OT I'm a crime fighter today!!! | Arthritis Information

Not that I want to be. Can I please have a drama-free day???

You won't believe this. Minutes, literally minutes, after I posted that snopes carjack warning, somebody started knocking (beating) on my door so hard, it was like the house was on fire. I mean, we have a doorbell.

Looked out the peephole (thank goodness my Easter decoration wasn't in the way) and didn't recognize the guy. He wasn't dressed like a wrong address repairman or anything, not holding anything to sell...and it was weird that he was looking away from the door, up and down the street.

My instinct said not to open the door, so I said, "What do you want?". He looked totally startled, and asked if "Stacy Campbell" lived here. I said no, and he hurried down the steps.

Weird - with GPS and cellphones, who goes to the wrong house these days? So I looked out the window. He had backed a pickup truck right up to my garage door!!!! Called 911 as he was flying up the street.

Well, she thought I was overrreacting. "Was he rude?", etc. Hubby was concerned, but kept saying "Why our house?" So I thought maybe I did overreact, but still shared it on a neighborhood e-mail list.

WELL!!!! That was Wed. On Tuesday, a neighbor had been broken into in seemingly the same way - no one home, back window smashed, door from garage to house left open like they loaded up in the garage.

And Thursday - TWO more homes broken into.

Hubby found the truck this a.m., parked at nearby condos. Condo neighbors said they don't know whose it is, and it rarely moves. He e-mailed our police division.

A detective called me this morning. He said I should not have talked to the 911 operator, I should have just said send an officer and they would have taken care of things.

Now, there is a roadblock outside our neighborhood, and they are checking everybody's license.

Here are some things the detective said:

He tells people alarm systems are worthwhile if they give you peace of mind and you can afford them. He said they deter some criminals, but seasoned criminals know what they want and have a plan going in and know how much time they have to get it.

He said he has been an officer for fifteen years, and your instincts (especially women's, he stressed that) are right. If it is suspicious to you, for your area, call 911, do not hesitate, let an officer investigate.

He said we would have been robbed, if no one was home. It was right for me to speak, to let him know someone was there. I asked if leaving a TV or radio on while we were away a good idea, and he said yes.

He asked if we had pets (no, and the neighbor who was robbed has a 100 lb. dog, so I'm not taking on that responsibility with no guarantee!)

Also, a friend who was robbed a couple years ago said the police told her most burglaries occur between 10 and 11 a.m. - when you are at work or running errands while kids are in school. That's when this happened to me.

Oh wow Suzanne, thats quite scary really. I hope they catch them.WOW! I am glad you are safe, and were home! Good luck getting the guyHOLY CRAP!!! Wow. I'm glad it turned out THIS way. Instead of any other horrible way you can imagine.

*hugs*
[QUOTE=SnowOwl] I don't have any problem shouting "What do you want" at a stranger through a door, way I see it nobody should be coming around who doesn't give me some sort of notice anyway. ![/QUOTE]

That is really true, but sometimes I just hate to be so paranoid! But you have to be. I thought of that - would I EVER just beat on someone's door like that? Nope.

I debated telling my older daughter what happened. I did not want to scare her and she isn't ever here alone on the weekdays. Then, I thought about summer getting here soon, and I will leave her to run to the store or still sleeping in to take my younger one somewhere in the mornings.

So I told her she should never ignore it if someone comes to the door. I told her to make sure they know someone is inside. She was afraid they would hear her voice and know she was a child, so I said yell, "Daddy!!! Someone's at the door!!" then call 911 if they don't leave.

Wow scary. I am glad they are now checking into it. You are so right anymore you just can't be too sure. Glad you are okay.WOW!! Your 6th sense told you that something wasn't good and you listened

to it , way to go !!

OMG That's so scary! I always hide around the corner and wait for strangers to leave the porch acting as if no ones home. I'll do it your way from now how. Great tip.

Glad you're safe and sound.

Oh geez...am I some kind of dummy? I always answer the door.

Good work Suzanne. You deserve a special unitard for this!This makes the hair on my neck stand on end. I'm so glad you followed your good instincts.

Kudos to you!

Can we deputize Suzanne? Good job! What you did was let the Bad Guy know that this wasn't an easy target. That's the essence of smart defense.

If you aren't absolutely sure of who you are dealing with, don't make yourself vulnerable. Keep that door locked. Once you open that door, trouble will enter.

Always be vigilant! My elderly German neighbors' house was broken into on a Saturday afternoon while they were watching TV. Well, the old guy picked up a fireplace poker and beat the living hell out of the teenage gangbang thugs (2 of them, each with criminal history). These guys later had the balls to try to sue HIM!!! Luckily the case went nowhere and the thugs now know not to mess with the crazy German dude. On my street, "OG" means "Old German" and he is a bad-ass!!!! Suzanne, looong time ago someone knocked at my door sort of early in the morning. I was still in bed and wasn't expecting anyone so I didn't bother answering. Well, the knocker woke me up so I decided I might as well get out of bed. What do I see but some guy CLIMBING THROUGH MY BATHROOM WINDOW!!! I shouted something at him and he ran but the police caught him a bit later in a stolen car. he was with two guys that were out on parole from Jackson prison. Got to go to court and send him away. he got two years in the county jail. A good story but really scary at the time. My oldest son was just a few months old at the time. Can't help thinking about what could have happened. Linncn2008-03-21 15:55:35Thank you so, so much for sharing your story. You might have just thought that it was interesting, but I have taken it as a wake up call. I'm not so sure what I would have done, and it's quite possible that I would have thought it smart to act like I wasn't home.

I'm tucking the info away. I intend to share it with my kids as well. We have an alarm, and I have it armed most of the time. It's always armed when I leave the kids for a bit, but the bit about yelling for daddy is a great idea. Thanks. You may have just helped someone in advance. I hope they caught this guy soon. You have enough drama. I have noticed you usually do have good instincts. So keep paying attention to them. Stay safe.Thanks all! So many times, I have acted like I wasn't home and ignored the doorbell or maybe a knock. But those times, I usually thought I knew who it was - door to door magazine sales, etc.

The loud, hard knock was different, how he faced away from the door, all that made it different.

I've checked our neighborhood e-mail list, but no new updates yet. Even if they didn't catch him, at least no new breakins today.

you did the right thing, I'm so glad your alright.

A few years ago we left for an appointment at 2 in afternoon, home about 3 and our home had been broken into. they were door knoxing and when we didn't answer they put a child thou dog door. kid played with toys and eat corn flakes in floor. they drank pepsi and ate candy while they robbed my house. They caught them because like you, a good neighbor whoses door they had went to, gave police details. I do not feel safe now and will not take a shower and try not to sleep when I'm alone. It was very hard when husband was in hospital and it was like 16 years ago. I keep my doors locked at all times, and watch when I'm in the yard because at another time husband was working in back yard, door was open and I was in house alone, A man come up to door acting funny, trying to see in the windows, He leaned up to look in the storm door as he took hold of handle, I jump up and scare him, I said what do you want and he gave me some name I didn't know, who was suppose to live here, I had lived here for over 30 years and knew better. He said sorry and took off.

You have to keep your doors locked at all times and alway let them know your at home or they might come in on you. When someone pulls in my driveway that I don't know, I pick up the phone and have it ready. I feel safter out in the mountains in a tent then I do in my home, it never leaves you, too much is on the news, so you know what can happen.

Rusty, I'm sorry that happened to you, and understand all those things you are saying. I've already started thinking differently, too! I asked my husband to wait until I dried my hair with the blow dryer before he left for work - I was afraid I wouldn't hear something.

And I love to garden and the weather is getting so nice, but I started thinking, what if I had been in the backyard when he knocked? He would have thought the house was empty and come around back! That would have been even scarier to me, to be face to face outside, away from the phone.

Yes along time ago i went down stairs to laundry. I did not get very far. I saw the back of a man sitting on my stairs. I had starteled him and as he stood up i could tell he was leaning on something that he had in his hand. Must of been a beer or whiskey bottle as the near by liqure store told the police i gave a good disription of a man that had just been in there. He was not one of the nieghborhood drunks. We were young and had no phone at the time. Went out the back door to the nieghbors a police officer. He was home and ran directly over. His wife called in off duty officer needs assistance and we had thirty police at our house in less than a minute in Chicago. I still get grey hairs just thinking about it. It was to scary.Suzanne, It's so sad the way the world is, Your really not safe anywhere. I gusse I have become chicken, I don't even carry a handbag anymore, been too many people knocked down in parking lots. I still go for walks in the woods by myself. We live in a small town of 9000, was a good place till here lately. A lot of drugs around here, old neighbors die off and homes become rentals.

I think we need more neighbors like you that becomes involed, The neighbor that helped us is long gone, her house is even gone. I have one across the street that got out of jail a few months ago, but he is nosey and keeps an eye out, I gusse he has to keep up with stuff, so the police don't come out and sees what hes up to....LOL...have a good nite and keep up the good work.

Grrr.....Hubby showed me the truck he found. Hello? Not a Dodge Dakota, and I know that is what I saw. He said it is weird the tag starts the same. Yes, it is, but I know I saw a Dodge Dakota.

He said people get confused about makes/models. They do, but I read it off the side of the truck! I don't know anything about pickup trucks, to guess at that!

He said he can't understand why I could read that, but not get the whole number.

Because the guy was backed up to the garage! I had longer to read the side, and couldn't see the tag until he pulled away!

I wish he had shared with me that he assumed I was wrong, before I talked to the detective.