Protect Your Family with a Security Plan

July 31st, 2007 by Cindy

Home Invasion

One of the more frightening and potentially dangerous crimes that can occur to a family is a home invasion robbery. A home invasion is when robbers force their way into an occupied home, apartment or hotel room to commit a robbery or other crimes. It is particularly frightening because it violates our private space and the one place that we think of as our sanctuary.

Home invasion is like the residential form of an automobile carjacking and it’s on the rise. Like the crime of carjacking, most police agencies don’t track home invasions as a separate crime. Most police agencies and the FBI will statistically record the crime as a residential burglary or a robbery. Without the ability to track the specific crime of home invasion, little can be done to alert the public as to the frequency of occurrence in their community or devise a law enforcement plan of action to control it.

Criminal Profile

Residential burglars work mostly during the day and when a residence is more likely to be unoccupied. Most burglars work alone and tend to probe a neighborhood looking for the right residence and the right opportunity. Alarm signs and decals, bars on windows, strong locks and doors, big dogs, and alert neighbors can sometimes deter burglars. Also, burglars will avoid a confrontation and will usually flee when approached. Most burglaries do not result in violence unless the criminal is cornered and uses force to escape.

Home invasion robbers, in contrast, work more often at night and on weekends when homes are more likely to be occupied. The home invader will sometimes target the resident as well as the dwelling. The selection process may include a woman living alone, a wealthy senior citizen or a known drug dealer, for example. It is not unheard of for a robber to follow you home based on the value of the car you are driving or the jewelry you are wearing. Some home invaders might have been in your home before as a delivery person, installer or repair vendor. Home robbers rarely work alone and rely on an overwhelming physical confrontation to gain initial control and instill fear in you. The greatest violence usually occurs during the initial sixty seconds of the confrontation and home invaders often come prepared with handcuffs, rope, duct tape, and firearms. Some in-home robbers appear to enjoy the intimidation, domination, and violence and some even claim it’s a “rush.”

Dangerous Trends

The act of committing a home invasion is escalating much like carjacking. The reason for the increase seems to follow a similar pattern. Much like automobiles, the traditional commercial targets for robbers like convenience stores and fast-food restaurants have hardened themselves against criminal attack and have reduced available cash. Technology has allowed commercial establishments to install affordable video surveillance systems, silent alarms, and other anti-crime deterrent devices. A residence, by comparison, is now a more attractive choice.

Home invaders know that they won’t have to overcome alarm systems when the home is occupied or be worried about video cameras and silent alarms. Unlike robbing a retail store, home invaders expect privacy once inside your home and won’t have to deal with the police suddenly driving up or customers walking in. Once the offenders take control of a residence they can force the occupants to open safes, locate hidden valuables, supply keys to the family car, and PIN numbers to their ATM cards. Home invaders will try to increase their escape time by disabling the phones and sometimes will leave their victims bound or incapacitated. It is not unheard of for robbers to load up the victim’s car with valuables and drive away without anyone in the neighborhood taking notice.

Method of Operation

The most common point of attack is through the front door or garage. Sometimes the home invader will simply kick open the door and confront everyone inside. More common is when the home invaders knock on the door first or ring the bell. The home invader hopes that the occupant will simply open the door, without question, in response to their knock. Unfortunately, many people do just that.

Home invaders will sometimes use a ruse or impersonation to get you to open the door. They have been known to pretend to be delivering a package, flowers or lie about an accident like hitting your parked car. Once the door is opened for them, the home invaders will use an explosive amount of force and threats to gain control of the home and produce fear in the victims. Once the occupants are under control the robbers will begin to collect your valuables.

Some home robbers have been known to spend hours ransacking a residence while the homeowners are bound nearby watching in terror. Some robbers have been known to eat meals, watch TV, or even take a nap. A major fear is that the robbers might commit more violence like sexual assault or even murder. Some robbers have kidnapped and forced a victim to withdraw cash from their ATM machine or take them to their small business to rob it as well.

Prevention Steps

The same tactics used to prevent daytime burglaries will go a long way to preventing forced entry home robberies. If you can delay a home invader at the point of entry then you have a chance of deterring them or have time to call the police. A solid core door, strong locks with reinforced strike plates, and reinforced window devices will stop most forced entries. See my web page on Home Security Tips for more information. Some homeowners build safe rooms inside their home to allow them to retreat or escape the violence while giving them valuable time to call the police.

The weakest home security link is the home occupant who fails to lock doors or windows or who will open the door without question at the sound of a knock. The best defense against home invasion is education and planning. Parents should hold a family meeting to discuss how to answer the door when someone knocks. Another important topic is how to act should your home or family be invaded. Once you know how home robbers work, you can effectively prevent most occurrences. See also Home Invasion Family Survival Tips for more information.

Remember these important security steps:

  • Install solid core doors, heavy duty locks, and window security devices
  • Lock all doors, windows, and garages at all times
  • Use four three-inch screws to secure heavy duty lock strike plates in the door frame
  • Use the door peephole BEFORE opening the door
  • Use your porch light to help you to see clearly outside
  • Never rely on a chain-latch as a barrier to partially open the door
  • Never open the door to strangers or solicitors
  • Call the police if the stranger acts suspicious
  • Alert your neighbors to suspicious solicitors
  • Hold a family meeting to discuss home security plans
  • Set the home perimeter alarm at night, if you have one

For More Information

by Chris E McGoey, CPP, CSP, CAM

I have been asked to comment about reports surfacing in the news media about the Cheshire Police Department’s “response time.”

When I was a reporter I dealt with facts, not second or third hand speculation. It is one thing for myself and other bloggers to think out loud. We are not members of the media.

But it is another thing to speculate in the media. A lot of things don’t make sense in this investigation because every detail was not released. A real time line has not been released and detailed information about the crime not released because law enforcement claims it would hinder the “investigation.” You are not going to get blood from a stone. These reporters have to hit the streets, talk to their sources and witnesses to find out information. Calling up the Cheshire Police Department and asking them to comment on speculation and rumors is going to yield the answers they are getting.

Think about it, we don’t even know the REAL truth about the Kennedy Assasination and that was in 1963!!! Remember all that speculation? A second gunman at the grassy knoll- the alleged Mafia involvement. It went on and on and is still going on and on!! Let’s look at what is being alleged:

The gas the alleged home invasion burglars used was purchased en route from the bank to the home: it was purchased at night at two different gas stations: the alleged burglars parked their car at Quarry Village and walked a mile and a half down Mountain Road in the early morning hours last Monday: they were supposedly carrying two gas cans and a rope: they supposedly bought a pellet rifle at a large retail store: one of the alleged robbers was waiting outside the bank while Mrs. Petit went inside alone to withdraw the money: the best rumor I heard was that the Cheshire Police Department responded in a timely manner to the Petit home but waited for the State Police to arrive. Come on everyone: let it rest. RE READ THE ABOVE ARTICLE.

I have my disagreements with the Cheshire Police Department and some of their tactics, but when I had to call them, they have responded quickly. One time our family thought there was suspicious activity in the area: the police came quickly and were able to catch the person.

Remember, they DID apprehend the home invasion suspects. The bottom line is that people are looking for a reason not to believe something like this could happen. Crime randomly happens. You could be picked for a criminal activity just by the way you look or where you are walking or how you are dressed. Someone I know was targeted by a criminal just because they were driving slow!!!

“Oh there has got to be more to it,” people are saying. “This would not have happened, if the police were faster in responding.”

Believe it or not, yes it would have happened and it did. This is the world we live in now sadly. People are stalked and targeted all the time all over this country and all over the world.

IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

There was an “informal” meeting on July 17th between Inland-Wetlands and Cheshire Rt. 10 Northend Development. I will be posting the minutes of this meeting within a day or so. Some people have questioned why these minutes are still not on the P and Z website. Good question. It’s too bad people have to take it upon themselves, as I have had to do in the past with the Police Department Monthly reports, and go down to the Town Clerk’s office, get a copy of the minutes and scan them into the blog for people to see when it can be done in a flash by the P and Z office. I know my colleague at the Cheshire Town Post has the minutes. I will post them within a few days. Hopefully by then, the Town Government will see fit to post all the minutes of the meeting, not what they think applies.

Update 31-July-2007

P and Z minutes:
Click Here to Download

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