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My House and Safes Were Broken Into

16K views 76 replies 62 participants last post by  Mancelona Man 
#1 ·
Had my small house by the creek, in town, up for sale, as now I'm in another state. House is in the south, where drugs and crack heads abound.
Big realtor 'for sale' sign out front. Population of town - 3800.
Okay, I had two cheap (about $40) Sentry safes bolted to the floor in the bedroom closet and at the foot of the bed. Pffft, took me longer to bolt them to the floor than the crackheads to break into them. These two were sort of decoys, sort of. One just had a few knives in it and a $20 bill. The other ( my mistake) had about $1000 of ammo in it, maybe 1500 rounds - .38, .357, .40 and .45. And a flat screen color TV, about $400, in the living room. And several firearms - five .38's, one .357 mag, two shotgns (both of which in the closet, tucked around the corner, almost behind drywall).
When I came in the house, front door, about midnight, after a long drive from Nashville, I immediately noticed the TV gone. . . so went and check the two safes. Yep, both broken into. All they had to do was whack the front lock with a hammer and the 'safe' was open, then clean everything out. They got all the ammo, and just a Buck 110 knife and a TOPS Scout knife. They left some Bulldog and Case knives AND left the shotgns.

After the LEO's came and took notes, we noticed there was a concrete brick outside at one window. No forced entry anywhere, so we surmised (I did) that at least a two party team was having a realtor show them the house, and while the agent was occupied, the other unlocked that rear window from within the house. (as it was still unlocked after discovery of burglary) Then later that night probably, they just climbed through the window with the aid of the brick and helped themselves to the empty house. Didn't bother to lock the window or get rid of the brick. Thieves are lazy. They may have seen the shtgns but left them, since they carry a bigger penalty for stealing and are harder to fence.

The only thing that worked, was I also had a THIRD safe that was a little bit hidden. That's why I said the first two were sort of decoys. I had this one bolted to the floor under the couch in the living room. They never bothered to look under the couch ONCE finding the two 'sort of' decoys. (again, dumbass, I had all that ammo in the one)

In the MAIN one under the couch, there were the 5 handgns and lots of silver coins, worth about $15k. Dumbass crackheads. :cool:
LEO's took notes and put out an APB I guess for stolen ammo in local pawn shops but didn't take fingerprints or check the realtors for 'guests' or showings. Never heard from them again.

I suspect the burglary may have been the crackhead son of a good friend. He knows when I'm in town and out of town.

I also suspect that all my ammo and color TV were traded for 3 months worth of drug highs and gratuitous sex in the bad part of town. Hope they have good memories of that while in Hell.

Moral of the story? If you have a lot to protect, get a GOOD safe, not some WalMart special made in a small village in western China. Learn what a RSC is. Put your good safe in a hidden place, WHILE you put a cheapo safe somewhere in your bedroom or bedroom closet. Have some cheap Chinese knives, maybe a $20 bill and whatever else may look good to a crackhead, IN the cheapo safe, not your good Buck or TOPS and definitely not ammo, which is very easy to trade away and almost impossible to trace.
Most so called gun safes are not that safe...they can easily be broken into by 2 guys with crowbars in less than 5 minutes. If you have one, let it be your decoy. Heck, a $10 pvc pipe buried in the ground is better than Liberty Gun Safe bolted to your garage concrete floor. Deception and concealment are more important than big popular name safes.

I post this to save anyone else what I went through. Discussion.
 
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#3 ·
Sorry for your loss. Thieves abound everywhere lately, it seems.

I am still replacing items stolen from my workvan onsite at a job a month ago. $5000 worth of tools, laptops, and damage in just a few minutes in a busy restaurant parking lot at noon across the street from the main fire station!

I also learned to ALWAYS put the high-security locks back on, even in daytime while on a jobsite, as just a simple punch with a screwdriver unlocks side door locks with ease.

I also am glad that I have a very detailed inventory of everything with pictures and serial numbers. Cops liked that. Insurance liked that. Dumbass thief who pawned a $700 snake camera system with a recorded serial number WITHIN AN HOUR, did NOT like the felony theft charge he is now facing. Court tomorrow to claim my stuff.

I hope they find the thief that hit your house. I really REALLY hate thiefs and wish nothing but bad upon them.
 
#4 ·
Yeah Brian, I too had the serial #'s on all my fa's. Guess the ner do wells know that. Good luck getting your stuff in court and
hope they throw the book at the da thieves.

Kentucky - I FLEW into Nashville and flew away earlier when moving to where I moved. Hadn't had time to drive the 1200 miles yet. Certainly not had time to carry $15k and 7 fa's on a plane; SOOOO, that's why they were still in the house. They're not now.

The whole thing was a learning experience and it may very well keep me from getting hit bigger in the future.

We're going to have interesting times ahead, full of this thing happening to more and more people. We're just entering the beginning stages. Politicians are not going to 'save' us. We must prepare and be ready ourselves. Bring on the Paul Kerseys.
 
#33 ·
http://www.burglarbomb.com/

Though personally I wish it was legal to fill them with something more 'effective'.

Wealthy people can afford private security to shoot in intruders; I would argue booby traps are the poor mans alternative. If It were legal I'm sure we would only see a small fraction of the burglaries we have today; wouldn't be worth the risk.
 
#9 ·
I recommend people to have two safes like you had, one decoy one, even a cheap one, and a better oen well hidden.
Two very good reasons for that.
First, as you learned the hard way, burglars will go in and will look for a safe. If they find one chances are they wotn go looking for a second one. Even if they do if its hidden well enough yove got a good chance they wont find it.
Second, and this Ive seen a lot of, during home invasions you may have no other choice but to open the safe for them if they overpower you, have a gun to your kids or your wifes head, or your own. In this case you want to have some decoy in in, maybe something of actual value but not your main value items.Try going for things that look more valuable than they actually are, use your imagination.
FerFAL
 
#53 ·
That is like a FA, what the hell is that. I did a search for survival +fa and nothing came up. Another search for just FA, and I got this
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...n-giving-an-opinion-on-football-a6707786.html Evidently it refers to something about some sport, maybe foot ball. On reference.com, the definition of a fa is .......

fa
[fah]

Examples
Word Origin

noun, Music.
1.
the syllable used for the fourth tone of a diatonic scale.
2.
(in the fixed system of solmization) the tone F.
Compare sol-fa (def 1).

Years ago I used to talk on the CB radio occasionally. When some body used the ten code and I would tell them I don't use the ten code, what does that mean. If you can't speak English, don't call me.
 
#12 ·
couldn't the guns have been stored at a range or with the local police...
 
#14 ·
If they were shown the house by a realtor, they would have made a copy of their drivers license and have to keep tight records on the lock box. The police, if even half competent, will look at the agents office first.

I'm with others... why you would keep firearms in an unattended home that is being shown is pretty dumb. Huge liability issue too... get them the hell out of there.
 
#18 ·
If they were shown the house by a realtor, they would have made a copy of their drivers license and have to keep tight records on the lock box. The police, if even half competent, will look at the agents office first.
Realtors in TX might check a person's DL, but I doubt seriously that that practice is very widespread. Most places, an agent falls all over him or herself to show a property and frequently doesn't know JS about the prospect. And a lock box only documents when an agent enters a property. Not much value in knowing that. Six agents may have shown the property in the last 2 days. Given that most police only take reports when a burglary is reported, contacting real estate agents might seem like a logical idea to you but I can't see police doing it. It is also an agent's responsibility to secure a house before exiting, but you can guess how often that gets overlooked.
 
#15 ·
Damn, sorry to hear about your troubles, AJ. That's a good suggestion about using decoys, I've done it myself.
Years ago down in Mexico, my little studio apartment was broken into. I kept a pile of $1 bills in a very obvious top drawer, a place that was sure to be among the first places a burglar would look, specifically as a decoy. I firgured they'd see that big handful of US Dollars, (that was only about $20) and think they hit the jack-pot, and then beat-feet outa there.
They predictably took the cash, and the slightly malfunctioning ghetto-blaster that was on top of the mini-fridge (no loss), but didn't take anything else, including the $1000+ dollars worth of scuba regulators that were under the bed (and easily sold in a dive destination like Cozumel).
I figured i got off easy. :thumb:
 
#16 ·
While I'm sorry for your troubles, you pretty much set yourself up for this to happen! I fact it happening is what I would of bet on rather than it not happening!

No one should ever be in your house without you having prepared that area or the whole house for that to happen.

Even before the cable guy or phone repair guy comes in walk around and look at what someone could see or even learn by walking into your house!

SD
 
#17 ·
Damn clever fellow that Mil-Dot. The pile of $1 bills I like, takes a little longer to gather up and to hold, yet the da's will cling to them like they're gold. I'll use that instead of a single $20. :thumb: Glad you got off easy. I too got off relatively easy. The two shtgns where sort of decoys too. Both together were worth about $300 and I had them there to 'protect' the more expensive 5 handgns. Good to hear from you man.

My little hometown there is very lax and laid back...they don't get copies of DL's. The house was 2 blocks from the town square and old courthouse, in a decent part of town. (the bad part of town is 2 miles away) I was surprised at the lack of help on the LEO's. It seems to be par for course around there, since our little county is a crack capitol of the state and things like this evidently happen all the time. (still I thought, fingerprints on the lousy Sentry safes or at the window sill could have easily been gotten and compared to a data base. I doubt anyone was wearing gloves. I even told them who I suspected, the friend's son, and they said, "yep, could have been!" but then still did nothing. Longer story on that 33 year old boy, is his Dad is one of the finest men around the area, but his uncle...former State Police undercover narc, retired, after he got out of fed prison, taught his nephew to get high on crack, etc, and so gave him his habit, which got the boy 3 years and turned him into a sociopath/felon. Yep, you heard me right, the retired LEO I guess saw all the money the crackheads were making, so went in business for himself after retiring, doing the same thing. Suddenly he was driving a Dodge Viper, then suddenly he was doing the 10 years. He got out a few years ago and became 'saved' in prison, they say. With all that kinda thing going on, that's why I wouldn't store a box of Cracker Jacks with the police in that town, Steverino; though I should have stored the ammo and TV at least with a friend or two, but it was a rush to get out of town and take care of business.)

Good to hear from FerFal. How's life up in 'no dogo Argentinos' country? Thanks for the input buddy, and including the very important part about 'holding wife, kids, etc hostage to get you to open up your safe. Pays to have that hidden backup. I probably learned all that from your book; get his book if you haven't already, et al.

Grimmal is way ahead of everyone here. :thumb: I'm up to par with him now.

Megiddo: Safe experts are real picky about calling something a safe. So they call most boxes out there RSC. A real SAFE, has to be so thick, something like 1/4" of steel or more, and have even thicker side walls and top and bottom walls, can't be cracked by experts in under 30 minutes, and a couple other requirements, so anything else is called a RSC - residential security container, like LockGuy explained.

I'm with MrM1A and Ohio.
 
#21 ·
Not sure where you live but here in San Bernardino County, CA I was once told by a Sheriffs Deputy who was investigating some vandalism to my grandson's car, that he didn't bother taking fingerprints since even on a murder case he was currently working it had taken a year to get the results back. Things don't process as fast as TV shows make you think.

Luckily my grandson had a pretty good idea who it had been (jealous former GF and her friends) and the Deputy went over there and put the fear of God into them and they cracked. So end of problem.
 
#23 ·
My home has been robbed 2x. I'm a missionary and have very minimal stuff. They just got the computer.

Due to a Very Bad childhood, I am not bad at hiding things. They missed stuff they would have wanted.

It sucks. Especially if you think it was an inside job. IN my case neighbors down the street had a sudden fit of goodwill and raked all the leaves in my front yard, the day before the attack, yet another neighbor swore he saw black guys walking out of my house.

I do know whoever did it was upset.

There was a lot of gossip on the paratransit service at the time, we "Had a lot of money, and stuff, and were just faking being poor". One woman in particular wouldn't shut up, and was telling people where we lived. I confronted her after that and said I would repay the favor if she didn't stop.

Like I said, due to crappy childhood I wasn't really disappointed. It was a long time before I could come home without tensing up, expecting another kicked-in door or broken window.
 
#24 ·
I have multiple houses in multiple states. In each location, I keep a safe located inside of a closet. The closet has a deadbolt instead of a door knob, has tamper-proof hinges, and 4-inch screws in the strike plate and hinges. There's also a SimpliSafe alarm system that notifies both me and trusted neighbors as soon as entry is made and separate alerts if the closet is breached, and yet another separate alert if the safe itself is breached.
 
#29 ·
Most so-called gun safes are actually called residential security containers in the industry because they do not fit the definition of a true safe. The gun safe industry puts a lot of bling into their products. That includes building "safes" that look very substantial but are actually missing the functional characteristics of a true safe that you might find in the back of a jewelry store. If you have ever seen a true safe, they are actually very cosmetically ugly because all the manufacturing cost is put into functional security and not bling (glossy paint jobs, pretty pin striping, carpet interior, lighting, etc.).

Even a true safe can be broken into in less than hour with the right tools (acetylene torch, power metal saw, etc.). Therefore, the function of the true safe is to give you up to an hour to intervene - more likely 30 minutes. That means that a safe is useless unless you have a monitored security system that lets you know when entry to the premises is made so the cavalry can be dispatched. You also need a siren to let the intruders know that they now have a limited time (2 to 3 minutes) to snatch and run. This removes the time a thief needs to gain entry to a true safe. A residential security container, however, may still be broken into if the thief gets at least a few minutes.

"Bringing the right tools" also means that the thief knows you have a safe and is prepared. Don't let anyone know you have that safe! Put it into a room or area that no one from outside the family is allowed into. Don't put it into an area that are occupied by appliances that commonly require repair man from time to time. Also, sit the kids down and explicitly describe what may happen if they run off at the mouth to their friends. At least try to disguise it by draping some ornamental piece of cloth cover over it rather than letting it be seen that it is a safe.

If you have truly made your safe appear impenetrable, but its presence is known to outsiders, than you have made yourself a target for a home invasion hostage situation to gain access to your safe. In a home invasion the minimum loss is your valuables, but the maximum loss is your life or the life of a family member. If you believe you are a potential target for a home invasion, then you better carry concealed while at home. As soon as the door is kicked in, the invaders will start looking for hostages so you don't have time to "go get your gun". Your pistol better be on you so you can address the threat IMMEDIATLEY. Ask FerFAL about all the bad things that can happen in a home invasion even if you do comply as ordered by the invaders.

Security in life seems it should be as easy as turning the key on a lock, but unfortunately it isn't. Therefore, remember the words of Josie Wales... "Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is."

Go here to learn more about gun safes...
http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/

There's also a lot to be said for the benefits of concealment over the blunt security of a safe. Just don't forget about fire hazard.
 
#25 ·
So sorry to hear about the break in! Kudos to you for having the wisdom to have a decoy safe(s) in place! A snippet from an article my husband wrote on storing precious metals (or anything of value):

"A Sentry brand-type safe from Office Depot, Home Depot or Walmart is NOT a safe. They are a lockable fire box and nothing more. They instill a false sense of security. Even if you bolt it down, the safe can be opened with a drill, electric saw or sledge hammer in less than one minute. Two men can pick it up with no problem. If nothing else, this type of safe is most valuable as a decoy safe.

We also do not recommend gun safes – although they look larger and sturdier, they are not. Thieves don’t even bother with the combination locks on these safes. They use a circular saw with a carbide blade to cut a hole in the side or top of a typical gun safe, again in less than a minute. The size and weight alone of a gun safe are not an effective deterrent. It takes less than 30 seconds to take the top off of one of these safes.

If you have a significant amount of valuables, or you are unwilling to take a chance on theft no matter the amount, you need to invest in an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listed safe of Class “TL-15” or higher. “TL” stands for “Tool Resistant” and “15” is the minimum number of minutes a professional safe technician with all the proper tools would need to penetrate the safe. This rating is a minimum. You should plan on spending $1,500 or more for a new safe.

Visit a reputable safe retailer. There are good quality used safes available as well, ask the retailer about them (the combination can be changed after they deliver it.) Also consider buying a safe with a manual combination system so one need not worry about malfunctioning electronics. Allot approximately 1-2% of the value of your valuables for the price of a good safe. Put your decoy safe in an obvious place and bolt your TL-15+ safe to the floor in the most inconspicous place possible."
 
#51 ·
So sorry to hear about the break in!

We also do not recommend gun safes – although they look larger and sturdier, they are not. Thieves don’t even bother with the combination locks on these safes. They use a circular saw with a carbide blade to cut a hole in the side or top of a typical gun safe, again in less than a minute. The size and weight alone of a gun safe are not an effective deterrent. It takes less than 30 seconds to take the top off of one of these safes.
As a EMT i went to a site of a home explosion years ago.

It was a thief that tried to open a gun safe with a demolition saw with a carbide blade.
The owner was not storing guns in the safe but using it to store his reloading powder including 10 pounds of black powder.

Things turned out bad for the thief.

It was lucky the thief had stole the safe and took it to his own house when he tried to open it.

I also know of a case where someone took a fire safe and put inside three red smoke grenades

The thief took the safe home and opened it. surprise surprise when the fire department and cops showed up.
Very hard for the thief to explain why the safe had marking on it property of US government.
 
#26 ·
Some very good points taken from the replies. here in upstate NY (yes, feel sorry for us) the police still will take your guns for safekeeping and return them to you ; with the receipt they give you. only thing we cant place any 'trap' such as pepper spray (illegal) or anything that might injure the criminal ( lawsuits,etc..) so like others, get the best safe you can afford! It is worth it, or get them to a trusted friend or relative if you can or even a rent a storage site. Don't expect the police to go out of their way. I worked at local PD, I know.
 
#27 ·
Our fairly remote home was broken into some years ago, in the Blue Ridge Mtns, SW Virginia. We were gone overnight to a gun show in Roanoke. Came back, piles of beer cans at the bottom of driveway. Got home, my husband entered first--we used the back door. He said "Stay there!" when he saw the front door trim shattered on the floor, and cleared the house w/his Glock. Gone...

They took (from outside) our new Stihl chainsaw, our extension ladder and the tarp from our firewood pile--I assume to cover it all. From inside, they took a black wolf pelt, steerhide rug, mounted duck, husband's recurve bow, my longbow, decorative bow rack w/12 handmade Port Orford cedar arrows...and a brick of 1000 .22LR. Left the rest of the ammo in the cabinet. Sounds like drunk kids, since they closed the front door when they were done (Mama's voice sounding in their heads?)

They never found our guns since we had them stored in a wall recess behind the large kitchen hutch. (The fridge had been there before, but we moved it across the kitchen.) Although I sorely miss the stolen stuff, it could have been much worse. And yes, the police took a report but no fingerprints... Told us not likely to recover anything, just use the report for insurance purposes.

Live and learn...

Now when we leave, we store all our guns AND ammo with a trusted friend. Takes a while ;) but worth it.
 
#28 ·
Not a theft, but destruction.

Years back, we had a rental. After departure of a tenant, but before we could get a repair crew in, someone used a big rock to break every window, put multiple holes in each wall of sheetrock, smash every appliance (including toilets). The “sunken living room” became an indoor pond.

The police ignored everything I said, including pointing to “stuff” that I knew was NOT in the house the day before.
 
#30 ·
Happened to my Mom too.

My Mom and stepdad live in the outskirts of Memphis. And afew months ago they were moving my sister out to 29 Palms in CA. They were gone just over a week. And when they got home. They noticed a back window open and the slider unlocked. He quickly grabbed his everyday carry. And went into their bedroom. And sure enough the safe was gone. Now granted it is a 500lb safe fully loaded with guns, ammo, jewelry and cash. (And you guessed it... not bolted down.) He followed the drag marks out the back door. Then through a small field. And wouldn't you know it. There it was. Laying on it's back. Beat up. But unopened. They(CRACKHEADS!!) tried the best they could. Then gave up. He thinks that he found it before they had a chance to return with the heavy gear to crack it open. Needless to say.. LEO were not much help. So the house is now packed and up for sale. They're moving outta that **** hole. And heading to AZ. Anyplace but Memphis
:zombie
 
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