Hot Burglary just averted - Thank you, ADT!

[Mac204]

So I've had a long day. I got back to the house around 2:30 or so and went to the back to rest. I locked my doors and armed ADT to "Stay." I called my fiancee to see how her day's going. As we're talking I hear a weird beeping sound. I thought it was just the window AC unit telling me it needed a new filter or something. Then the screaming alarm kicked on. I was in the middle of telling a story when suddenly she heard, "F#$% the alarm's going off!" then the thud as the phone hit the hardwood floor. I grabbed ole faithful (HK USP .45 fullsize) and left my bedroom. I rounded the corner and the front door was standing wide open. I waited to kill the alarm until I swept the whole house. After finding no one I killed it then went back to my fiancee understandably freaked on the phone. I assured her everything was ok then took the call from ADT. I checked the house again to make for damn sure it was empty. Then I walked through my backyard, finding my back gate open, then walked through my front yard. My neighbor was mowing the lawn and I asked if he'd seen anyone. He said no but that he'd keep an eye out. I'm thinking someone a) has a key, b) is good at picking locks, or c) has some kinda pass key. Either way, someone gained entry into my house, defeating my door lock. You'd better believe that I'm getting new locks tonight!!!

So much for my nap...

 

[Gus McCrae]

look up bump key.

 

[Mac204]

look up bump key.

Yeah, I've seen those before...I recently had some workers do some yard work and paint the house, so I've been extra super vigilant about security - locking windows and doors, arming alarm...could be a coincidence...or not.

 

[olivs260]

Did you have the deadbolt locked? My "spare key" for when my daughter locks me out (and she's done it more than once) is just an old credit card. It tends to be very easy to open the door with a credit card if the deadbolt is not locked.

 

[Mac204]

Did you have the deadbolt locked? My "spare key" for when my daughter locks me out (and she's done it more than once) is just an old credit card. It tends to be very easy to open the door with a credit card if the deadbolt is not locked.

I have 1 lock on that door, which is a dead bolt, and the other doors have a knob lock and dead bolt.

 

[CEHollier]

Glad all is ok .

 

[Praesul Presul]

....curious to see what you find out about how they gained entry. Some brands of door locks are bump lock proof.

In my neighborhood they do a smash and grab due to alarms. In and out in under 5 minutes usually.

A few things:
Do you have an outside siren?
Is your car not visible when you are home like in a garage?

I would go with whoever has recently had access to your house as your best bet. So probably the workers.

 

[IfItFliesItDies]

Good to hear. I just subscribed to ADT this week, so I'm glad to know they do their job properly.

 

[goteron]

I can gain entry into most residential locks with a pick gun in seconds, bump keys require a lot of practice, the guns are much more forgiving. Or maybe he had a set of try out keys and knew which would work from previous attempts. Any lock you buy in a store that isn't a locksmithing place is junk. And unless you've braced the frame really well, they will all be kicked in easily.

What did you learn from sweeping your house?

 

[Mac204]

....curious to see what you find out about how they gained entry. Some brands of door locks are bump lock proof.

In my neighborhood they do a smash and grab due to alarms. In and out in under 5 minutes usually.

A few things:
Do you have an outside siren?
Is your car not visible when you are home like in a garage?

I would go with whoever has recently had access to your house as your best bet. So probably the workers.

Right now I have Brinks deadbolts and knob locks. No outside siren, only inside and my truck is literally 4 feet from the front door with no garage. I really do think it was one of the workers....

Good to hear. I just subscribed to ADT this week, so I'm glad to know they do their job properly.

Yep, and I now have an appointment with the ADT Sales rep tomorrow to add some more goodies to my security package.

What did you learn from sweeping your house?

lol. A vacuum works better.. No, really, Judgement call at the moment was to leave the alarm blazing until I knew for sure the house was empty in case I got bopped on the ole noggin. I didn't start shaking until after I locked the door and had swept the house (started as I plugged in the security code)... The beeping sound I heard was NOT the window AC unit - if something sounds odd, it is odd, investigate. Have a means for self defense available (while safe and responsibly) in rooms where the majority of your time is spent.

 

[sandman7925]

look up bump key.

I just google it. I had no idea. I knew locks could be picked but I thought it was more difficult to do than that. That looked pretty easy. I'm glad I have a dog

 

[LACamper]

Brinks, Nationwide, and the other free alarm companies tick me off. They sell the free install package (3 doors, one motion detector) and charge $50 a month servicing.
This is not enough to cover a home. Get a few opinions before signing up for one of the package deals. Get a quote from a local alarm company (I'm partial to Eton Electronics in Kenner and Gold Eagle in Laplace).
There's a lot to be said for having a dog though.

 

[aard3]

glad everything is ok.... congrats for actually using your alarm, especially the "stay" or "day" feature... most people don't!

I'm in the industry, and I can tell you that most criminals don't "bump key" locks (they just aren't intelligent enough)... they kick in doors and break windows, etc... if you are positive that you locked the door, then I'd make sure that I changed all my locks! Sounds like one of the workers might have found an extra key or something.

Leaving the alarm blazing was probably good... Most alarm panels adhere to a standard now that is meant for false alarm reductions. Disarming the alarm within a certain time frame will send a cancel to the central station...a.k.a. they'll treat it as a false alarm.

Did you call the police? File a report?

 

[slogoat]

Scary stuff, glad all is well.

 

[Mac204]

glad everything is ok.... congrats for actually using your alarm, especially the "stay" or "day" feature... most people don't!

I am very OCD about it. A few years ago I went to the midnight showing of "The Strangers." I was alone and the theatre kills their parking lot lights for midnight showings (which is a whole other safety issue, plus I'm uncomfortable in the dark). For those who haven't seen the movie (and without giving away spoilers) the whole premise is that these psychopaths have free reign over the house - the enter and exit whenever they want regardless of measures taken. Anyways, leaving the theatre I was thinking to myself "that movie wasn't bad...boy it's dark out here..." When I pulled up to my house the street light and my front light were out and I remember saying to myself, "Sheeesh it's dark...and there are a LOT of bushes!" For the next few weeks I had a recurring dream that I walked into the kitchen to find a door wide open...It happened today, thankfully ADT's screaming banshee alarm scared 'em off. But I ALWAYS arm it, day, night, home, away...it's armed.

I'm in the industry, and I can tell you that most criminals don't "bump key" locks (they just aren't intelligent enough)... they kick in doors and break windows, etc... if you are positive that you locked the door, then I'd make sure that I changed all my locks! Sounds like one of the workers might have found an extra key or something.

I've already changed the locks and I'm going to have ADT expand my security...I didn't go for one of those generic budget setups they have, but I did do it economically. I like that I can expand it to include new things as I wish. Also, the call from ADT was automated. I had killed the alarm and saw an Unknown Number calling so I answered it, the auto-message was along the lines of, "We detected an alarm from your home. Someone in your home has deactivated the alarm, therefore police will not be called. If you would like a copy of the alarm report, please contact" so and so number...Even though it was automated I'm glad they called.

Leaving the alarm blazing was probably good... Most alarm panels adhere to a standard now that is meant for false alarm reductions. Disarming the alarm within a certain time frame will send a cancel to the central station...a.k.a. they'll treat it as a false alarm.

Honestly 2 things conspired that resulted in my leaving the alarm on. 1) I was so ultra aware of my field of vision that I honestly don't remember even hearing the alarm after 2 steps into the hall (I was 1 foot away at one point) and 2) I figured that if someone WAS there I'd just let ADT call the police while I dealt with the problem...or laid there unconscious...

Did you call the police? File a report?

No. The only evidence of anything is the activation of the alarm, which ADT has record of. I did call my good buddy who's a deputy and talked to him about it though.

 

[m4shooter8]

Do you mind if I ask what city you live in? Metairie, Slidell, etc...

 

[Mac204]

Alexandria

 

[BRBrett]

Glad you are alright. Before I started working in the IT field I installed security alarms and cctv systems for a living. Just think if you didn't have an alarm you probably would have ended up in a situation where you and him were face to face.

 

[topgunz1]

Yep, and I now have an appointment with the ADT Sales rep tomorrow to add some more goodies to my security package.

I bet that was the culprit, best sales tactic EVER!

 

[Skiney]

My Country Home Alarm System:}

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