13 things your burglar doesn't want you to know.

Constantine · Post by **Constantine** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:48 pm

I don't know that I have much confidence in No. 11 (especially after this gets around).

13 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it...

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet...

11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

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Protection for you and your home

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.

BE CAREFUL AND MAKE
SURE YOU ONLY SPRAY
THE BAD GUYS !!!!!!!!!!

Wasp Spray

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection... Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

Wasp And Hornet Spray

On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.

Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home , Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

Maybe even save a life.
Please share this with all the people in your life.

Debbie · Post by **Debbie** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 12:58 pm

For someone who travels as much as I do, these tips are greatly appreciated.
Debbie

kssunflower · Post by **kssunflower** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:06 pm

Wow, #2 really hits home for me. This past weekend one of the guys working in our yard came in to use the facilities downstairs while I was upstairs. Guess I'd better check the windows.

Constantine · Post by **Constantine** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:10 pm

I was in a supermarket today looking at the wasp and hornet spray. The can is too big to carry around with you, and there is a notice on it saying that it is a violation of federal law to use it in a manner inconsistent with the label. I'm sure that anything goes in self-defense, however.

Fargo · Post by **Fargo** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:10 am

I was thinking of #2 as well.

In the summer of 1987, a friend of mine was visiting me and he brought a friend of his with him, who I didn't know that well, his friend was named Paul.

After awhile I had to go to work so all three of us left the house at the same time. Just before we left, while we were all in the front porch, suddenly Paul said "I have to use the bathroom, I will be right back" Paul took his shoes off and walked to the back of the house where the bathroom is.

Since me and my friend had our shoes on we just stayed in the front porch until Paul returned. It turned out that had Paul unlocked the back door on his trip to the bathroom. After I went to work, Paul returned to my home and entered the house through the back door, he took the key to my motorcycle from the key rack and stole my bike.

As luck would have it, it turned out my call for work was a false alarm and my boss didn't need me, so I went home. At home I discovered my motorcycle missing. Since it was parked outside my first thought was that someone walked away with it, pushing it down the street as I had failed to lock the steering lock.

I called the police and gave them a description of the bike. The police arrived and started questioning neighbours to see if they had seen anything. During this time I discoverd that my motorcylce helment was not by the front door where I always kept it.

I thought for a moment, then I checked the key rack and discovered that the motorcycle key was missing.

I thought for another moment and checked the back door and found it unlocked. Then I knew who had my baby. I was just on the way out the front door to tell the police what I had found, when I seen the police walking towards my drivway with Paul who was pushing my bike.

Paul claimed he had taken it for a joy ride and was going to return it before I would notice it missing. That is probably true because Paul was heading up the hill towards my house when the police stopped him.

Would you believe after all that Paul had the nerve to ask me for a ride home ? He did, but I never gave him one. I still have my baby, its been 15 years since I last rode her.

xyjw · Post by **xyjw** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:43 pm

Spring is here, summer is coming. It is time you get ready to take your bike out for a ride. I love motorcycle rides on hot summer days and to go to concerts or parades where there is no place to park. Time to get your"sealegs" back after all these years Fargo!

Fargo · Post by **Fargo** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:23 am

There is a reason why I haven't ran my bike for so long.

My mom never liked me riding it as when mom was young she had a friend who was killed on a motorcyle. I rode my bike for years but mom is the kind of person who has a lot of stress because she worries too much about other people. In the early 90's mom was in the hospital for awhile partly because of her worrying and stress. So I made her a promise that I would not ride my bike if it was going to worry her.

I am a grown man and make my own decisions, that was a decision I made on my own. Mom never asked me to promise her that.

I won't sell my bike and someday I will ride it again, but hopefully that won't be for a long time.

Cheryl · Post by **Cheryl** » Tue May 04, 2010 8:34 am

For those that have house cleaning people, be careful. A friend of mine has a woman she's trusted for years (and still does). Unfortunately, that woman had recently hired a helper who unlatched a window in her son's second story window. Several days later, the home was broken into.

Two weeks ago, another family I know had their home broken into and torn apart. No. 11 was accurate in this case. Apparently they tracked the family's habits, and knew that no one would be home before 6 p.m. They took their time.....overturning master bed and guestroom bed, emptying every drawer and cabinet in the house. They tore apart the 17 year old's room as well, but interestingly, not the 11 year old's.