Home burglarized while I was camping

[fla-gypsy]

I was burglarized while off camping for a week. While enjoying the beautiful beaches of the Florida panhandle I was hit. The Tv's and stuff like that are easy enough to replace but the heirloom jewelry and antique .38 special police service revolver of my grandfather were priceless to me. There was someone staying at my house during the time but had went out on an errand for less than an hour. I had no photos of the jewelry so little chance any will be recovered but the serial number of the gun is in the hands of the police. Hopefully it will turn up. Just a reminder to all to document your belongings if they're irreplaceable. The police were thorough in collecting evidence so they may be identified at some point. Loss will be close to $9k.

[ramgunner]

Criminals are lazy. It was easier to break in and steal your stuff than to stay off drugs, keep a paying job, and live their life without causing harm to others.

The best thing to know about any type of anti-theft security is that you need to make your place clearly a little harder to get into than the neighbor. They are lazy and will target the easiest thing.

Cameras are good, but meth tends to impair judgment. They may not think about getting caught by the camera since it's only a picture. They may also look for a way to take the camera thinking the picture is in the camera. That means they may do more damage in the process. Disguised/hidden cameras are good. I used to have a great video of a guy on meth in the back of a police car. He literally bit the camera off of the front of the prisoner cage. He thought if he ate it, the pictures would be unrecoverable. Of course, those photos would have been worthless anyway since he was already under arrest. Meth and things like "bath salts" really mess up the thought process.

Lights, locks that are actually used, a closed and locked garage door, closed and locked gates between yards, and keeping things out of visible sight will go a long way to making your home look (and be) harder than the next one.

An alarm system isn't a bad thing. It doesn't need to be "professionally" monitored. You want to make it loud enough to wake the dead. Have a siren in your attic facing out a vent, in an overhang somewhere high and out of reach, facing population. Have one or more inside. That will accomplish several things. If the criminal can't hear whats going on outside, they won't want to get trapped inside while they can't hear approaching sirens. Those sirens generally won't come at the call of an alarm company any more. However, they often respond faster to a noise nuisance call from a neighbor.

Just a few thoughts.

[NYCgrrl]

fla-gypsy wrote:
A safe may be in my future along with video survellience. At home party is an occupant and immediate family so no chance of involvement. The smashed French doors would also rule that out.

You might consider a safe deposit box over a home safe; generally less expensive and more secure especially if you live in a hurricane prone area. Agreeing with those posters who advocate layering your security.

[tjfogelberg]

Crime is everywhere so I wouldn't move on that basis alone. We have security systems on both our suburban home and lake place. I've lived in MN for long time and crime has always been a factor.

[mlts22]

To the OP: I am sorry about your loss. Hope the stuff shows up soon, perhaps with some perps in the local lockup as interest.

As braindead0 said, security comes in layers. I prefer some type of DIY alarm system that goes to a monitoring station. I also prefer the type of alarm that uses a fog machine and strobe lights. If the burglars can't see anything, they can't take anything, and they are not going to stand around and wait for the stuff to dissipate. I made the mistake before of going with a "free" install service and having to pay some good cash monthly on a long contract. Wouldn't do that again. I'd rather buy a system and pay for the monitoring, so I can upgrade it, and not depend on some alarm tech to fix stuff.

Smash and grabs are very common. Just a few weeks ago, in a matter of seconds, some people were out of their vehicle and trying to lift a generator out of my truck (which they took off quite quickly as soon as they noticed me.) Were it not for the fact that I had multiple security chains and locks imported from Europe (If the lock says "insurance lock", it actually has real security), that generator would probably be sitting in some pawn shop's "wait to sell until heat is off" section by now.

I also use security containers. I wouldn't call them "safes", because when I think of a true safe, I think of something with burglary ratings, glass relockers, actual boltwork, and so on. However, I do keep items of value locked up.

At an extreme, one can do what a friend of mine (who lives several states away) does with his place when he leaves for periods of time. Every door inside his place is reinforced steel, and have "secure classroom function" mortise locks on them. This way, if one is in a room, the door will open to allow exit, no matter what. However, when the owner is away, a burglar not just has to smash the front door, but the hallway door, the door to the kitchen, multiple bedroom doors, and in each bedroom, anything of value is stashed in a secure cabinet. The computer desk has doors that close and lock. Even things that one doesn't think about, such as the external A/C unit are put in metal cages. Of course, this won't stop a determined thief, but combined with an actively monitored alarm system with CCTV, it will slow them down enough for the police to arrive.

[DSDP_Don]

Costco sells a camera made by Samsung. It connects to your internet wirelessly and will send an alert to your phone when someone walks in front of it. You can view the camera from your phone and even talk to the crooks, make a dog bark or sound an alarm. It records their photo. It allows you to turn the notification on and off so you aren't being notified when you're at home. It's about $140.00 and contains everything you need. It works well and is a good alternative to a monitored system.

[kknowlton]

So sorry to hear that! It's such an awful feeling. 😞 Hope you're able to get at least some of the heirloom stuff back.

Not saying the OP did this or has done anything to promote the burglary but as much as I would like to share my adventures with others this is why I never post on social media "hey look at me, I'm on vacation somewhere". Maybe it's being paranoid but I just don't trust that information won't get into the wrong hands.

Ditto. (Not implying the OP did this, just a general warning. I see it too often on social media.)

[fla-gypsy]

I appreciate the comments on security measures. It had nothing to do with the occupant, that I'm certain of. The police have the serial number of the revolver, it may turn up somewhere.

[Chrisatthebeach]

Man I hate that for you.

My neighbor installed a DVR and 4 camera security system he bought online and has a mobile app so he can see it from his phone. He hid the DVR under the attic flooring so that if someone went for it valuable time would be taken from the escape plan of the thieves, they want to get away quick. I plan to do the same soon.

It is sad that the world is coming to this. When I grew up we did not even have house keys, never locked it but not that way anymore.

Chris

[dave54]

SIL is a cop. Let your local dept know you are gone. Some depts have a vacation list they give to the patrol units, keeping an extra eye on your home.

[Shot-N-Az]

We got hit back in May while we were on a simple overnighter. Learned a lot of lessons from that. Been kicking myself in the ass ever since.

[allen8106]

fla-gypsy wrote:
I was burglarized while off camping for a week. While enjoying the beautiful beaches of the Florida panhandle I was hit. The Tv's and stuff like that are easy enough to replace but the heirloom jewelry and antique .38 special police service revolver of my grandfather were priceless to me. There was someone staying at my house during the time but had went out on an errand for less than an hour. I had no photos of the jewelry so little chance any will be recovered but the serial number of the gun is in the hands of the police. Hopefully it will turn up. Just a reminder to all to document your belongings if they're irreplaceable. The police were thorough in collecting evidence so they may be identified at some point. Loss will be close to $9k.

Not saying the OP did this or has done anything to promote the burglary but as much as I would like to share my adventures with others this is why I never post on social media "hey look at me, I'm on vacation somewhere". Maybe it's being paranoid but I just don't trust that information won't get into the wrong hands. Living in the country with my nearest neighbor 1/2 mile away makes it even worse. A burglar could literally live there for week and probably no one would be the wiser.

[Old-Biscuit]

fla-gypsy,

Really sorry to hear of your loss.
I hate thieves!
Unless one has been thru it it is hard to describe the feeling of being 'violated'

Jewelry....might turn up at a pawn shop
But doubt that the revolver will ever be seen again.
It will be traded for drugs then sold hand to hand
But police might recover if used in crime.

Again.....sorry!

[braindead0]

Security isn't as simple as 'get this' or 'buy that'. Good security comes in layers, first you have to be able to evaluate the risks and know how to reduce them to a level that you are comfortable with.

I would strongly recommend NOT jumping into purchasing anything right now, you are sadly in a position for security companies to take advantage of you.. and they will.. with 'free installation' that have long term contracts with huge exit costs.

If you think a security system would be appropriate, I would recommend doing some research. Most of the 'free install' security companies are 'installing' GE Simon systems with wireless sensors.. AND THEY WILL LIKELY leave the default service codes. You can purchase one of these systems and install yourself and set it up to call you/friends/neighbors. At the least do some research so you know what they cost, what it takes to install, how to check the default codes (there are several)..etc...

As far as security cameras I would avoid anything that locks you into an 'ecosphere', such as nest or vivint. Their is no reason to get locked in, plenty of options that are using open standards.

[westend]

So some random person who just happened to drive by and luckily hit just when that person was gone from the house? I have seen it many times and just dont buy it.

It happened to me, many years ago. There was one person in the house and he left to get some lunch. By the time he got back, the thieves had struck.

These burglars aren't dumb (some of them). They will case the place and know when it is empty. Even with an alarm system and adequate police personnel on duty, they can be in and out before anyone responds. Cameras aid in deterrence and capture of the thieves but the recovery of lost property may/may not be successful. The stolen goods can be sold or traded a few times within a short time.

Sorry to hear one of our members was hit. Hopefully, there is a good outcome.

[JAC1982]

I'm sorry to hear that! I always worry about that happening, since we park our camper on the side of the house, so if it's gone, then it's pretty obvious we are on vacation to anybody who sees our house on a regular basis. Will be glad when we can build an outbuilding in a few years so it's not so obvious.