for my insurance purposes, but didn't want to get fingerprints or anything. On the topic of pets, my dog was home but wasn't hurt. He acted really strangely when I got home, but I was so glad he wasn't hurt. I considered getting a gun, then decided against that. I thought about getting a really big dog (my dog is a Pug), but ultimately decided a good security system with plenty of sensors was the best bet.

[soonerguru]

I was burglarized once when I lived in a rental house. After that, I was somehow successful in convincing the landlord to install an alarm system. That turned out to be a good thing, as an unknown number of people tried to kick our door down when we were asleep. Fortunately, we were awakened at 5 a.m. to find the the would-be home invaders leaving the scene.

Alarms and dogs are good things.

[Curt]

I was burglarized once when I lived in a rental house. After that, I was somehow successful in convincing the landlord to install an alarm system. That turned out to be a good thing, as an unknown number of people tried to kick our door down when we were asleep. Fortunately, we were awakened at 5 a.m. to find the the would-be home invaders leaving the scene.

Alarms and dogs are good things.

The last thing anyone would see if they broke into my home while I was sleeping is a naked white guy with a shotgun then it's boom boom out go the lights.

[Curt]

The week before Christmas my home was burglarized. It's sucks! They took a lot of stuff. I've slept on the couch in the living room since then only getting like 3 hours of sleep a night. We are still finding stuff missing.

By the way, we believe they were going around the neighborhood knocking on doors asking to hang Christmas lights for money. While making some repairs to my house, I talked with my mailman who says he remembers a certain vehicle in my driveway that day. He remembered it because he's never seen it before.

It was pretty bold of them to back up to my front door and start loading up in the middle of the day!

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Were any of your things recovered? Did the police every call to follow up? How did the dealings with the insurance go?

This is a good example for watching out for those you know. If you see anything at all out of the ordinary call the cops. It's their job so dont feel like you are putting them out it could in fact be putting someone behind bars that belongs off the streets. Thankfully we have the Castle Doctrine in place here so if someone enters my property unlawfully I can and will shoot without the fear of being prosecuted or sued.

[Luke]

My house was broken into two years ago. Thankfully, our alarm system ran him off without him getting anything. Nevertheless, despite leaving a cell phone that must have fallen out of his (or her) pocket the Del City police said that wasn't enough to go after someone.

Pfff...

[Curt]

My house was broken into two years ago. Thankfully, our alarm system ran him off without him getting anything. Nevertheless, despite leaving a cell phone that must have fallen out of his (or her) pocket the Del City police said that wasn't enough to go after someone.

Pfff...

Somewhere I heard once cops become cops because they are too stupid for college and too lazy to do a real job.

[oneforone]

Somewhere I heard once cops become cops because they are too stupid for college and too lazy to do a real job.

I am going to have disagree with you.

Tulsa PD requires a Bachelors degree.

OHP is lobbying the legislature for a bachelors degree requirement. Right now you have to have 60 college credit hours. The average veteran trooper has a bachelors and a couple of associates degrees under their belt.

In Oklahoma City you can get hired on with just a high school diploma but you will be expected to acquire a college degree if you want to make rank. A masters is required for the ranks of Captain and higher.

Furthermore, many police departments and CLEET continue to push for more training hours and college degree requirements for peace officers each year.

The only problem is the small towns across Oklahoma do not want to pay for training therefore they lobby the legislature to impede CLEET's progress.

This is why you see every small agency police job tied with the words CLEET Certification required.

[Kerry]

Somewhere I heard once cops become cops because they are too stupid for college and too lazy to do a real job.

Don't give too much credit college degrees, at least the college it comes from. I have worked with Ivy League CEOs that couldn't manage their way out of a paper sack. Wall Street is filled with failed MBAs these days looking for bailouts from pawn shop customers.

[Curt]

Don't give too much credit college degrees, at least the college it comes from. I have worked with Ivy League CEOs that couldn't manage their way out of a paper sack. Wall Street is filled with failed MBAs these days looking for bailouts from pawn shop customers.

Good point Kerry, also my cop joke was just that, a joke.

[Kerry]

The police just don't seem to be interested in investigating property crime. I guess that is why we have so much of it.

[PennyQuilts]

We just had a terrible event in my area. Right before Christmas, before school let out, a teenager with a history of burglary broke into the home of a school volunteer. He apparently figured no one would be at home because she was at the school. Unfortunately, one of her sons was home from college and sleeping on the couch. The burglar shot and killed the son to keep him from recognizing him (they'd been to the same school and he knew him by sight). Not long after that (the murderer didn't leave!) the mother came home and was murdered, too. Again, apparently to keep her from recognizing him. Her other son, age sixteen, came home from school and found the bodies.

Several of the guy's buddies helped him hide the gun and the trinkets he stole. His low life girlfriend tried to give him an alibi. He was caught because he was seen in the area, his prints were everywhere and they found the stuff. His buddies all gave him up and the girlfriend came clean under pressure, too.

[OKCTalker]

Burgled many years ago. Didn't activate the alarm system before going out for the evening. Four teenagers on bikes kicked the back door, grabbed a laptop, guns and jewelry, stashed everything in pillowcases and put under a neighbor's bush for retrieval the next day by car. Everything was fenced in a C-store parking lot ("Pssst. Hey buddy - wanna buy a pocket watch?") except for one shotgun, found later by a mother vacuuming under the kid's bed. Serial number traced to police report. Chubb insurance paid everything.

Lessons learned: 1) Always arm the alarm system. 2) Post alarm company signs next to entry doors. 3) Install motion detectors on exterior security lights. 4) Use timers on a few interior lights. 5) Buy a shotgun and take a home defense shotgun course.

Simply, make your house a harder target than your neighbors. As the punch line goes, "I don't have to outrun the lion, I just have to outrun YOU."