March 24, 2013  approximately  2 a.m.

 

Something disturbs me and I begin to wake up.  I wonder why because I don’t really have to use the bathroom all that badly and that’s what usually wakes me in the middle of the night.  I roll around a bit, trying to get comfortable and go back to sleep but finally, I decide to just get up and get the bathroom visit over with.

My sleep is very important to me and not always an easy thing to achieve.  One of the things I do faithfully, so that my sleep is undisturbed is to shut my bedroom door to keep the cats out of my room.

When I sit up and open my eyes, I notice two odd things.  One is that my bedroom door is open a few inches and the other is that there is bright light coming in through that opening.

I get up, open the door and find the following:

My over- the- road truck driving husband’s bedroom light is on.  He is away, of course.  The bathroom light is on.  A large hall closet door is open and the light is on.  Things in my husband’s bedroom have been disturbed.  Things in the living room have been disturbed. 

I have to traverse the very short, but interminably long, distance to reach the phone because it is apparent that someone was…and might still be…in my  house.  I am completely and utterly helpless to defend myself.

When I get to the phone, I can see that the back door is ajar.

I press 911 and nothing happens.  Horrendous fear turns to abject terror because I think my phone lines have been cut.  I try again and thankfully, the call goes through.

While on the phone with the dispatcher, I discover that my purse is gone.  In it, in addition to the debit and credit cards and some cash were my cell phone and every key to every lock in my house and for our two vehicles.

The dispatcher and I wait the twenty minutes or so for the police to arrive.  It seemed an eternity.

The young cops-obviously quite bored- check everything inside and outside the house.  They take a very few notes.  They leave.  It is about 2:30 and I am alone and I am scared.

I want you to re-read the above.  I want you to imagine yourself in that situation.  I want you to do everything you can possibly do to make sure you are NEVER in a similar situation and if you allow yourself to try to really feel what I was feeling you might be more inclined to take some action.

At a decent hour I begin making calls to set wheels in motion to achieve some sense of peace.  Every lock has to be re-keyed.  Until that is done, my ‘visitors’ have free access into my house.

That is the beginning of a week chock full of calls and appointments and more activity in and around my house than I usually have in six months.  None of it is fun.  All of it is very stressful.  All of it is extremely expensive.

Here are some things I did which were almost a hand written invitation for burglars to come into my house.  I am telling this long story in hopes that you will learn from me what NOT to do.

The previous night, I did NOT, as I usually do, check to see if my back door was locked except to look and see the position of the locking apparatus.  Apparently, as there was no ‘breaking’, only ‘entering’,   I did NOT have the door fully closed so of course, it was not truly locked.  I have been told, however, that people who know how can easily open that type of lock.  So maybe I did lock it but I know I did not test it.

I left my purse sitting on my dining area table.

The dining area window was uncovered giving anyone a clear view of my purse and many other things inside my house.

My cell phone was in my purse.

My keys were in my purse.

Here are my strong suggestions to you and I do hope you will pass them along to others.

·         I have learned that a burglary call is very low priority to the police.  Technically, that’s what my incident was called instead of a ‘home invasion.’  I am NOT suggesting you lie to the police but a much faster response time might happen if you report that someone is or might be still in or at your residence.  So, if you’re not 100% positive your ‘visitors’ are gone, leave that as a possibility.  Don’t tell them you’re certain they are gone.

 

·         Never trust your eyes to determine whether or not a door is closed and locked.  Test it with your hand!

 

 

·         Always take your cell phone with you when you go to bed.

 

·         Always take your purse with you when you go to bed.

 

 

·         Always take your keys with you when you go to bed.

 

·         Do NOT leave spare keys or your primary set hanging on hooks, lying on hall tables or inside drawers any place in your house EXCEPT YOUR BEDROOM!  Even then, choose carefully where and how you hide them and believe me, they need to be difficult to find, NOT out in plain sight.

·         Make sure all exterior doors have deadbolt locks.  Then lock them and make sure you have locked them!

 

·         Put some kind of good lock on your bedroom door to buy you some time to get to your cell phone or your taser or your gun or out your bedroom window in case someone makes it into your house.  I realize that probably won’t be a choice if you have small kids in the house but otherwise…and especially if you are alone a lot…it is a really good idea!

We had a security door on our front door but not our back door.  That has been rectified.  There is no exterior door to my house which does not now have a deadbolt lock!  I have been told by people who should know, that most opportunistic thieves won’t even bother with a house which has security doors.  Also, that stickers which say you have home security are also a good deterrant-whether or not you actually do have a security system.

 We also have obtained an alarmed security system service.  Nice blinds have been installed on that bare window.  ‘Nice’ blinds are not a requirement.  Just cover the window…with a sheet…with anything!

And I now have a weapon.  I chose a Taser for several reasons.  I never intend to be helpless to protect myself again.

Write down and keep in a safe place your credit and debit card numbers.  Some of them cannot be cancelled at 3 a.m. because you will have to talk to a human to cancel them and sometimes, with some banks, those humans are not available 24/7.  Somebody could do a lot of shopping on your card before business hours on a week day.

I found a locksmith who will, on occasion, re-key a vehicle but if you can’t find one and have to go to a dealer be warned that you will experience sticker shock.  I was quoted $225 to re-key my car!  The locksmith who had already done all my doors only charged me $125 for both vehicles.

 

We have layers of protection around our house and around me now.  But I am wondering if I will ever be able to sleep peacefully again in spite of it all.

I am hyper-sensitive and hyper-vigilant.  I’m sure some of that will fade with time.  I hope I never again am complacent about my safety and I hope I do not become a fear-based human being. I do not want to live in fear. I refuse to live in fear.

It’s not being fear-based to wear a seat belt in my car.  It’s a common sense method of self-protection.  That’s how I am trying to see all these things we’ve done…not as a fearful, knee-jerk reaction to one event but as a logical, proactive means of ensuring my safety.

I am filled with gratitude that my unwelcome visitors were only after things and did me no physical harm.  Things might have been very different.

I do hope you will take this little story to heart and take similar actions to protect yourself.  Also, I do hope you share it with many, many others.

A word to the wise….hopefully, will be sufficient.