Response time for a home invasion?

[ousooner81]

I want to thank all of you on this board for educating those of us who have been ignorant to guns and home protection. I decided to research home protection since sometimes I work nights and leave the family alone. The wife and I are heading to the nearest gun range this weekend to let her shoot a glock, 38 special, or whatever else she wants to shoot!

All that said, from reading this board it has kind of startled me. It seems your in deep trouble if a BG is invading due to being groggy (if asleep) or there are multiple BGs. The overall consensus seems to be to barricade yourself in your room and wait for the cops. That's not an option for me. I'm not leaving my kids in their rooms to hope for the best. I'm going out firing with my wife behind me! I have an awesome dog that has a history of scaring off potential intruders but I don't have the alarm. I rent a house so I'm not installing one. Is there a cheaper option for home alertness (a way to be alerted if a door is opened or window)? Thanks again all!

[markj]

The overall consensus

No, I have a plan. I have motion sensor lites outside the house, dogs inside that bark. A floor plan that is set up for HD. Make it almost impossible for anyone to just kick in the door and get the jump on you.

[Yankee Doodle]

The pup, if he is of that nature, will let you know if there is anyone trying to get in.
First, dial 911 and put the phone on the floor. You don't have to say a word. The call is automatically traced. They WILL come.
Then, keep up a loud commentary as to what is going on, so the Police dispatcher on the other end can advise the responding cars.
In a LOUD, CLEAR voice, announce that you are armed. You really want the cops to know this. If you leave your room, say so in a loud clear voice, and describe what you are wearing. You really want the cops to know this.
Leave your wife with the phone, so she can advise them what is going on once you have left the room.
DO NOT attempt to search the house. Go to your kids room and stay with them. Let the skells come to you.
When the Cops show up, and they will, they are going to be ready for trouble.
Do not meet them at the door with a drawn gun.
Other than these fairly simple procedures, there is not too much you can do without installing a good alarm system.
There are do-it-yourself systems on the market, but I don't know enough about them to have an opinion.
Hope this helps.

[Skadoosh]

Yankee Doodle has given EXCELLENT advice.

[ousooner81]

YD, thank you for the great advice! My natural inclination is to search for the bastards in my home. But logically that is not the best decision.

[mayosligo]

Yankee, thanks I liked the advice and it was a good refresher. I had everything but the "describe what you are wearing", so now I know that.

[kraigwy]

Keep it loaded, handy, and make sure your other half knows which one is loaded.

I'll mention a semi-possible home invasion story that got me in trouble, that happened in 1972.

We all know, (including my wife) that a cow moose is one of the most dangerous animals in North America.

Back in the spring of '72 I had just moved to Alaska and was working on the railroad, living in 3 miles north of Healy. We, (myself, wife, and two toddlers) were living in a tent while I was building a cabin.

It was about time for me to get off work, about 11 at night. Wife was setting by the fire and our two small toddlers were sleeping in the tent when a cow moose came through camp, and desided to hang around a while. Wife, knowing the critter had in mind to stomp the tent and her babies. She grabs a rifle to protect her kids.

About that time I came home (riding a motor cycle), the sound of the bike scared the moose away. I found her setting there with a rifle laying across her lap. She tells me the story, and I tell her, "next time, pick a rifle thats loaded", She checked and sure enough it wasn't. (probably the only one that was unloaded).

I went to bed without dinner that night.

Moral of the story, home invasions, animal or man, come fast, have the gun available, within reach and LOADED.

I learned later, as a cop in Anchorage, that response times for cops, even under the best of conditions could take 10-15 minutes. It takes a few seconds for one to kick through a door and do his evil deeds.

[glockcompact]

Also make sure your wife is comfortable with a gun. If she's scared and goes to get the gun, and the gun also makes her nervous then she needs more training. Picking up a pistol should never make you nervous. Respect what it can do but don't be afraid of it. Excellent advice from the above posts too. I always learn things on this board.

[Jake Balam]

I have a heavy steel screen door (think steel bars) that is usually propped open, the other night it slammed shut in a wind storm at about 2 am. It sounded exactly like I would imagine someone kicking my door in.

I was sleeping. Within three seconds of the door slamming I was cocked and locked in my kitchen wearing nothing but my tight whites, Taurus in hand.

My wife said she didnt know I moved that fast.

[Wrangler]

Jake, Why do you have your screen door propped open, especially at night?? If it works, use it. If it's broken, you need to fix it. A screen door is good for buying extra time and giving a little bit more deterrence against burglars and other people that want in your house. An open screen does none of that, and would probably attract people who are looking for a home that's easy to break into.

[Don P]

nothing but my tight whites,

What no speedo or better yet the old B'DAY suit
Couldn't resist

[Dwight55]

ousooner, . . . I don't know for sure if they are still sold, . . . but most boat dealers used to carry a VERY LOUD air powered little plastic horn. Push the button on the can, . . . noise comes out the end of that little red horn that you would not believe.

These can be rigged very easily to go off when a door is opened against them, . . . and if you live next door to a grave yard, . . . don't be surprized if some of the inhabitants over there let you know to keep the noise down.

Seriously, they are not that expensive, . . . will alert the whole house, . . . and if the bg is not devil bent on doing you in, . . . he won't stick around very long.

May God bless,
Dwight

[oldcspsarge]

911 is Government sponsored DIAL-A-Prayer....in the best of cases, it will be 7 minutes from when you dial 911 until the PD/SO arrives.....they will take a report and document what happened.....in 98% of cases..it will all be over.

When seconds count...the police are just minutes away.

Take responsibility for take safety of your family.....anyone hearing a pump shotgun cycled instantly knows ....they are in the wrong place !

Be prepared to defend yourself and your family......your property..better check what the laws are in your State.

Have a plan !

[Jake Balam]

It's winter, we keep it propped open.

Also my house is not a very good Target. I have several highly disable security cameras, and my front door is second story and visible from three blocks in Amy direction.

[EricReynolds]

Another +1 to YankeeDoodle. That's in a nutshell exactly what I would do. I'm a highly trained security professional and ex Army Ranger and even I never would have thought to relay to 911 what I was wearing. Although, I would hope the police would realize the guy in his PJs lives here.

[T. O'Heir]

"...have an awesome dog..." Nothing scares a criminal like a dog.
Most 'home invasions' start with a knock on the door, not somebody kicking the door in. Fido is always ready. You and a firearm may not be.
"...do-it-yourself systems..." A DIY alarm system only tells you something is happening. They don't alert the constabulary.

[sirsloop]

If you consider your response time to be to the point where you may be caught with someone inside your house without you aware, then you need to take a step back and consider border security. Get an alarm, fortify/strengthen your entryways, and realize that YOU AND YOUR FAMILY will be the weakest link. You must remain vigilant at locking doors, arming the security system, poke an eye out the window if you notice activity, etc. I have a nightly ritual of making rounds around the house. I ensure all doors are locked, lights off, no activity in the street, nothing wrong in the house. If you have a sliding glass door, put a bar on it. Ya know if you forget to lock a door it makes it damn easy for someone to sneak in. If you have solid doors and the sucker is handle locked with a deadbolt and solid chain its gonna make one hell of a bang trying to knock that sucker in. Also look around your yard for possible entry points. Do you leave ladders outside that could be used to gain access to the 2nd floor. Is it possible for someone to get up to a window that you would not think to lock? Walk around your property, think like a crook, and "try to break in". If it cannot be accomplished without setting off the alarm, breaking something, or making an absurd amount of noise you are probably quite safe. The BG will just try the next house until they find a 1st floor window open, a hand locked door they can card into, or a puny lock on a sliding door they can overpower. I wouldn't call myself paranoid. I would prefer someone to opt for the next house cause its not motion lit up light a Christmas tree, its not locked and fortified, it doesn't have a big dog inside, and it doesn't have a crown vic ex-police cruise with an NRA hat on the rear shelf.

Good info about the knock at the door. I have loaded firearms located in key points in my house, pretty much in the best defensive position as far from the main entry point as possible. If for some reason there is an event at my door, I can simply flee to the other side of the house, quickly grab the loaded and ready firearm, and make it happen. That's obviously not always going to work, but IMHO its a pretty solid plan regardless of where I may be in my house. Upstairs, downstairs, garage, driveway... always a path for me to retreat and obtain a loaded weapon. Not much you can do if someone knocks on the door and stuffs a pistol in your face. Get a peep sight and use it I guess...

[Yankee Doodle]

Having spent most of my adult life as a cop, let me tell you what is going through the mind of the cops responding to your call.
First, and foremost, he/she wants to be able to go home after his/her shift.
Anything you can do to help him/her do this, will make their job easier, and you safer.
The more information you provide, the better for you and for them.
Our dispatcher were trained to ask every complainant on this type of call the following questions
What is your sex?
What is your race?
How tall are you?
Long or short hair?
What are you wearing?
Where in the home are you?
Are there other family members in the home?
Where are they
Are you armed?
(if so) What are you armed with?
This way, the call goes out to the cars something like this.
"Complainent is a white male, approx 6' tall, short brown hair wearing white underwear.
Be advised that he is armed with a Colt, blue steel, .357 magnum revolver. He is now in the bedroom at the top of the stairs on the right, with his two children.
His wife is in the bedroom on the left, armed with a 12 gauge shotgun. Advise station before entry, and we will advise complainants to place their weapons on the floor, and meet you when you get to the bedroom doors."
OK, the responding officers now have all the information they need to insure that you don't get taken for the intruder. Safer for them, much safer for you.
I have responded to quite a few of these calls over the years, and having this info has mede the job a lot easier. More important, it has made the armed homeowner a lot safer. The safety of the public is the only reason cops get paid in the first place.
As an aside, you may not hear the cops arrive. When responding to this type of call, they will have turned off the top lights and siren far enough away so that the perp will not hear them coming. It's a safety thing.
Sorry if I dragged this out too long.

[Double Naught Spy]

That's not an option for me. I'm not leaving my kids in their rooms to hope for the best. I'm going out firing with my wife behind me! I have an awesome dog that has a history of scaring off potential intruders but I don't have the alarm. I rent a house so I'm not installing one. Is there a cheaper option for home alertness (a way to be alerted if a door is opened or window)? Thanks again all!

While I agree that the "consensus" of barricading in place doesn't make much sense if that means sacrificing the kids, "going out firing with your wife behind you" is just downright moronic. When you leave your bedroom with guns blazing, where are your kids? Obviously, you don't really know. You know where they were when you went to bed, maybe, but you don't know where they are sometime later because you have been asleep in your bedroom.

but I don't have the alarm. I rent a house so I'm not installing one.

This statement says volumes and it says a lot of what many of us have to deal with. It says that the security of you and your loved ones isn't worth any extra expense, particularly if at the the end of a given period of time you don't get to keep it. You would rather keep your family less well protected than to leave an alarm for the property owner to have, and so you don't perceive an alarm system as being cost effective for your family.

You know, lots of things aren't terribly cost effective that we do for self defense like maintaining proficiency with guns. That really is just the nature of the problem. So what you might want to do is to try to decrease your cost such that an alarm system might be more cost effective. Talk to your landlord. See if you can offset part of your rent with an alarm upgrade to the house. You might not get all your costs offset, but things might turn out better than you think. Many landlords are willing to swap physical improvements for rent. Check and see.

I have a heavy steel screen door (think steel bars) that is usually propped open, the other night it slammed shut in a wind storm at about 2 am. It sounded exactly like I would imagine someone kicking my door in.

It's winter, we keep it propped open.

Also my house is not a very good Target. I have several highly disable security cameras, and my front door is second story and visible from three blocks in Amy direction.

One thing that I have noticed is that folks who feel the safest are often the ones that cry the most about feeling violated when the mental bubble of security bursts. Just because you don't think your home is a good target doesn't mean some group of crackheads have the same opinion. If you have all those "disable security cameras" then you obviously got lots of stuff of value inside. Why else would you have the cameras?

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Many people will not do it because they consider it extreme, but carrying a handgun on your person serves several needs you have:

1. You have children and are concerned about their access to firearms. Keeping the firearm on you means you know where it is at all times and have positive control over access to it.

2. You appear to be concerned about having time to access a firearm - having one on you reduces the time to access it dramatically.

So in terms of two of the major concerns you've shared with us, a handgun on your person (assuming you are willing to put in the effort to learn to safely carry) is one of the best responses for both concerns.

[Buzzcook]

There are alarms which you can uninstall and take with you.
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CDYQ8wIwAQ#

A door bars that make it much more difficult to kick a door in.
http://www.google.com/products/catal...=0CLMBEPMCMAI#

I can understand not wanting to make a rental cosmetically better. Security is different though.

[Jake Balam]

Sorry,

I meant visable security cameras, I was typing it on my phone.

I live on top of a small store, in a very high traffic (for our little town) area.

And while I said my house isn't a very GOOD target, I know its still a target, and thats why I am prepared.

My house was built buy a man that made even us look paranoid.

Tempered glass on the front door, three point hinge, three dead bolts (one going up, one down, and one normal)

I have two security monitors in my bedroom (non functional anymore) and intercoms between each room.

One entrance (unless you want to use a ladder, along one of the main roads in town, very high police presence) and I can see the front door from where I lay in my bedroom.

In the event of a break in, I know where my kids will be, one will be confined to her crib (one years old)

And the other will be asleep due to some very very heavy medication he takes for his autism that puts him out like a light at night.

When things go bump in the middle of the night, I have the option of grabbing the .45 on the nightstand, or the remington 870 in the corner by the door.

I don't live in a fairy tale. I know bad things can happen at any time. That's why I always carry, even while Im home, and have the shotgun loaded up next to the exit to my bedroom.

But that doesn't change the fact, my house is NOT a very good target.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Lol Jake that's funny..if a member of my family read this online right now. They'd think I'm on a forum under the name Jake Balam. (minus the location and home)

[Powderman]

Lots of good stuff in this thread, and Yankee Doodle has it right on the money.

One thing you must prepare for, however is actually two fold...What happens when that bump in the night actually turns out to BE a bad guy? What happens when you actualy have to use whatever you have in your hand with lethal intent?

I guarantee you one thing--you might well be unprepared for the flood of emotions and physiological responses and stimuli that goes through your body. It is quite unlike anything you have EVER experienced, and it can be unnerving.

There is one thing that can minimize--although not eliminate--these responses, and that is PRACTICE. I don't just mean going to the range. Split your preparation into three phases...

1. Get to a range that will let you shoot graphically correct targets--the "picture" targets. Use that for a while.

2. Get yourself into good physical condition. The better you are, the better your body will be to handle the "dump" of internal stimulants into your system. It also helps you to handle the aftermath. Ever had an "adrenaline" headache--where your body starts burning through all the stuff dumped into your system when a REAL threat is perceived?

3. Get the following book: "In The Gravest Extreme" by Massad Ayoob. CPT Ayoob does something unique with this book...he takes you through the shoot, and into the aftermath of the shooting. Read and study.

Finally, pray that you NEVER have to deploy a firearm with lethal intent. It is something you do NOT want to go through.

[ousooner81]

Double naught spy said "While I agree that the "consensus" of barricading in place doesn't make much sense if that means sacrificing the kids, "going out firing with your wife behind you" is just downright moronic. When you leave your bedroom with guns blazing, where are your kids? Obviously, you don't really know. You know where they were when you went to bed, maybe, but you don't know where they are sometime later because you have been asleep in your bedroom."

Obliviously I didn't literally mean running out of my room and just shooting, haha! That is downright moronic, I was assuming we all had some sort of commonsense! And yes, I do know where my kids are seeing they are not old enough to leave their rooms. But in case of the worst case, that a BG has snatched one of them then this is where the commonsense comes in, knowing my target!

Double naught spy said "This statement says volumes and it says a lot of what many of us have to deal with. It says that the security of you and your loved ones isn't worth any extra expense, particularly if at the the end of a given period of time you don't get to keep it. You would rather keep your family less well protected than to leave an alarm for the property owner to have, and so you don't perceive an alarm system as being cost effective for your family."

Not sure what you mean, what do you have to deal with? I think it's moronic of you to assume that my family's safety is not worth the expense. Maybe it is but we just can't afford to install an alarm system. We are a one income household that has to live on a budget and an alarm system for a rent house is not a expense I can afford, nor is it an investment seeing we'll be out of the place in the next 6 months. Like many have stated before, we are looking for some secondary options (air horn, etc).