Planning for the Worst: a Home Invasion

Your Security System will notify you with blaring sirens if an intruder is in your home. But what then? Do you have a plan in place in the event you are awakened by the sound of an alarm? Here are some tips to help you develop a plan to protect you and your family when the unthinkable happens.

1) You will recieve a phone call very soon after the alarm is set off. make sure that you are by a phone to answer it and tell the Central Station to send the Police.

2) Designate a "Safe Place" where your family will meet. If an intruder is not scared away by the sirens, they are a danger to your family. The master Bedroom Closet is usually a good "Safe Place."

3) If you have to defend your family, you are much better off with a weapon. Buy some Peppr Spray, and hide it in your "Safe Place." Guns can be dangerous in this situation.

4) Stay in your "Safe Place" until the police arrive. Listen for the sounds that an intruder would make. Keep everything as dark as possible.

For more information: Dept. of Homeland Security Evacuation Plan

A Home Invasion is usually just a "breaking and entering" but, as you hear in the news, it can sometimes lead to a murder. The vast majority of the time, a home invasion is just a burglary or it is often called a "hot burglary" because a family is home. TV commercials depict a home invasion or burglary, and this is generally what happens. The family is minding their own business, when they hear something strange. Their first instinct is that it is harmless, because it usually is. Then they are caught by surprise when their front door is smashed open, and a man wearing all black is standing there. The security system starts alarming, and it is so loud that the neighbors can surely hear it. Frightened, they run upstairs as the burglar runs away.

This scenario is definitely the most common. Most burglars don't want to hurt their victims physically. They only want to take their hard-earned possessions, then be on their way. But there are burglars out there that are willing to escalate a situation if they feel backed in a corner. Remember, criminals are often addicted to drugs or gambling, and they must feed their habit. So, if they really think they need the money, they will accept the risk of burglarizing a house with people in it and a security system blaring an alarm. When they are still willing to burglarize an occupied house with the security system alarming, their risk of getting caught dramatically increases. They are not thinking straight, and they are in a very stressful situation, and sometimes also strung out on drugs. This is the rare time that planning for the worst pays off. In a home invasion, your security system will usually scare off the intruder, but in order to protect your family a plan could save lives.

Related article: The Five Types of Burglars