ADT Security Pro - Home Security Blog

If you just had aburglary, there's no need for me to tell you how this all feels. If you are on the lucky end and you are just looking into how to prevent it, take a moment and imagine what this all looks like:

You grab a coffee with an old friend. You catch up a bit, who has kids? Where did the super smart redheaded guy from high-school end up? Married to the head cheerleader?? No one saw that coming! Awww, they have cute kids... what? they run a farm stand? Wow, the years have flown!!

You're pondering this all as you pull into your driveway. Hmm, why can't that teenager turn lights off, almost every light in the house is on. The front door looks a little weird too. You get closer and it's clear, it's been kicked in. 

***Editor's note, this is part 2 of a 3 part series, to read Part 1 - Recent crime in your community, CLICK HERE***

"Of course I knew that a break-in could happen anywhere. I'd think, 'We don't have a lot of expensive things.' or 'It'd be cheaper to replace a few items than to pay for years of an alarm system...'   I thought these things every time I saw a home security commercial...

3 months after I woke up to a burglar in my home, I had to move. It's been 6 more months, we have an alarm now. I now own a gun and have been taking self defense classes for 4 months.  I am slowly replacing my mental security. I wake up thinking that someone could be in my home, near my kids and have to go make sure that everyone is okay.

What he stole was my peace of mind."

-Melnee Johnson

Did you know that 34% of break-ins occur right through the front door?

Gutsy, Right?

This makes sense when the most common "tactic" involves the front door.  A would-be thief will check out a neighborhood, maybe they found some "clues" like an empty TV box by the trash can, a new Samsung - 65" TV. Or they can see through a window and your laptop is sitting hte in plane sight and no one is home...

Now there is a burglar at your front door... He'll knock and look like he has an appointment with you. He's knocking. Waiting. He has a clipboard in his hand. He's looking at his watch and looking, well... pissed off that you aren't answering. He peeks in a window and looks up and down the street again, then at his watch. Mrs. Applegate figures you missed an appointment and goes back to, well, baking pies or whatever she does on a Wednesday afternoon. Mr. McBurglar knows he's in the clear and in 30 seconds has kicked your door in and no one saw it! If they saw him at all, they saw a young guy in a uniform or dark pants, but he looked like he had business there... and oh baby did he!

If a burglar does break into your home, they will most likely be gone before the police show up.

Having a security system with video surveillance can minimize what they get away with. A thief can kick down most doors in seconds. Upon hearing the alarm, they will know help is on the way. BUT once they are in, even though the alarm is creaming to get back out, they know there's enough time to grab your laptop off the kitchen table or the $600 iPhone just inside the door. The police will arrive a few minutes later.

In this 3 part series we will take a look at crime in your area and what you should do about it.

Here in part one we will look at ways to be aware of crime in your local community, ways you can be prepared and how to prevent it. In Recent Crime Part 2: What to do when you have a break-in we look at what you should do after you have a break-in, and Part 3: Prevent Crime: You need a well-rounded security plan. Recent Crime Part 3 will give you a list of things you need to do to prevent being a victim. Feel free to skip to part 3 and never need part 2.

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Two nights ago our rep Michael was called out for an unusual visit with the Gary family. We had installed an ADT security system already but a burglar had visited the Gary home. As upsetting as that it, this was a fairly successful story. You see, the burglar had probably seen the sign in the yard alerting of a security system. Unlike the 80 - 90% of thieves that would keep on truckin', this thief might have been aware that many homeowners don't arm their system at all times. Or, possibly he suspected that the Garys had bought a yard sign on eBay without actually having a system.

So our burglar, we'll call him thieving Thad, kicked their door in. Apparently when thieving Thad heard the alarm, he realized he'd rather stay out of jail (BUMMER!) and made a hasty get away. Good for our friends the Garys, nothing was taken. There were no phones or laptops or anything else in plain sight or readily available and our Mr. Thad left this home empty handed.