Hello everyone. Here is something I want to share with you that happened Recently in one of our neighborhoods.
SCENARIO:
Female homeowner at home with her two children. About 7:25 PM, a juvenile starts ringing her door bell. He rings it repeatedly with no response from the homeowner. Then she hears him speak to someone else and then he and another person come over her wall and into her backyard. They are in her yard and heading to the back of her house. Seeing this, she gets upset and reacts by opening her back door and screaming at them to get out of her yard. They stop and are startled that she is in the house. They take off running. She calls 9-1-1 and the police respond very quickly. The juveniles are gone at that point.
POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION:
Always have a strong verbal response to a person at your front door who is ringing the bell or knocking. This is a classic move that burglars do to determine if anyone is home. Many people choose to ignore or hide from door bell ringing or door knocking. For many people, it is an old technique to avoid an unwanted visitor or a salesperson / solicitor. However, considering the times that we live in now, and the amount of burglary that occurs in residential areas, it is NOT RECOMMENDED to ignore a person on your porch. Respond to them assertively through your locked front door or security screen and ask them what they want but do not open your door. If they claim an emergency, a lost pet, that they are looking for someone, etc., do not open to door. If you think there is an actual emergency, you can call 9-1-1 for them. So, RESPOND verbally to their presence. Don’t give them a reason to think the house is unoccupied.
Second, WATCH them. If they don’t leave, or try to get other neighbors to open their door, REPORT them immediately. If you feel threatened while they are on your property, call right then. Call while you are seeing them and can describe them. Don’t be satisfied if they leave your porch and go elsewhere. They very well are still in the neighborhood and should be reported. Officers may be able to respond, locate them, and determine what their intentions are.
Thirdly, never put yourself in a position where they can have physical access to you, such as opening a door or coming outside to see what it going on. You never know who you are dealing with, what their intentions are, or what they are willing to do to commit a crime. So, keep a secure distance.
Lastly, know your neighbors and SHARE information with each other that you become aware of. It helps everyone to know that criminals have committed a crime or have tried to. Neighbors talking and sharing info is one of the best ways to keep safety a topic and helps people realize that they need to be aware and prepared.
Please also have a talk with family members, especially younger or older adults who may be home in self-care. They need to know this information as well. While every circumstance is different, the basics are included in this email message. Please create awareness for yourself, your family and your neighbors so that at the very least there is some kind of conversation and consideration options that may very well help avoid a dangerous situation. We have no control over who enters our neighborhoods, who lives near us, etc., but we can do our best to think clearly and protectively and not make a situation worse by responding in a way that puts us more in harms’ way.
