What To Do After A Break-In

Last week my neighbor had a break-in. She was home alone at night with her two small children and dog when someone broke in through her patio sliding glass door. She grabbed the kids, locked them in her room and called 911. Fortunately for her, the police were already responding to another call in our neighborhood, so they made it to her home in about two minutes. No one was hurt and nothing was taken.

My neighbor has been shaken up ever since and has had a hard time feeling safe in her home. Because this is what I do for a living, we’ve talked a lot about what went down and what she’s doing now to prevent another incident. Here are some of the biggest takeaways I feel are important to share.

Takeaway #1: Don’t fall into lax security habits.

My neighbor was much more diligent about security when she and her family first moved in a couple years ago. But after years of feeling safe, they’d gotten lax:

• They stopped locking the patio sliding glass door, which is where the intruders gained entry. There is no direct access to the backyard, so this seemed like a low-risk habit, but the intruders jumped the fence and just walked in through the unlocked patio door.
• They considered home security but decided not to purchase a security system when they moved in because they thought they would be protected enough between their safe neighborhood and their dog. Unfortunately, the dog was also sleeping and didn’t hear the intruder until it was already too late.

Takeaway #2: Don’t rely on the “safer neighborhood” moniker alone

One of the most surprising things for my neighbor was that something like this could happen, even in her safe neighborhood. After the incident, she learned that others nearby had also experienced home or vehicle break-ins, and she was shocked (yet grateful) that police were already on another call just a couple streets over to help her.

Takeaway #3: Consider proactive security measures versus reactive measures

While my neighbor had considered purchasing a security system and she has firearms for protection plus her dog that lets her know about any outside action, these measures are largely reactive, meaning they don’t come into play until something’s already gone down—and none of those things helped prevent her break-in.

Here’s what they’re doing now:

• They had a 24/7 emergency response security system by Jade Security professionally installed. They went for all the bells and whistles, with whole home security cameras and floodlight cameras (for extra lighting) watching the front door, patio door, back fence, garage, and any blind spots around their home. The family stayed with friends until the system was installed and on the job.
• They’re partnering with neighbors. Talking to neighbors sooner could have clued her in to other incidents that may have informed the security choices her family made. She’s also helped activate our corner of the neighborhood to do a better job looking out for each other.