# Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

.......................*Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You*...................................

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake... I do my best to never, ever look like a crook. 

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

8.. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.


Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Protection for you and your home

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evilplans for you. I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.. 

Wasp Spray

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.... Thought this was interesting and might be of use.


Wasp And Hornet Spray

On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. * For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.*

Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says,* "spray the culprit in the eyes"*. It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

Maybe even save a life. 
Please share this with all the people in your life.


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## ungo4 (Jun 5, 2009)

That's some good advice for your home A$$hole. I was expecting basically the same thing only for your car instead. It's still good advice and I've haven't heard of the wasp spray idea. Good Stuff!


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

The snow drift one is something I've never even thought about. I don't get much snow here (big surprise) but it really would be a dead giveaway for sure.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Althugh I try to keep my back yard void of dog **** I like to take a few HUGE piles and put them near the easy entry points.

I like the idea of cactus under windows.

The area by the wood pile is a good entry point, I always toss a handful of spent shotgun shells int he corner out of the way but very visible.

When I replaced my dog door a friend wanted the outside part of it.. he affixed it to his back door, without cutting the hole. I buy big doggie doors, because I have big doggies


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## Mooble (Oct 21, 2007)

Things I don't tell a burglar:

I never answer my door. Chances are you're a solicitor. When you attempt to force your way inside, I will put you down without even thinking twice. That will end your thieving ways right then and there.


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## Thunderplains (Sep 6, 2009)

Wasp spray.. Interesting idea..

Although, both myself and my wife are carrying glocks and my .45 is loaded with Winchester Black Talons.. It would be a bad day for someone to enter.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Thunderplains said:


> Wasp spray.. Interesting idea..
> 
> Although, both myself and my wife are carrying glocks and my .45 is loaded with Winchester Black Talons.. It would be a bad day for someone to enter.


Are those the ones that explode after entry causing a really big mess inside its target? Thieves really do need to be killed on the spot. They don't deserve to live just like rapists, murderers, and child molesters. Could fix the overcrowded jail problem in a hurry this way.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

they don't explode per say they expand and fragment. little hole on one side big hole on the other.


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

safest weapon for home defense = shotgun loaded with appropriate numbered shot, as it will not go through drywall and injure children in bedrooms or other rooms

To each their own


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## MiniVanMan (Jun 28, 2005)

How did this thread turn into a chest beating contest about who owns what guns and who would kill a burglar on site?

When I read this, I see burglars stating that they do everything they can to ensure you're NOT home, and look for clues to that effect.

So, what good are your guns if you're not home?

Here's a hint. Burglars aren't looking for a fight. They're looking for your stuff. It's much easier if you're not home.


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

MiniVanMan said:


> How did this thread turn into a chest beating contest about who owns what guns and who would kill a burglar on site?
> 
> When I read this, I see burglars stating that they do everything they can to ensure you're NOT home, and look for clues to that effect.
> 
> ...


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

MiniVanMan said:


> How did this thread turn into a chest beating contest about who owns what guns and who would kill a burglar on site?
> 
> When I read this, I see burglars stating that they do everything they can to ensure you're NOT home, and look for clues to that effect.
> 
> ...


Doesn't every thread regarding theft turn into a chest-beating contest? 

Best advice in my neighborhood? Live next to (and be on good terms with) the biggest drug dealers on the block. I never got stuff stolen from my house when I could sit on my porch and tell yo momma jokes with the neighbors while they sold stash.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

I have a huge love gun, sometimes it doubles as my kick-stand. when i go really fast on a motor cycle it beats me in the chest.


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

OK TRIPOD


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

passtim said:


> OK TRIPOD


pegleg, they won't let me leave it out at work.


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

chad said:


> pegleg, they won't let me leave it out at work.


Probably because of all the STDs dripping off it. LOL:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

passtim said:


> Probably because of all the STDs dripping off it. LOL:laugh::laugh::laugh:


the dripping is fine, it's when I use it as a lasso... man that's nasty.


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

MUST RESIST 

DON"T 

ANSWER


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## MiniVanMan (Jun 28, 2005)

chad said:


> pegleg, they won't let me leave it out at work.


YouTube - Upright Citizens Brigade "Little Donny" Part 2


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

Yup, I ah 
Got nothing


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## redcalimp5 (Sep 10, 2007)

Good stuff, thanks for posting that. I've already known a few of those points over the years, but I learned a couple of new ones from that list, too.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

chad said:


> the dripping is fine, it's when I use it as a lasso... man that's nasty.


Get a cross-bow. Use it like a harpoon gun. Much cleaner.


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## cobra93 (Dec 22, 2009)

I knew Val Glinka, he was the basketball coach at St. Francis de Sales when I went there.
He's teaching self defense, he must be in his 60's.


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## mathematics (May 11, 2009)

good stuff


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## Shepherd (Jun 21, 2010)




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## 22689 (Mar 25, 2009)

*I like the wasp spray idea too! I bet it will make the Bullet Holes a little more painful*


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## crease-guard (Mar 15, 2008)

imeverlast said:


> *I like the wasp spray idea too! I bet it will make the Bullet Holes a little more painful*


Best post in this thread :lol:

Jay


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## betteraudio (Oct 4, 2009)

passtim said:


> Since then I have installed a complete home alarm and an electronic keypad deadbolt on her door. No more excuses for locking now.


Nice to see an intelligent approach. Just wanted to share my $0.02. 

I too am a qualified expert marksman with a special dislike of thieves, but all blustering about armament aside, a stranger pumped up with adrenaline and who knows what else is not someone you want being able to get into your home without you knowing about it. 
Your child might be between you and them. I speak from experience. I was that child when I was 5. 

On that note, let me share my advice about alarms. And for a frame of reference, the places I've installed alarm systems include many government agencies and places requiring TS clearance to get near, and higher to get inside...

I all too often see plunger ball type contacts on doors, installed on the hinge side. This is a bad idea for two reasons. One, the hinge side of the door deflects from the frame the least per degree the door is opened, and two, they are easily defeated if you can insert something to keep them depressed. 
A magnetic reed contact recessed into the latch side of the door will trip much sooner, and is far more difficult to defeat. Especially if it is wired in series (for NC contacts) with another contact in the top middle of the door.

Motion detectors are all well and good, but they are pretty easy to defeat when you know about them. There are two primary types; one is sensitive to movement across it, the other toward and away from it, and by far the majority of installers either do not know how or do not bother to place them properly. And they're not much good while you're home, the same with glassbreak detectors. A better way to protect windows is to ask your alarm company about screens. There are third party companies to which your alarm company can send your screens, that will re-screen them with an alarm circuit woven into the screen mesh, and install a magnetic reed contact in the screen frame. This offers a couple of advantages. Firstly, they can be programmed on the alarm panel as 24-hour zones which are active even when the rest of the alarm is off, and second, if a thief cuts the mesh or removes the frame, one of which they must do to gain entry, the alarm goes off before they even get to the window itself.


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

As I found out the hard way, locks, alarms, and other high tech devices are great things. You just have to reprogram your mind sometimes to ensure you use them or they are just a useless monetary waste.


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## 3Tripnip (Sep 7, 2010)

Good info....time to relocate the wasp spray from the garage.


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## go!tc (May 15, 2010)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Are those the ones that explode after entry causing a really big mess inside its target? Thieves really do need to be killed on the spot. They don't deserve to live just like rapists, murderers, and child molesters. Could fix the overcrowded jail problem in a hurry this way.


like this guy 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZTWAr79_tQ&has_verified=1


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## BigAl205 (May 20, 2009)

A fire extinguisher works good, too. Blind them and then bash their skull in


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## paul34 (Jun 25, 2010)

Oliver said:


> safest weapon for home defense = shotgun loaded with appropriate numbered shot, as it will not go through drywall and injure children in bedrooms or other rooms
> 
> To each their own


Negative. Buckshot and even birdshot will easily penetrate multiple layers of drywall and sheetrock. 

Rule #4: "Be sure of your target and what is beyond it." 

Anything sufficient in power and penetration to cause severe injury to an attacker is going to go through him/her almost certainly. 

Not trying to put you down or such, just hoping to clear up some misconceptions I see. It is important so that people don't make regrettable decisions when choosing their home defense weapon.


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## Texas Made (Jul 20, 2010)

haha


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## jonatbaylor (Aug 20, 2009)

All the alarms, door locks and window locks in the world are not going to help if you do not use them! Fact is, if someone wants to get in your house, they will. But don't make it easy for them. WAY too many people do NOT consistently lock their doors and window

One thing the OP didn't mention, or not much at least, was vacation-proofing your home. (I did see a snow drift thing).

If you don't have an alarm, ask a good neighbor to park in your driveway instead of theirs (they probably have 2 cars if they have a family). If you don't have a random light timer (it does no good to have lights come on at the same time, every day...that is obvious) have those same neighbors turn lights off and on for you.

If you are really paranoid but still don't have or want to install an alarm, spend the money for a house sitter...or (and, actually) make sure you have good insurance for your stuff.

I've got several layers of security, but aside from my favorite security (two 100lb dobermans), I always use all of the security tools I have when I'm here or gone.

And yes my dobermans bite


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## jonatbaylor (Aug 20, 2009)

I especially like #5 on the list. It talked about how thieves love looking in windows.

I'm sure its happened at least once over the years...but my doby's always investigate noises near windows. I would have loved to have seen the face of a potential crook as one (or both) dobermans were staring at him through the window. 

makes me feel warm inside


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## paul34 (Jun 25, 2010)

Also, something basic in these days that a lot of people do not get... don't advertise your vacation to everyone and everything, especially via Facebook or Twitter or what have you. I'm not saying your friends are going to come to steal your TV, but it is possible someone else could be reading your updates. Be careful about what neighbors you tell as well.


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## coyote-1 (Nov 2, 2010)

My Dad used to keep a loaded gun in the nightstand.

Then one night at his summer home, the dog started barking at 3am as the front door opened. Dad came running out... it was ME, coming back late after being out partying that night. In his sleepy stupor, he'd forgotten that I was visiting and that I'd be returning at that hour.

Fortunately nothing happened. But he gave up the loaded gun by the bed.
When his other home was robbed a few years later, he and his wife simply stayed in bed. They came downstairs after the noise stopped. They found the TV was missing, and a couple picture frames knocked over.

He's decided that giving up a $200 TV is far better than getting into an armed conflict.


MiniVanMan said:


> How did this thread turn into a chest beating contest about who owns what guns and who would kill a burglar on site?
> 
> When I read this, I see burglars stating that they do everything they can to ensure you're NOT home, and look for clues to that effect.
> 
> ...


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## Morts (May 28, 2009)

My over protective female German Shepherd does a good job keeping everyone away from my house. I believe they will keep the petty thief away but if someone really wants your stuff they will shoot the dog and probably you. If they got the balls to get in my house with my dog I will give them what they want.


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## Golden Ears (Jul 18, 2010)

a good read..makes you think


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## Tao Jones (Oct 14, 2010)

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I think about how forums are a good place to scout for targets. Thieves would know which town you're in from your profile. They would know the type of car, system, where everything is installed ( if you had pics up or car domain profile ). I wonder if it's ever happened like that.


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## 22689 (Mar 25, 2009)

Tao Jones said:


> Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I think about how forums are a good place to scout for targets. Thieves would know which town you're in from your profile. They would know the type of car, system, where everything is installed ( if you had pics up or car domain profile ). I wonder if it's ever happened like that.


Yeah, Nice. 

and they will know where they can get some good Wasp spray sprayed into their new bullet holes. 
Wooo Hooo! 

Merry Christmas!!!


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