Posted by BrendaTx on 1/6/10 9:19pm
Msg #317041
Serious Question - Home Security System
Do any of you use a service like ADT, and if so, how do you like it? What alternatives do you suggest?
A young white male, 18-23 yo, clean cut...kicked in my door last night. It woke me up, naturally. The deadbolt tore through the facing.
Yes I have a gun. No, I did not use it. I got up and went into my living room and he was just milling around looking out the patio door. (He came in the front.)
I yelled at him and he kind of smiled at me as if he were sorry or if he was confused. Obviously he was high.
I decided I did not want to "discuss" it further with him and I ran out the front door and to the neighbors' with dog right behind me. He left without taking anything. Police came but did not find him lurking around. He got away.
I am doing several things to improve my security. There was a lot of light in every area except my front door...well, at least last night. My light was burned out and I did not take the time to change it. Planned to this weekend. Won't happen again. 
I'm fine. Got plenty of people here staying with me. Contractors start tomorrow doing things to improve my security (trading patio sliding glass doors for a metal door with metal frame) and several things done to fix my door that was kicked in.
Anyhow...tell me your security system stories, please...likes dislikes, etc.
Thanks.
| Reply by Jeff Ortler on 1/6/10 9:24pm
Msg #317045
A security system is good if you are not a home but our system would not deter a breakin like the one you had. Obviously this loser was stoned and didnt have any common sense. Keep your gun close because people like that have NO remorse for any damage they cause..
| Reply by trnsa_IL on 1/6/10 9:35pm
Msg #317049
Wow, Brenda, I am glad you were not hurt physically...
While I do not have a security system, my brother does use ADT and they have had no issues other than setting it off occasionally by accident and having to explain it to the police every time.
I really am thankful to God that you were not harmed!
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/6/10 9:41pm
Msg #317050
thank you, Tonya.
I hope to gather a lot of "intel" from the notaries. It was kind of rude for me to post it on the Work forum but desperate times call for desperate measures!
| Reply by John Schenk on 1/6/10 9:57pm
Msg #317057
Brenda, why would you walk in there without your gun?
You're a Texas girl. You're just SO lucky something didn't happen to you! When someone breaks into your house, shoot first, ask questions later, so long as you can identify that it's not a family member or a friend of course. Got a 12 guage shotgun under my bed, and 9MM with a 30 round clip in my dresser. That's all the security we have, and won't hesitate to use it if someone busts in our house.
Anyway, I'm SOOOO glad that you're safe, although your home has been invaded. That must be a horrible feeling. I certainly understand your fright. If it happened to us, we'd probably be installing a security system also. I really don't worry about it if I'm home, but only when I'm away from home.
You take care, Hon, and next time you go walkin in there, pack the heat, baby!
JJ
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/6/10 10:41pm
Msg #317064
Thanks for the kind words, John.
Please understand that I have my reasons for not having a gun handy at all times.
Reason #1 - I'd rather die than have one of my grandbabies get a gun into their little hands.
Reason #2 - I have determined after much thinking and being face to face with death by gunshot that I have no interest in killing a person...I had no interest in killing this person last night. I do not fantasize about killing him. I was more annoyed than in fear for my life at the time I was dealing with the situation, although I knew I needed to make a hasty exit for "sure" safety.
John, I will, as part of my new outlook, go back and get my CHL again. And, I will become very familiar with handling fire arms again. It is distasteful to me since I have been in a situation where I smelled blood mixed with gun powder. Some people are easy killers when threatened. Some are not. I am not a killer. I feel many people have illusions about what they will do or how they will be a hero. I do not. I believe my strength will lie in having fortifications in my home and taking measures to be extremely secure. I assure you I am a lot calmer tonight having fled for safety when given the chance rather than seeing a man fall dead in my living room.
I want you all to understand that I do not live in a "bad" part of town. I live in a quiet little condo property among a very "normal" good bunch of folks like myself who work mostly for Texas A&M or who are students going to the University. Our world has changed and the reasons that people break into homes have changed. I think he was there to steal and I surprised him because he was mentally challenged because he was so darn high.
Just my thoughts. I appreciate all input.
| Reply by JanetK_CA on 1/7/10 2:54pm
Msg #317175
Re: Thanks for the kind words, John.
I'm also very glad that you were able to come through this unhurt physically! I imagine the emotional impact will take some time to get over, though, regardless of how it ended. As you indicated, your anger is a good sign that you're dealing with this with emotionally maturity - not surprisingly.
"Please understand that I have my reasons for not having a gun handy at all times.
Reason #1 - I'd rather die than have one of my grandbabies get a gun into their little hands.
Reason #2 - I have determined after much thinking and being face to face with death by gunshot that I have no interest in killing a person...I had no interest in killing this person last night. I do not fantasize about killing him. I was more annoyed than in fear for my life at the time I was dealing with the situation, although I knew I needed to make a hasty exit for "sure" safety."
You've had enough people chime in encouraging you to keep the gun handy, so I thought I'd chime in in defense of your comments above. I couldn't agree more with your points above. I admit that I'm not speaking from personal knowledge (thank goodness!) either about facing a potential intruder or about guns.
I only know what I hear in the news - and I can't count how many times I've heard about situations where a young child got ahold of a gun with tragic results, or someone mistook a family member for an intruder, or a potential assailant was able to grab the gun from the owner, who got shot by their own gun, etc., etc.
I've only heard of one situation I can remember where a person successful fought off an intruder with a gun (rifle, in that case). It was in the news recently because she was on the phone with 911 at the time she shot and killed the person. She was distraught that she had taken a human life. That action may have saved her life or saved her from assault, or from a robbery, or from someone high on drugs, etc. She will never know, but she'll have to live with that reality for the rest of her life.
Ownership - and potential use - of a firearm, in my opinion, is a very personal decision and something that deserves very serious consideration. I've chosen to not have one. There's a very remote chance I might feel differently if I didn't live in one of the safest areas of the country  , but I doubt it, because that hasn't always been the case. But I think I'd rather have an alarm system for self-defense than a deadly weapon. (Yeah, I know... no place is completely immune, as Brenda's experience proves.)
| Reply by Pat/IL on 1/6/10 10:15pm
Msg #317061
I'm glad you're okay, Brenda. We just had the ADP system installed at my dad's house because he has been between the hospital and rehab for the past few months.
The way I see it, if you had been injured, or unable to get to the phone to answer ADP's call, they would have notified the police. Better than nothing.
In case you're not familiar with how it works, the alarm company calls your house if the alarm is tripped. You tell them your code word to let them know it's all okay. If it's not okay, and they don't hear the correct code word, they send the fuzz.
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/6/10 10:43pm
Msg #317066
Re: Serious Question - Thanks Pat.
I want to know all the goody I can get on this one. Notaries always have a great and varied answer to all life questions. I appreciate you guys being there for me.
| Reply by MistarellaFL on 1/7/10 6:20am
Msg #317076
"they send the fuzz. " LOL PAT!
Haven't heard THAT term for police in decades!
So glad you're OK, Brenda.
| Reply by Jim/AL on 1/6/10 9:51pm
Msg #317054
Wow Brenda, very lucky. Grab for gun first always. Glad
you are okay and great idea getting rid of sliding glass. Usually just buying some security system signs will do the job and of course tighten up on all entryways.
Probably a one in a zillion thing...at least I hope so.
Stay safe, glad you are doing well. You sound more peeved than scared.
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/6/10 10:48pm
Msg #317068
Re: Wow Brenda, very lucky. Grab for gun first always. Glad
Amazingly, I am more peeved than scared!
The responding officers said I was the calmest person they had run across in a long time under similar or less threatening circumstances.
A cool head must prevail. I have learned so much in the last 12 hours that it is amazing.
| Reply by Les_CO on 1/6/10 11:29pm
Msg #317069
Re: Wow Brenda, very lucky. Grab for gun first always. Glad
Some years ago I was broken into and robbed. I was not home (gone for the weekend) the kids (police figured they were kids) Broke the sliding glass patio door, took the TV, Stereo, some tools out of the garage, a lovely Detonics 45 pistol (I still miss that gun) it was laying on the bedroom dresser. A couple of 50 peso gold coins (next to the 45) some costume jewelry, they left a double strand of real pearls they dropped lying in the hallway. I guess I was lucky not to be home. (or they were?) Anyway I immediately got a floor safe, and had an alarm installed. The alarm proved to be a PITA, as my cats would set it off at night. And I dropped a light bulb once, and it took me 5 agonizing minutes to shut the thing off. I just left the perimeter system on when I was not out of town. I shut off the motion/glass breaking detectors. I was never broken into again. But it still angers me when I think of it. I don’t know what kind of alarm to recommend, but get something, and keep the gun! You’ll sleep better!
Glad you are okay!
| Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 1/7/10 12:38am
Msg #317073
Brenda, I am so sorry to hear of the breakin. I was carjacked at knifepoint once, so I know how you feel. It's such a violation. Thank God you're ok.
Of course, we are New Yorkers. We always had to have a deadbolt lock and a chain lock on thye door.
At the time I thought of getting a gun. If you live alone, you might consider getting one of those security things you wear around your neck. (Like Life Alert). Then, if you hear somebody you can just press the button.
Be well.
| Reply by ReneeK_MI on 1/7/10 4:30am
Msg #317074
Had this happen, too!
Whew, yes, very glad you're okay and amazed that you're more angry than scared. I also had this same thing happen, but with a different outcome. It was about 1983, middle of the night, and the guy was also high. HUGE guy, maybe 25 or so, trying over and over to 'shoulder' open the door in a fit of rage, and screaming at me "Open this door, Beotch! LET ME IN!" The door had a little window and we could see each other - ha, me ...I'm trying to talk sense into him, yeah all 5 ft of me. It was a low crime area, we didn't (and still don't) own a gun, my husband grabbed the first thing he passed - a broom. Seriously. I'm saying ...after 25 years or so, you'll find the humor in all of it. The difference in the outcome: the door HELD (can't believe it!), and the cops got him - still on my porch - and did NOT arrest him. Said "give him a break, he thought he was at a different house ..." I did have some words with the Chief of Police about that.
So ...life went on. 25 years later, never did anything like that happen again. It gave me nightmares for a long time, but I was young and my kids were babies, you know how that goes. If we'd HAD a gun, I shudder to think what the outcome might've been.
I suspect that in both of our instances, had we had an alarm system - nothing would've changed. Your guy ran off, my guy didn't have enough brain cells working at the time to try, the cops were probably there faster because we called them ourselves, directly. You and I have one of the best 'security systems' you can have - dogs. Again, in this situation it didn't matter (I had a very large dog then, too.)
For me, I think the area you live in is the deciding factor - if you live in an area where the crime warrants the PITA of living with ADT, then by all means. But if your area isn't really at risk, then perhaps this too will end up being a one-time ridiculous experience that you can share on a forum in 25 years. My parents have ADT - they don't live in a crime-filled area, but my mom's head is full of criminals. I HATE IT, major PITA. They've lived there 38 years and NEVER had any kind of incident, but the next door neighbor was once robbed (while out of town, and that was 30 years ago) and that's all my mom can think about.
I sure wish we could know this - why did your door give, and mine didn't? Mine was a solid wood door, and apparently one he77 of a good dead-bolt! The frame was only barely damaged. Maybe your guy had a better method!?
| Reply by PAW on 1/7/10 7:18am
Msg #317078
Glad to hear that you're okay.
We have an alarm system, as do most residents of Florida. Not only for protection while we're away, but even for while we're staying in. Our alarm has voice control. Rather than having the alarm company call on the phone, they have a voice control box where the attendant at alarm central can hold a conversation with the people in the house. It's just faster than using the phone, but still relies on the phone line to work. (Same challenge-response dialog is used.) The alarm is extremely loud too. So loud that one day when it went off, my neighbors heard it (late afternoon) and called the sheriff's office. Even then, the alarm company had already notified to the sheriff.
I was wondering about the safety of using the phone line, in particular what would happen if the line was cut, or otherwise out of order. In that case, they would call a 'backup' number and even a third of fourth number in case of no answers.
We have all kinds of different sensors including motion detectors, standard door/window open/closed detectors, glass breakage detectors and phone line active detection (makes sure phone line is active and available).
We researched all the alarm companies, national and local, to see who had the one best fitting our needs. We ended up using a regional alarm company because of many factors, including price (all about the same), products (wide variances among the different companies) and most importantly, response time and consumer satisfaction. We're only 1 mile from fire/rescue and the sheriff's office, so response time should be minimal. We found that on average, ADT had the longest time, (alarm - no response from occupant - arrival of law enforcement), followed by Brinks. The company we chose had the shortest time and was recommended by our fire department.
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/7/10 7:29am
Msg #317080
Exactly the type of questions I needed answered. I am leaning now toward a local company. ADT, etc. frustrates me. You can't call "Your Person" back to ask questions. They have to call you because their sales calls are routed to a call center.
I asked the Police Dept. but they did not recommend anything, said they couldn't do that. I will call the Fire Dept.
| Reply by Traci on 1/7/10 7:23am
Msg #317079
Brenda I am so glad you are safe, it IS very scary and obviously your dog thought it was a good decision to leave the situation too. I think there are people that think they are so desperate and as mentioned simply don't care how they get what they want. We have had the SEI (Security Eq Inc.) system since 2000 and there have been a few times it was handy. They have a local # but it rings into Omaha many times but we can call it and get a person. One time in paticular that sounds very similar to yours though when the alarm went off he panicked and acted like he was hurt and really confused, his intention was not innocent. The police hauled him away and he was on all kinds junk. It was good to have them on the phone and the police dispatched to us so quickly. Another time it was my son's "friend" that left his bike in our garage... anyway, he has never been back to our house or even in contact as far as I know. I think this is very appropriate to talk about in the work forum and is serious. Eager to hear from others. Oh and I also like that the sytem knows when the batteries are getting low and will have them call us if we try to ignore it so we have to keep it working.
| Reply by Yoli/CA on 1/7/10 10:35am
Msg #317123
Brenda, so very glad you and your dog are safe and unharmed! Take whatever measures necessary to give you peace of mind and protection. God bless.
| Reply by HARRY_PA on 1/7/10 7:41am
Msg #317082
Sorry I have no suggestions, I'm just glad that you are ok. God bless.
| Reply by RickinVA on 1/7/10 8:06am
Msg #317087
Brenda, glad you're OK. You did everything right, except you should have had
the gun with you when you went out to check.
I have an alarm system but I seldom turn it on. My brother owns an alarm company
and he installed it. It uses an alarm service and I have often wondered about
response time. They call if alerted. But, if the alarm goes off, it freezes the phone
line, at least until they contact me. But thinking about it, there is some time lost
while they call me, then the emergency service, if they don't get the proper response
or no response. If the phone line is cut, they are supposed to get an alert, and then
notify ES immediately. CARRY THAT GUN!
Mine is a combination of wireless and wired. Haven't had to change batts in over 5 years.
Rick
| Reply by MW/VA on 1/7/10 9:37am
Msg #317105
Glad to hear you're ok, Brenda. IMO, the best security system is a dog--they bark to signal anything suspect. Even the Police will say that anyone is reluctant to enter a house with a dog.
| Reply by Cari on 1/7/10 10:05am
Msg #317117
Brenda, sent you a pm..:) n/m
| Reply by Notarysigner on 1/7/10 10:16am
Msg #317122
Re: Brenda, .........
Glad you're ok...I can answer any question you might have about ADT or the other similiar alarm companies...I use to maintain their network.
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/7/10 10:47am
Msg #317125
Re: Brenda, ......... Wow, thank you!!! n/m
| Reply by Mia on 1/7/10 11:11am
Msg #317131
First ask neighbors & friends what Home Security System they have or have
had. Call your local police department & fire/rescue dept. to see what they
recommend.
Also, the following website has many security cameras etc.
http://www.thespystore.com/
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/7/10 11:22am
Msg #317132
*Call your local police department & fire/rescue dept. to see what they
recommend.* They cannot give a recommendation.
I'll be the first on the property to get the security system. We've been very lax...felt way too comfy with our lives.
Thanks for your insight.
| Reply by Glenn Strickler on 1/7/10 12:31pm
Msg #317144
Brenda, I am glad you were not hurt. Having been there and done that, I know that you will be thinking about it for a long time to come. That's normal. The fact that you just didn't start blasting the perp shows you have your head in the right place.
I have toyed with the idea of a professional security system for use when we are away. Since I work out of my home how, I am there most of the time. So right now, I have a homemade unit that makes a lot of noise when tripped so my neighbors can call the PD when I am away. I do have a relative in another part of town who has one, but was broken in and robbed anyway when she wasn't home. Seems like the thieves not only cut the phone lines and cable lines, but also had a mobile phone jammer to defeat that feature. It turned out that one thief was a former employee of a security company. He was caught in another house in the neighborhood by a resident that was home. She also had the alarm in silent mode, so if you do get one, never use silent mode. Also, get an alarm that works on backup battery power also. I think most do, but I don't know for sure.
Having some small ties to the police department, my method of security right now is a dog and Smith & Wesson. My reason for that is when you are home, you need help now, not the average response time it takes help to get there. In most cases, thieves and idiots like the one you had, will be deterred by a barking dog. They will normally go to a place that is less threatening. Why risk injury when there probably is a house down the block that may even be unlocked and no one home? The dog will also give you warning to get ready to defend yourself should you need to. Also, even if you have a system that notifies the monitoring company and then they call the pd, call 911 on your cell or a portable phone so you aren't tied to a cord and can move around and stay on the line with the operator. Tell the operator you have a weapon. They will have direct contact with the responding officers so you will know when the real thing is at the door.
Finally, when I am gone, my weapon goes with me, or is in a hidden safe. You don't want it being stolen and used on someone else.
Best wishes to you.
| Reply by BrendaTx on 1/7/10 4:09pm
Msg #317187
Re: Serious Question - Wow...ths is such good info from all
of you. Great Insight!!!!
I knew I could rely on you guys of the notary seal!
NotarySigner...I may be calling you a little later. I'm at work today. Thanks for the offer...I have your number with me.
| Reply by Regal/NC on 1/7/10 5:44pm
Msg #317197
Alarm Systems
Brenda,
Here is some insight from a previous installer and security company owner, my thoughts are:
1. system is only a deterrent
2. system can be simple or complex depending on your desires and pocketbook
3. basic system utilize a landline to report incidents to monitoring station (If monitored). When system is tripped your landline will be seized by the control panel to prevent phones from stopping the transmission to the central station (all phones in house will go DEAD until transmission is complete.
4. typical system covers the first floor perimiter (doors and windows), and at least one (1) motion sensor for the interior.
5. all systems report back to the monitoring station and then their employees will call your location to verify if the report is valid. If no/invalid response, then they will contact local authorities ( fire/police depending on what tiggered the alarm).
6. some cities/towns impose a fee if you have certain amount of false alarms.
7. monthly monitoring fees range from $15 to $75
The key is to purchase a system that meets YOUR needs at the lowest cost. ALL alarm companies make the majority of their profit from monitoring fees. That is why most offer free basic installation of two (2) door contacts, one (1) motion sensor, one (1) keypad and one (1) siren with mandatory two (2) or three (3) years monitoring prepaid at time of installation.
Any other questions or comments send me a PM.
Stay Blessed & SAFE!
BJ
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