How many of you tell your kids not to answer the door when they’re home alone? How many of you don’t answer the door if you peek out and don’t recognize the person ringing the doorbell? Admittedly, in the past I have done both. Now I make sure my family knows, if we’re not going to answer the door, we make sure those on our porch know we are home, just not answering.
Last year my neighborhood was the setting for a couple of brazen break-ins. Neighbors just across the street had their back sliding glass door shattered and sustained a $13,000 burglary loss – with a dog in the house, during daylight hours.
About a month later and a few streets away, my friend had her home burglarized after the thief first rang the doorbell to determine if anyone was home. A neighbor spotted the person around 7PM, called her while she was shopping in Issaquah and asked if she was expecting someone. Hearing “no,” she then called 911, but it was too late.
The person went to a back window, pried it open, went straight to the master bedroom and robbed her. The burglar was later caught and is now in jail. The victim said one of the most frightening parts of the burglary was that most times she is home with her children, but in an area of the large house where she cannot hear the doorbell – so the man just as easily could’ve broken in while she was home.
According to the Sammamish Patch, around 1PM yesterday, May 3, 2013, in a Cougar Mountain neighborhood of Issaquah, a man rang the doorbell of a home. The homeowner did not recognize the man and ignored the doorbell. A short time later, that man threw an object through the home’s glass front door, entered, was confronted by the homeowner which led to a struggle. The homeowner ended up shooting the intruder in the shoulder with a handgun.
Police say this repeated doorbell ringing and knocking on doors is a common tactic of home burglars, as they try to find unoccupied homes. Snoqualmie Police, through a Crime Prevention flier, recommend leaving a TV or radio on (loud enough to hear from the front door) while away from home, to make the home appear occupied.
Snoqualmie Police also recommend residents being suspicious of strangers and unfamiliar vehicles in their neighborhoods; noting license plate information and not being afraid or embarrassed to call 911.
For more crime prevention tips visit the Snoqualmie Police website.