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Home Security Threat - Advice Needed


emissary
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I'm experiencing an odd situation at my house and was hoping to get some feedback from other forum members. About a month ago, at 9PM on a Saturday, I had someone rapidly ring my doorbell. When I went to the door, no one was there. I went outside to investigate, and then I heard a loud car drive away past the front of my house without any lights on. The person braked as they went by, and I recognized the distinctive tail lights of an older Jeep Wrangler.

 

Flashback to Sunday night, when again, at 9PM, we hear a rapid series of doorbell pushes. Again, we go outside to investigate. My wife sees two men (who she describes as teenagers...wearing jeans and one with a white hat) hiding about 80 feet from our front door in the bushes and yells at them; they appear startled, and run over the hill at the edge of our property. Immediately thereafter, a loud black Jeep Wrangler (2-doors, black soft top) speeds off from behind the hill in front of house towards the street exit (3 people inside). It was dusk, but I could see that the car had no license plates.

 

We live in an upscale neighborhood off a main road; there are eight homes on a loop, all on about 2.5 acre parcels.

 

In both cases, it was clear we were home. There were cars in the driveway and lights on in the house. I realize this probably is just teenagers being stupid, but I'm having difficulty understanding their motive here. They know we're home...and they want to see what the people who live there look like? I don't get it. We have a 2-year old daughter. No one else in the neighborhood has had this happen to them; they seem to be specifically targeting our house. We called the police after this happened the second time, but they had no other reports of similar behavior.

 

I'm not sure if this is car-related. We obviously have some exotic cars that are fairly unique to this town. While I've been careful to ensure no one has ever followed me home, it is entirely possible that someone saw me turn in to the loop at some point from the main road, and it would be easy to figure out which house it is (spoiler...it's the one with 4000sqft detached garage under construction).

 

Questions:

 

* Does anyone understand the motive here?

* Am I over-reacting in being concerned with this?

* We have a security system on the house (and will in the new garage), but I don't like the concept of people sneaking on to the property. What else should I be doing?

 

My wife is freaking out a bit about this, so any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

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I don't blame you for being suspicious, 'kids being kids' is taken to a whole different level these days.

 

in the short term buy a 'ring' doorbell. It will get them on video next time they pull this stunt and it's cheap.

 

Look at setting up a good camera system around your house and new garage.

 

Guns, lots and lots of guns. :icon_mrgreen:

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Walk outside with a gun the next time. Shoot one of the kids in the foot. No more problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't actually shoot a kid but the other part may fix them.

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I'd call them in for trespassing and get their plate info. That's creepy as fcuk. I've had a few weird people cruise by my house when my car was being worked on with the garage open. I started carrying my pistol in my belt holster and they stopped coming by when I was out working on my car. :lol2: At the same time, with unknown intentions and especially at night when it's dark, that's a difficult way to assess things and deal with things, especially if they are physically hiding on your property.

 

If you don't already, I'd certainly invest in some security cameras so that you can catch them, their plates, identify them and that way if you need to call it in again, they can be identified and you've got anything/everything on camera. If it's a pattern behavior you might even give an officer a heads up if they are showing up at the same times so they can get caught in the act.

 

That's creepy as hell man. I hope you figure out what's going on and get it resolved asap, I can imagine that's concerning for you and your family.

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I've done the old ding dong ditch when I was young but like mentioned, things are different and most kids are not "just being kids" anymore. Do you have a shotgun? Next time walk outside and cock it, I bet they won't come back. I'd go with the Ring doorbell, motion lights, and cameras around the property and the guns of course.

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Do you have kids or a teenage daughter? Trying to understand the motive myself. In all my years of ding dong ditch, the one thing that stands out is that Dobermans are faster than teenagers.

 

I had a psycho ex and after we broke up I invested in a few "Arlo" security cameras. I mounted them at the front door, and even convinced a neighbor to allow me to place one with a good view of the street. Wireless, and with good resolution and battery life.

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Get a gun, get your wife a gun-they even make them in pink if she prefers. Handguns are great to keep on your nightstand. Shotguns are not ideal for tight spaces, but will definitely take someone down in the need arises. The NRA gives gun safety classes in a lot of areas if you aren't comfortable or would like more training on having a gun in the home. A lot of these classes are taught by very knowledgeable instructors, a lot of whom are usually ex or current police, or military. If these kids have been willing to come back multiple times, who knows what they will do next?

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A little scary when you have a family especially. My gf's car got egged the other night by teens I'm assuming but it seemed like hers was the only one. I was concerned that someone saw my Gallardo parked there (not a very nice neighborhood) and did it out of jealousy. Luckily I don't leave it asked there overnight.

Hope you find them.

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Nothing teaches kids faster than impaling them like it's Vietnam.

At least they would learn.

 

I've been thinking about getting some kind of cheaper camera set up. I just would rather do a more permanent option over the Arlo camera type setup.

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jesus you guys are brutal :lol2:

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Cameras - both wired and wireless. Set up either smart TV's and/or monitors and your iPhone so you can bring up cameras quickly see instantly see what's going on. It's a good idea to have interior and exterior views. For example if you spend most of your time at home in your upstairs family room, have some interior cameras in your finished basement, and one in your garage. Your alarm can tell you if perimeter is breached but cameras are nice too. Obviously you have to come to terms with when to use them (if friends/family are around) and when to respect privacy indoors. This is also helpful when you're away from home - you can check the house inside & out.

 

Ring doorbell - we have one and it's very effective. We also have a camera that is aimed at whomever walks to our front door (separate from Ring Doorbell).

 

Driveway alarm - and maybe alarms in other places: you can place it where you like - and when someone drives/walks down your driveway it alerts you. You could probably place this elsewhere on your property (where you think they are sneaking in). It probably would also be triggered by deer/wildlife and I don't know much about these in terms of sensitivity. A Lambo friend has one and it's quite effective. He lives on 60 acres and you can't see house from the road. The sensors are not obvious on his property.

 

Be careful about going outside and brandishing a weapon. In some states this is illegal and a very costly mistake (assuming you get charged). Know the laws regarding castle doctrine so if you feel inclined to brandish or discharge your weapon (whether to scare them or to shoot them) you understand when you can legally do so. At least your decision will be informed.

 

Lots of lights on motion sensors - this can encourage pranksters and criminals to skip your house and go to whichever house is dark (you did say you had lots of lights on). We have floodlights all around the exterior. A control pad is by the bed and at the touch of a button we can light up whichever perimeter we want - or all of it.

 

Infrared cameras for exterior

 

When first reading your post I thought you probably had a teenage daughter that might be getting some unwanted attention but with a baby this makes no sense. Maybe they have the wrong address and have mistaken your house for someone else's.

 

We had some teenagers ring the bell a couple times at 11 pm, and then run away (this was probably 8 years ago). Our camera recorded them, we printed their faces and gave to the police whom we called, and who responded quickly. They never found the kids. We also brought the photos to our neighbors asking if they recognized the boys. They were probably from a nearby town. It hasn't happened again in several years and they either grew up and went onto other things or are incarcerated.

 

I don't know if it's a deterrent - but consider having signs on your property indicating it has alarm, surveillance.... Maybe you already do. Personally I don't think it can hurt.

 

Good luck.

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You're gonna get robbed.

 

 

This isnt "Doorbell ditch" (that shit is played by ten year olds... Not teens in a jeep... Blacked out... With no plates...)

 

Theyre waiting for you to NOT answer the door one night...

 

Yes... Get the cameras... Get the door bell with a camera...

 

And THIS saturday (its a holiday- a lot of people out of town) pretend to not be home.... Lights off... And if the doorbell rings... DONT answer it... Call the cops...

 

And yeah... This assumes youre holding more than your cock in your hand on the other side of the door if they decide to kick it in...

 

They want your shit... NOT a confrontation... Or they would have just bum rushed your ass the first time you opened the door like a chump... Bad news... Your physical presence didnt frighten them away to go pick another house.... Coming out with a piece MIGHT do that... (Or it might tell them they can nab some guns as well, when they come back when you're not there to shoot them)...

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That is freaky. Does your house have a perimeter fence? not the whole 2.5 acres). I would make the house not as easily accessible, gated security fenche if possible, security cameras, def. get some guard dogs, and get a weapon.

 

No plates, the timing, the location, Creepy as hell man. Better safe than sorry, gotta protect the family.

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You're gonna get robbed.

I agree.

 

A dog is the best early warning. They will know before motion sensors are triggered.

 

A camera will catch figures, but chances are faces are obscured, so mount one down low where a hoodie and hat brim will not be a factor.

 

Motion sensors with alarms are one thing I use on my long stairs leading up to the house. Lights are nice, I get a sense of position, but the little chime is warning enough to not panic.

 

Your neighbors must know this is going on too. If so, get a number to text/call for close back up. At least a witness to see if anything happens. My next door neighbor knows about my camera, my crazy ex and I know about their cameras. We look out for each other.

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Our next door neighbors were robbed in the house I grew up back in the '80s. We were in our house the entire time and didn't know a thing until the next day.

 

And by next door, I mean attached homes. They were sandwiched between another house.

 

I think the robbers were spotted by someone across the street, but they pulled off the "movers" aspect surprisingly well I guess.

 

I still remember walking in there with the entire place empty except a small table with a half eaten baloney sandwich and one of those small milk cartons that you'd get in school. You can't make this stuff up.

 

Lesson learned....these guys are really damn good at what they do...at least at removing the goods undetected. This fool's fingerprints were lifted off of the milk carton or something and they got him later.

 

The OP's story does seem a bit scary and I would 2nd the advice to take all the proper measures necessary to secure the fort for the time being.

 

It's one thing for a robbery attempt/reconnaissance mission to go awry, and that's that. For these punks to acknowledge your presence and still want to go through with it, makes it personal on some level and it would be hard not to be really pissed right about now.

 

 

 

 

 

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You're gonna get robbed.

 

We had similar issue at my old house in Malibu when we first moved in, before we compounded the property and put in a gate, lights and cameras. We had a number of "lost travellers" drive down our 600 foot driveway only to be escorted out under the guidance of my Remington. It wasn't a lot of fun because Sheriff Dept. response time was a min of 30 minutes.

 

You are being profiled, there was no pattern with our uninvited guests. I'd call local LE asap because it seems you have one.

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Emissary take this threat seriously! !! From what you wrote it seems you are being targeted. Multiple incidents with the same pepole is someting to be concerned about. As directed upgrade cameras, lighting and add recording capability to your security system. An automatic home lighting system would be a nice add-on.

 

Hope it works in your favor.

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Agreed with others on the cameras and the door bell camera. I will add. DO NOT go outside again!. Even if armed. You are in control of what is happening on the inside of the home. Once you break seal and go outside, you are now working in there favor if they are waiting. Stay in home and watch cameras. Pending your laws, if someone tried to make forced entry you can eliminate the threat. Which I hope you have the means and mentality to do so.

 

That is just my advice since this goes up my field of work.

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To add a little to the above and give you a broad example. For some targets we had, we have used this method before. 3rd time, once the target or occupant egresses out of the home one team member would bag and tag that target and we would immediately push in through the home....Granted they probably do not have the skills sets like out teams but never under estimate the threat. Please address this asap!!! They will hit your home soon by the sounds of it. Be Safe Bro, if you cant be safe, be fcuking dangerous!

 

-Willis

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On mothers day this year, we were at home watching TV with my wife and 3 kids. My wife jumped up and said someone was on the back porch. I looked over and a man was walking across my porch. He didnt see me and was headed to another door. He grabbed the back screened in porch door, and as soon as he did, I opened the door I was at, with a gun. I keep a gun hanging at that door.

 

He was about 45 and white. Seemed off, like he was high. I asked how he got in and he said the gate. I told him that was impossible because it was closed and he didnt have a code. I then asked him if he knew how many no trespassing signs he went past. After a long, awkward silence, and him eyeballing my gun, he turned around and quickly walked away. I followed him to his car with my gun to get his plates. He turned on his car and it was shaking with rap music. I couldnt get his plate because it was covered up.

 

Looking at my security videos, he buzzed the gate several times. It doesnt work, so we didnt know he was there. After we didnt answer for about a minute, he pushed our electronic gate open and walked through it. He was there to steal stuff, and got caught.

 

Unfortunately, I think its illegal to hold someone, and the cops couldnt find him. It took them 15 minutes to get there. My house is almost impossible to find. If you can even find our driveway, I have 4 no trespassing signs in a row. The first sign says "If youre not expected, youre going to see the barrel of a gun". He went past all 4 signs, pushed our gate open after we didnt answer it, and then proceeded to try to get in our back door. I keep thinking maybe he was just "that stupid", but it just doesnt seem possible.

 

What Ive learned is:

 

-People think no trespassing means everyone but them. However, my offensive sign has really cut back on the usual idiots

-Dogs help most of the time

-File a police report even if it seems pointless. That way you have some reasoning for your actions if someone comes back and they die.

-Always be prepared. A safe can be hard to get into if you have 10 seconds to react. If there is a kid-safe way, have a gun quickly available.

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^^Depending the state. I would of shot him right through the door once he was trying to force entry. But thats legal where I live. At least I would of hog tied his ass up till the police showed up. I would not let him go though...Main thing you and your loved ones were all okay.

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