Is Anyone Home - Criminals Want

Is Anyone Home - Criminals Want to Know

You, your child or children are at home alone. It’s mid-afternoon and the sun is shining brightly. The doorbell rings. You’re not expecting anyone.
What should you do?

Or rather, the first thing you should think about is what not to do -- which is pretend you’re not home, especially if you suspect the uninvited guest may be sizing your home up for a burglary, says Greg Woods, executive vice president of Corporate IQ Security and a former Memphis City Police officer.

Most home break ins occur during broad daylight, Woods says. That’s when a majority of homeowners are at work and, from mid-August to late May, when children are in school.

"I was a detective in the burglary bureau. The suspects we’d interview would say their main motive was they wanted to make sure nobody was home before they tried anything,” Woods says. “Most burglars said their biggest fear was running into someone who could identify them.”

If a burglar knocks on the front door and no one answers, he checks the back door, looks for open windows and, if he decides no one is home, assesses which way they can get into the easiest.
You can prevent that.

“It’s always good, if you’re not expecting someone, to let them know you’re there” he says. “But don’t open the door. Conduct business behind a locked and secured door. Be firm with them but be polite at the same time.”
Also, have a cordless phone or cell phone in hand. That allows you several options. First, you can call your Corporate IQ security officer – you should have his direct number programmed into your speed dial in addition to 911.

If the visitor says he is looking for Joe and a Joe happens to live there or he’s from Memphis Light, Gas and Water or Comcast, you can call Joe to find out if he knows the person or the businesses to discover if they sent someone to your home. If none of what the visitor says checks out, you may call 911 and let him know that’s what you’re doing.
“It’s always best to err on the side of caution,” Woods says.

If someone doesn’t play ring-the-doorbell and breaks in without warning, don’t try to hide inside your home. It’s safer to get out of the house using any exit the burglar isn’t trying to force his way into, Woods says. If you have your phone, dial 9-1-1 and call your Corporate IQ officer. If you’re caught without the phone, get to a neighbor’s house and make those calls.