Had a Prowler Today

[TexasGal]

Be watchful. You never know when you are on the radar of a criminal. I came up from my barn today around 2pm. Turned on the TV in my kitchen and sat down at my computer there. Suddenly a movement at my front window caught my eye. I turned my head just in time to see a man move quickly past the window and very close to it. As is my habit when anyone comes to our door, I grabbed my XDm which I had taken off to lay next to my computer. Went to the front window to see who was there. I was just in time to see this guy getting to his car parked right in front of my front door. His trunk was already open as was his driver's side door. No one else in sight. He was taking off a pair of gloves as he went straight to the trunk and put those and what looked like a crowbar he had been carrying into it and closed the lid.

Before I could grab my phone to get a picture of the car from the window, he jumped into it and sped out of my drive and down the road. I knew there probably wasn't any one in my house because my dog was not reacting. Had there been anyone who had already made entry my GSD would have made them "welcome" in no uncertain terms. I would have heard him having lunch from the barn. My husband is out of town and so his truck is missing from the drive. Mine is in the garage so it looks like no one is home. I wonder if he rang the doorbell before I came in and thought the house empty. My dogs don't usually bark when the bell rings, they just sit up and wait to see who it is.

The police thought he was likely making way around my house headed for the back to break in when he heard me turn on the TV. Realizing I was home, he decided to abort his plans. I found nothing out of place outside so apparently he had not had a chance to do anything. The police told me the time of day is typical for the kinds of home burglaries done by guys who don't want to run into a homeowner and they typically will park right at the front door to give the appearance the car is supposed to be there. I guess he left the trunk open to make it easy to put stuff in quickly. He planned to be in and out in a short period of time.

I am not particularly scared, but I do wonder if the guy will return at a later date to make another attempt. Luckily, we are almost always home.

[John75]

Good thing you were home. I would add some additional security.

[JALLEN]

I just received and installed 3 wireless security cameras, with audio and infrared capability, along with Blue Iris DVR software, from Amazon for about $350. Setting it up on my network turned out to be a hassle, solely because my Linksys router is so old that it has "Made for use with IBM 360 or equiv." on the bottom. Once I upgraded the firmware, which itself was completely painless, everything worked just fine.

The beauty of having something like this, customized to your unique situation, is that you have a recording of what this bird did, where he went, possibly a picture of his vehicle and almost certainly good video of him, good enough to identify him with reasonable certainty. I imagine you are well prepared for an actual break in while you are there, from the sounds of it anyway. This would fill in the gap you now have, who was it, how long was he here, what was he doing.

I haven't had it running long enough to have any good stories about it yet, but I have looked at the recordings, in various situations. The audio is the weak part, as there is a good deal of distortion from reverb, all the sounds bouncing off hard surfaces, no carpets, etc. The cameras need only power and can be installed by fixing them to structure or just sitting on convenient available spots, as some of ours are. The infrared capability is surprisingly good, to me anyway.

Something to think about.......

[TexasGal]

Yes, I think I will look into that. We are really really tight on dough right now, but I would like to have had a video of this guy to show the police for sure.

[Chris]

You can get alarm company signs off ebay for less than $20. Stick one near the door. Whether you have one or not, let them be the ones to guess if it's real or not.

[anygunanywhere]

I use Frontpoint Security. Wireless monitoring. No phone lines to cut. If they smash the keypad the alarm will still go off and PD will come due to the heartbeat monitor via the cell phone.

Our house is in unincorporated Fayette County and we consider our home quite secure for what we pay.

Anygunanywhere

[JALLEN]

Yes, I think I will look into that. We are really really tight on dough right now, but I would like to have had a video of this guy to show the police for sure.

You don't have to have 3 cameras, of course, depending on the layout. http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8910W-Ne ... p_t_3_G9AK and the software will get you started. You can add cameras as needed, although at some point your computer will run out of resources.

Thinking about the situation and knowing what is available to accomplish the job will give you some insights about what is best in the circumstances.

[knotquiteawake]

I just installed this system for my house last week, its only $127 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006PTP7JY/ref ... 1_ST1_dp_1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . You will need to buy a Hard drive for it (figure about $55 for a 500GB drive).
Here is the view I get and can access from anywhere via my cellphone:



This is just the first 3, very low quality cameras but the footage would be able to provide a height, weight, and clothing description.

They are less conspicuous than you might think, you have to be looking for them to see them from the street.




Totally worth it to me. It might be a cheap system but it gives me a starting point for seeing whos been around my house or if something goes crash outside at night I can flip on the cameras to see whats going on.

[Watchful]

[quote="TexasGal"]Be watchful.

I am Watchful
Glad your OK!

[texanjoker]

Glad you are ok! Lotta low lifes out there.

[TexasGal]

Be watchful.

I am Watchful
Glad your OK!

Yes you are!

[2farnorth]

The March American Rifleman Mag had a Harbor Freight ad selling a four camera with DVR system for $249. Coupon good til 6/15/13. That was supposed to be a $100 savings. Wish I didn't have so much committed to other things at the moment.