Weird incident last night - raises questions..what would you have done?

[Doggieman]

Had a friend who had a friend who mouthed off to a security guard and refused to leave private property. The sec guard pulled out a gun (which he was not licensed to carry nor allowed to by the security company) and shot the friend in the hip. He had to have a pin put in but sued the security company which paid for the medical expenses plus $250,000.

[kymasabe]

It's time to install motion-sensitive security lighting.

[The Texican.]

Always play it safe. Call 911, but before you do this again, call your local police force and find out what their average response is for prowler on premises is. A lot longer than for someone to break into your house and harm your loved ones.

When I go outside to see about noises and the dogs, the wife is armed and ready in the house. Never present yourself as a target, keep to the shadows. Use a flashlight only when you have to for it gives your position away. When in place, chamber a new round, for that sound will cause all but the crazies to run. A shotgun at night is a better choice than a pistol for the first weapon. The second weapon needs to be a pistol. For those that need more security, make the third weapon a kbar. Do not forget to pickup the round.

[BillCA]

+1 on staying inside as much as practical.

That said, we all make decisions based on the perceived threat level. If you think the dogs are barking because of activity on the far side of the fence and presume that activity has not yet migrated across the fence-line, then sitting on the back porch isn't unreasonable.

My advice would be to invest in a good SureFire tactical light or a small bright flashlight to keep ready in the home. In these situations you can pretty well light up most back yards to identify your suspect. A cordless phone with a headset is a big plus since it keeps your hands free.

And there's nothing wrong with turning on the back yard lights before you go outside.

I know that officers can't go on a person's property without a reason, what if they are pursuing a BG who committed a serious crime, and the criminal runs into residential property? Would the police be able to then tresspass in order to stop this dangerous person?

As previously said -- you betcha! Anyplace they see the bad guy go, they can go too. That means if the bad guy runs into your house the cops can follow (whether that's really a good idea or not is another thing). If the cops have a "reasonable belief" that the BG may have gone from a neighbor's yard into yours, expect --at the very least -- flashlights over the fence if not an officer entering your yard to investigate. Special note from experience: Be alert for plainclothes officers in these situations! Sometimes they are pressed into service during a pursuit and forget they're not in uniform.

Re: Command Voice
The use of a command voice (i.e. "Let me see your hands! Do it now!") often works, regardless of your LEO status or not. Back in the 70's we learned that assuming the role of authority often worked and many people/sheeple responded accordingly. In a situation where you can't see the person behind the voice a response of "Who are you?" is a first step. It allows the voice to identify themselves and to be aware that you can't see their uniform or "badge of office". If the response is "Police" or "Police officer" the wise move is to comply carefully but to ask "How do I know that?" Police officers will generally issue further orders to secure their safety and then identify themselves in due course. A BG who is "faking it" will probably get flustered and give themselves away.

Remember that security guards are "normal citizens" with no police powers. If they give orders, you can calmly and without offering any threat, walk away from them (into the house of course). Of course if the voice is very nervous and sounds like Barney Fife going through puberty, it'd be a good idea to say "I'm going inside to call the cops" first.

A perfect score on the Practical Police Course is 600. My brother, who's a life-long LEO shot a 560 that day, and I managed a 480. Some of the security guards struggled to get above 100.

Sadly, depending on the company, some security guards have trouble tying their shoes. I did security work to help put me through college when armed guards weren't rare. Out of 66 armed guards, the lowest PPC score allowed was 420 otherwise you didn't carry. Eight of us competed for top shooter and the scores ranged from 588-596 and twice I lost with a score of 594 based on the number of "X's".

[packa45]

When I go outside to see about noises and the dogs, the wife is armed and ready in the house. Never present yourself as a target, keep to the shadows. Use a flashlight only when you have to for it gives your position away. When in place, chamber a new round, for that sound will cause all but the crazies to run. A shotgun at night is a better choice than a pistol for the first weapon. The second weapon needs to be a pistol. For those that need more security, make the third weapon a kbar. Do not forget to pickup the round.

Never really bought into the "rack the slide and scare the bad guy" theory especially if you already have a round in the chamber. You've just handicapped yourself and who knows that one round may be the one that would have saved your life. I prefer to face a situation that involves a firearm with the gun ready to fire and my finger off the trigger but close. You close with don't forget to pick up the round but what would you do with it? Pocket it? Or are you saying pick it up and reload it? The latter brings up a slew of problems with readiness. I do agree with the rest of your post however.

[YellowLab]

Night vision is cheap.... may not work in urban settings but still worth a look.

I would have probibly gone out, at least on the porch....

If someone from the other side of the fence simply yelled 'show me your hands' with no other identification I would have given then the finger and ignored them

Unless the side of the car said 'Blackwater' on it fudge them.... low life mall commando's.

[Mannlicher]

glad you did not shoot anyone.