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Rodney · 07-06-2004, 12:13 PM

This happens a lot in my county. A lot of people live here, but in rural areas where the houses are somewhat separate. Also, a lot of the homes aren't occupied full time. So it's not usual for there to be a rash of break-ins of unoccupied houses, followed eventually by a bust of high school students. And they usually take small, easy stuff: money, CDs, things they can use, even hit the refrigerator. That's how you know it's teens. I knew a women whose house was broken into, and she'd left both a purse and a laptop on the kitchen table. They took the purse, not the laptop -- a sure sign it's teens, they only want stuff they can use or sell easily or that their parents won't ask questions about.

They break in because it's easy. Sometimes, like in your case, because the house is isolated. But also because in rural areas people are loose on security. Even downtown where I live, some people leave their windows open and doors unlocked when they go out, so they get robbed. We always close our doors and lock our windows, and if we're going to be gone we put those cheap screw-down clamps on the frames of the sliding windows so that they can't be forced. We make it hard. So nobody's ever broken in here, even though they've hit all the neighbors.

When you're going on a trip, put a spare car in the driveway, pull the curtains, and put your lights and TV on a timer, easily purchased at Radio Shuck. Have somebody come by once a day to pick up the paper and mail. These are the sort of things that teens look at when they're cruising around at night, looking to do a break-in.

It is quite possible that the kids in question knew personally that you would be gone, and thus none of these precautions would work. But in the case of just random drive-bys, which I think happens more often at least around here, these precautions will cause the average teenage thiefs to shear off and look for less risky prey. Oh yeah, about alarms: don't bother with the damn alarm, just get the sticker, and put it on the front door. That'll do the job, even for the kids who know you're out of town.

07-06-2004, 12:13 PM	#28 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	This happens a lot in my county. A lot of people live here, but in rural areas where the houses are somewhat separate. Also, a lot of the homes aren't occupied full time. So it's not usual for there to be a rash of break-ins of unoccupied houses, followed eventually by a bust of high school students. And they usually take small, easy stuff: money, CDs, things they can use, even hit the refrigerator. That's how you know it's teens. I knew a women whose house was broken into, and she'd left both a purse and a laptop on the kitchen table. They took the purse, not the laptop -- a sure sign it's teens, they only want stuff they can use or sell easily or that their parents won't ask questions about. They break in because it's easy. Sometimes, like in your case, because the house is isolated. But also because in rural areas people are loose on security. Even downtown where I live, some people leave their windows open and doors unlocked when they go out, so they get robbed. We always close our doors and lock our windows, and if we're going to be gone we put those cheap screw-down clamps on the frames of the sliding windows so that they can't be forced. We make it hard. So nobody's ever broken in here, even though they've hit all the neighbors. When you're going on a trip, put a spare car in the driveway, pull the curtains, and put your lights and TV on a timer, easily purchased at Radio Shuck. Have somebody come by once a day to pick up the paper and mail. These are the sort of things that teens look at when they're cruising around at night, looking to do a break-in. It is quite possible that the kids in question knew personally that you would be gone, and thus none of these precautions would work. But in the case of just random drive-bys, which I think happens more often at least around here, these precautions will cause the average teenage thiefs to shear off and look for less risky prey. Oh yeah, about alarms: don't bother with the damn alarm, just get the sticker, and put it on the front door. That'll do the job, even for the kids who know you're out of town.