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Answers and comments to ya'lls responses, in no particular order....

We didn't have our puppy at the time. We did get a Standard Schnauzer...and he's growing like a weed! He's still not so keen on the barking at odd noises, though...the vet says he should start naturally guarding his pack and home in a couple of months so we'll see how alert and prepared he is when he hears strange noises in the future. We may have to create some of our own and reward him for barking to teach him that it's GOOD to bark at things that don't feel right.

Hubby was glad it was nothing, but still had to poke fun because he thinks I should have been able to get ahold of his parents before calling 911. Anyway, he just thinks I hear things all the time and I should have known it was just me imagining it. In fairness, I do often get jolted awake by the noises of the house settling, the A/C turning on, etc...but I SWEAR I heard a glass break. No dishes or glasses were found broken or missing so I simply had to have imagined it.

It might be a good idea to get a landline but, because we're on the border of three different cities, we had problems getting any company in one city to take responsibility for phone service when we first moved in...which is why we still don't have one. They kept telling us, "Oh, no Denison takes care of that." "Nope, that'll be Pottsboro." "You need to get with Sherman or Denison..." ARGH!! We'll probably get a landline in the future but it'll probably take some stern words and time to figure out who's supposed to service our area since they can't even agree on it!

The bedroom window opens into our carport area near the backyard and the officer did visit the window to assure me it was the police outside before I opened the door. Pretty much all of the windows in the house are either stuck or need a lot of force to open, and I have yet to crack the bedroom window open unfortunately. The only one that opens easily is the bathroom window and there's not an easy way for me to access it without giving away my location to an intruder.

But, as I said, we finally got the study door that opens into the backyard to OPEN! And it's not loud when opening anymore either, so it would be a quiet escape route. At the time this happened, it took all my strength to yank it open and you could hear it clear across the house.

I still am embarrassed because all I heard for a week afterwards was neighbors asking if everything was okay because they saw lights, and that combined with my mother-in-law's offers to sleep over really just made me feel worse. She was well-intentioned, of course, but didn't seem to understand that my panic was because my phone didn't work and I had no way of letting someone else know something was wrong. Once I got the phone issue fixed I felt much better. Hubby and I are also starting to fortify our home, which makes me feel safer too.

We plan on getting a camera system installed so that we can view all entrances to our home and the outside of our bedroom door so that if we DO hear a strange noise, we can assess the threat before acting. It would take a fair amount of time, effort, and noise to actually get into our bedroom so we plan on having the main unit in the bedroom with us for quick access. And, again, that study door can now be used as an escape route!

You have no reason to be embarrassed. You did everything right. You feared someone might have entered your house illegally, so you got your firearm, took cover and tried to call for help. It isn't your job to shoot the BG. That's the cops' job. Your job is to stay alive. If the BG came in your bedroom, then you shoot him, but so long as you are safe, behind cover and armed, you call the police and let them handle the situation. That's what they're trained to do. Owning a firearm isn't a license to kill. It's a license to stop someone from killing you.

baldeagle wrote:You have no reason to be embarrassed. You did everything right. You feared someone might have entered your house illegally, so you got your firearm, took cover and tried to call for help. It isn't your job to shoot the BG. That's the cops' job. Your job is to stay alive. If the BG came in your bedroom, then you shoot him, but so long as you are safe, behind cover and armed, you call the police and let them handle the situation. That's what they're trained to do. Owning a firearm isn't a license to kill. It's a license to stop someone from killing you.

I remember thinking, "I don't want to kill anyone. But I'm going to have to if they come in here." I was mentally preparing for the worst case scenario because, logically, I know that if I hesitate I could lose any advantage I may initially have over an intruder.

This event, coupled with the previous scare I had last year (viewtopic.php?f=26&t=28410" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), makes me more confident in my ability to think when in a stressful situation. I know that I can continue to think on a logical level and not break down into an emotional mess. It's a relief to know that my response to this sort of thing has been consistent, so if there's ever a real threat I'm comfortable knowing I'll probably choose the best options for survival.

One more thought.....

My wife and I have a plan that we have agreed on. Part of that plan is that we have previously agreed upon safe word. Not...'It's me' or 'Hi honey I'm home' but a word or phrase that no-one will guess. Especially if your husband is prone to coming in and out of the house at strange times of the night (shift work, call outs etc).

Hopefully you will never need it, but it can't hurt to have one.

Getting a measured landline from the phone company would probably cost you about $12 to $14 per month (with taxes and other bull). That would be for touchtone and dialtone only. It allows for about 200 outbound calls per month, then each one is about 5 cents.

Tell them you do not want a long distance carrier so that you do not get dinged with the PICC (Verizon).

Just do not fall for the phone company sales person (caller ID, call waiting, voicemail), your bill will end up being $50 per month.

Get an old fashioned plug in phone and it will work when the power is out.

texasag

The bedroom window opens into our carport area near the backyard and the officer did visit the window to assure me it was the police outside before I opened the door.

Someone I read years go (Ayoob I think) suggested putting a glowstick attached to a house key (kept in your bedroom) that you could throw out the window for the police to pick up (after telling the dispatcher about it). He was envisioning a master bedroom on the second floor for an ideal situation but it could work anywhere there is a window. I think your instincts to not walk through the house unarmed were exactly right. Make the cops come to you, they are trained and paid to clearn houses.

Pretty much all of the windows in the house are either stuck or need a lot of force to open, and I have yet to crack the bedroom window open unfortunately. The only one that opens easily is the bathroom window and there's not an easy way for me to access it without giving away my location to an intruder.

You need to fix this. A bigger threat than intruders is fire and smoke, and you need ways to exit the house easily other than he front or back doors. Yes you can break the glass, but it is dangerous to do, and dangerous to crawl through a broken window. Even little shards can do you a lot of damage.

Overall I think you did VERY well, tell hubby to stuff it.

[quote][maybe you could have had the dispatcher instruct and officer to come to the rear window, and you could hand the keys out to him/her so they could let themselves in the front door while you stayed out of the way in the bedroom.
/quote]

Great idea. Never thought of it, and it would work well at my setup. Otherwise, I would need to clear half the house to let LEO in, and I may not think it to be smart at the time. Also, I agree with those who would not put down the weapon and walk to the door as directed by the 911 person.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

92f-fan wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

92f-fan wrote:Another option that might help is one of the new femtocells

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/att-microcell/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It would fix the coverage problems in your house

IF you are an AT&T customer... ...if not....

The link was an EXAMPLE. A number of carriers are offering the same kind of options

Femtocell technology showing up in AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon plans
The tiny base stations may end up in Internet gateways, in businesses, and on the street, with adoptions by three major U.S. carriers

I must be going blind. I didn't see that in the article you linked.

Better safe than sorry. Your reluctance to put yourself in danger to unlock the door would have been well founded if someone had been in the house. You know, a key well hidden somewhere outside might be a way to let the police in if you are ever in another situation like that. There are also door locks that have a digital pad instead of a key. One door outfitted with that would let you give a person entry over the phone. It would have allowed you stay in your bedroom at least. Just an idea.

The Annoyed Man wrote: One thing occurs to me.... randomoutburst, does your bedroom have a window onto a back yard which could have been accessed by the police? If so, maybe you could have had the dispatcher instruct and officer to come to the rear window, and you could hand the keys out to him/her so they could let themselves in the front door while you stayed out of the way in the bedroom.

Just a thought...

I read someone recommending that.


Thinking ahead enough, you could draw up a diagram of the house, have it laminated and attach it to a key to the front door and a Cyalume lightstick so it's easy to toss (added weight) and find outside.

texasag93 wrote:Getting a measured landline from the phone company would probably cost you about $12 to $14 per month (with taxes and other bull). That would be for touchtone and dialtone only. It allows for about 200 outbound calls per month, then each one is about 5 cents.

Tell them you do not want a long distance carrier so that you do not get dinged with the PICC (Verizon).

Get an old fashioned plug in phone and it will work when the power is out.

Great advice, something I've been forgetting to look into in my new place

texasag93 wrote:Getting a measured landline from the phone company would probably cost you about $12 to $14 per month (with taxes and other bull). That would be for touchtone and dialtone only. It allows for about 200 outbound calls per month, then each one is about 5 cents.

A measured line in Houston costs about $10-15/month base, but that balloons to $20-25 after taxes and fees.

I may have missed this somewhere in the thread, but aren't you supposed to be able to call 911 from your landline even if you don't have phone service? I recently moved and decided not to have home phone service, but quickly realized I don't have 911 on my home phone.

As far a I know, that's only for cell phones without service.

No. Landlines do not work period without service established. Most of the time when they are not activated the lines arent even connected down the line at the crossbox or central office.