[BVD]

Well, I had $400 worth of auto tools stolen from my garage last December. This morning, my wife came to me and informed me that her weedeater had been stolen. (yes, she does 100% of the lawn work) I went ahead and reported the theft.

I was upset.
Then at 22:00 tonight, a man in a blue shirt appeared outside of my bedroom window.
Now I was really mad.


My bedroom is in the back of my house. The back yard is surrounded by a six-foot privacy fence. The garage is separate from the house, and enclosed inside the fence.


I had a buddy with me, so I quickly grabbed the shotgun and flashlight and we headed to the front door while my wife manned the phone. I went to the front thinking that the BG would jump the fence and run that direction. I wanted to get a better make on him and maybe get plates off his car. I didn't see anything, but I heard some noises from the back. We carefully made our way to the back and
did a thorough clean sweep. Nothing. Told the cops that I didn't have any info other then the color of the shirt.


I guess tomorrow will be spent getting those broken motion sensor lights working again.


Somebody stealing my tools while my family is away from the house is one thing, but the idea of someone lurking outside my bedroom window at night is a whole other ballgame. Especially since it happened while my wife was in the bed with her head leaning against the window.



I am writing this not to seek advise ( although I am young, ignorant and probably in need of it ), but because it is now 3:00 in the morning, and I am still up thinking about it. Writing some of this down might help me to vent a bit.



My thoughts so far include the following:
1) I really need to get those motion sensors working.
2) A dog in the back yard would have been helpful, but I live in one of those upity neighborhoods that require you to clean up after your pets. I don't think I can lower my self to the point of walking around with a plastic bag over my hand so that I can pick up dog crap and take it home with me.
3) I feel really comfortable w/ a shotgun. I shoot a fair amount of trap and sporting clays. My Home Defense shotgun ( you know, the short, black plastic kind ) has proven itself to be very reliable out in the field. When I felt like there was the possibility of needing to defend myself or my family, having a Mossberg at my side gave me a little piece of mind.
4) My flashlights are not bright enough.
5) I live across the street from a LEO. There are a number of police living in my neighborhood ( all with marked cars ). The BG's don't seem to care.
6) The BG's may now think of my house as a source for guns. I am having a hard enough time scrapping together money for a membership at a shooting range ( I am a very bad shot w/ a handgun and I need to practice before I will trust myself getting a CCL ), let alone having enough to buy a gun safe or alarm system for the house.
7) Although my wife is a very capable person, I do not at all feel comfortable w/ her abilities to defend herself. Also, she does not have a cell phone, so if the phone wire is cut, she is SOL. She
knows where a shotgun is, but will have a hard time reaching it. If she does reach it, the length of pull is way to long for her.
8 ) As much as God is a part of our life, praying was still the last thing to come to my mind. This
was disappointing.



Well, that is it for now. There is a nice ominous thunderstorm going on here in Memphis. Maybe the sound of the rain will help me to sleep.



Dane and all you other guys, thanks for this board. It is nice having a place to talk about this kind of stuff.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BVD on 2001-08-04 04:35 ]</font>

 

[Jim Watson]

1. I am not a trainer.
2. Tom Givens, Rangemaster, Memphis is. Contact him, maybe an easy payment plan for training is available.
3. Cut the stock off on that Mossberg until your wife can handle it, put on a soft recoil pad and buy some "Tactical" buckshot. Take her to the trap club and have the local expert teach her how to shoot it.

 

[Tom Givens]

Come see us at Rangemaster. A little training goes a long way. By the way, handgun skill is only a small part of the overall equation-- we'll help with some other areas as well.
If you have some mechanical skills we can work out a trade off for some maintenance work in lieu of cash.

 

[Bronco]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Bronco on 2001-08-07 00:07 ]</font>

 

[gyp_c2]

There ya' go...You did good...Just follow up and you'll have a lot better chance of gettin' to sleep at night...Don't forget to include the little lady :wink:

Congrats!

 

[evanmarshall]

My experience is that God realizes the urgency of the situation and provides guidance w/o an foramlized, uttered prayer. During 20 years with Detroit PD I have to admit praying in some rather unusual places and circumstances.

 

[Guest]

I am not trying to alarm you or cause you any undue stress but based on your description of the events I have a slightly different set of priorities.

First, I would suggest that you follow all of the other advice but also try an individual counter surveillance routine or spend some time monitoring your home/wife as your tools may not have been the primary target.
I have spent a long time protecting people and have spent far too much time analyzing, tracking down, unwinding, and finally apprehending the individuals from the psychotic through to the motivated stalkers, and down to the seemingly "harmless" voyeur level.

The one caveat is that the "watching" effect that you described keyed off my "alert" sensors, from your description an unarmed, oddly calm and brazen man standing next to your bedroom window, indicates that he is probably not there to steal your tools. To make matters worse he appears to have known your yard and response times well enough to have slipped away quietly and quickly. When you fix your motion lights ensure that they are mounted high enough to keep them from being unscrewed.

I may be wrong here and I certainly hope so.
Using a very good CSR can determine if someone is "watching" you or your wife.

_________________
Think, Plan, Train, Be Safe.
Thanks
David

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: David DiFabio on 2001-08-05 13:30 ]</font>

 

[Clay]

David may have something here. Material items may well have not been the target. Countersurveillance is a good idea.

 

[SGTJAYP]

If I were you I would stay very alert. The pervert was probably punching his monkey while looking in your window. It is doubtful that he just randomly found your house. He probably knows your wife from somewhere (bank, supermaket, etc.). He might even have gotten your address from a check.

Try figuring out his MO (Saturday night is probably his night off) and staking out your house. He probably will be back in a few weeks when he thinks things have cooled down. On the nights you are waiting for him, make it inviting and have a friend with you to watch your back.

Make sure your wife has some pepper spray and show her some rape defense techniques: thumb in eye, rake the face with nails. Make sure you start a paper trail with the police. Tell them you think your wife has a stalker. You might also want to put some fresh soft topsoil down around your fence line. That way you will be able to tell where he crosses the fence and when.

I know you said you didn't come here for advice, but don't underestimate this creep.

 

[Duke Hansen]

BVD: God's a great part of my life too. As a pilot, I pray before & after I fly, not during a crisis. When it comes to weapons training, I train with my friends and with my family. Some of my training has been with instructors just feet in front of me in live fire drills. That required my 100%concentration. My brother's already gotten up in his home twice when his fiance's "heard" something at 2:00 a.m. He's practiced room clearing and has found the hiding places & dark corners of his home. A year ago he would never have considered this action. He's wired the outdoor floodlights to the master bedroom and has his cell phone upstairs at night. His home defense weapon is a Glock 23 with the Insight M3 Tactical illuminator mounted on the frame. Each year he places a new NRA window sticker on one of his backyard doors. We regularly discuss tactics & ideas regarding our homes and security. I've learned over the past 3 years that all of the guns in the world don't mean a hill of beans if you're not confident and proficient with them. Firearms training comes second to my flight training, however I'm now spending more time and $ on it now. Thank you all for sharing your techniques and opinions. This is a fascinating topic!! God Bless......Keith

 

[charlesfmason]

Put up with the poop and get at least one dog. I live in the inner city with the highest crime rate of any area in the entire region. I have had lots of problems, including having to remove a home invader last summer at gun point.
I now have a German Shepherd Dog, plus a small Japanese breed (Shiba Inu) that literally shreiks like crazy when anyone approaches the property. This combo has significantly reduced my problems. (Plus the sign that says "Warning: Police Work Dog," given to me by an LEO friend, hasn't hurt either.)
I have a monitored alarm system, as well, but the dogs have been the kicker.

 

[BVD]

Thanks for all of the responeses. I've been away, and haven't found the time to reply until now.

Motion lights are up. Alarm system is being installed. I very carefully went through my yard checking for clues of what happened. The rain that night washed away most of the tracks, but I can tell where he entered and where he exited. As evidenced by some broken plants and the sounds my wife heard that night, he entered over a small section of chain link fence between my house and my neighbor's. He left by using a bench and small fence to vault the rear fence into the greenway. The greenway is what used to be a railroad easement that has now been converted into a trail.


Tom,
Thanks for the offer. I like to think I am pretty handy when it comes to machines. My training is as a EE, my trade is computer networking.
My wife and I are rearranging our priorities ( living with debt a few months longer will not kill us ), and we should be seeing you soon.


David,
Thanks for getting me thinking about other possible motives for the BG. It is very unsettling but it should not be ignored. As for the CSR, I'll be creative and try to see if I can come up with a good plan. Please note that I may not have been clear in my original post. The BG was seen walking past my bedroom window. He was not seen watching us. This does not mean he wasn't watching, just that I did not see him doing it.

SGTJAYP,
I would like to teach my wife some of those techniques, but I am afraid of what she will do to me while I am practicing my new Judo ( or old wrestling ) moves on her :smile:. Do you really contacting the police is the right thing to do? I did place a call that night, to let the police know that there was somebody in my yard; was that not enough?


charlesfmason,
I am starting to reconsider the dog thing. These new motion lights, combined w/ a big pesky raccoon, are performing a DOS attack on my sleep.

Jim,
By 'length of pull', I meant the distance from the stock grip to the trigger, not the length of the stock.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BVD on 2001-08-10 04:11 ]</font>

 

[Bruce]

Get a dog, get a dog, get a dog.

Study the minds of the serial killers, rapists and other pervs and you will find one common trait: They prey on what appears to be the easiest target. They hate noise. They hate to be seen. You don't need an attack dog, you don't even need a dog big enough to handle a bad guy [although I sure like them]. At least get a noise maker. I raised cattle to put myself through school...trust me, manure won't kill ya. :smile:

Move the bed away from the window. Make sure the window has to be broken in order to be opened from the outside. Make the bedroom windows impossible to see through from the outside.

Then, go take advantage of your location. You live in the same city as one of the premiere training facilities in the US...AND the guy is willing to work a trade with you!!! Seriously, next year at this time you and your wife should be as well trained as any civilian in the free world. It is a matter of priorities. Dump the cable TV, stop going out to dinner, stop subscibing to magazines, stop smoking / drinking booze [if you do either], etc. I have never met any working couple w/out children who could not shave $200-$300 a month off of expenses, and never miss what they stopped doing. Then, go get you and the wife some training.

Did I say get a dog? Chances are the local shelter has a dozen house-broke dogs that would love your place. Go check them out.

 

[Brandon]

I really hate to hear of the problems you've been having, especially as I'm in Memphis, too. Living in this city is what ultimately led to my CCW permit, although bad things happen everywhere. If you're in the city limits, I feel for you in re the police department. I've been there. If you're in a surrounding community, then you should by all means sit down with an investigator from the local PD. You'll find that they are a lot easier to deal with, and a lot more interested in the safety of their communities, than the Memphis PD in general. I will say that MPD is horrifically understaffed, but that still doesn't account for the general apathy within the department. And, just to concur with the above posts, train, get a dog, and most importantly, continue to do what you have been: BE AWARE!

As for the prayer issue, the good Lord knows what is going on in your life, and you did the right thing. You took action. He doesn't need you to tell Him. Just be sure to thank Him that all are safe, and that you were there to do something to protect your family. Good luck with this, and be safe.

 

[Guest]

BVD,
Have you had any further issues/incidents?

 

[Clay]

I can tell you this, while I am not a criminal, I have had to B&E a few residences, and the biggest worry I had was whether or not they had a big mean-ass dog. They scare the hell out of me :grin: !

 

[Kavall]

One of my favorite ideas for helping deter criminals. Motion activated lights in the back yard. And a BIG FRIGGIN air or electric horn wired into a "safe" room. Flip the switch and wake every person up in a two mile area! If you just got an alarm system installed is it wired to a horn? Is there a panic button. Nothing says scare the hell out of a criminal like bright lights and a VERY loud horn in the middle of the night.

I would suggest shades on the window, a LOUD horn, motion activated lights, a simple cell phone, and get training!!!


Anyone want to offer training or gunsmithing services to me in trade for services?? Central NJ

Kavall

Computer Tech, Home improvement contractor, Lawn Care, any manual labor....

 

[BVD]

On 2001-08-29 22:44, David DiFabio wrote:
BVD,
Have you had any further issues/incidents?

Hey David,

No evidence that he has been back. We set up a few 'indicators', but so far everything is as it should be. Through talking w/ some of my neighbors, I did find out that a few other houses have been hit.