Help! I'm really scared!

jugen

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Our house came with motion sensor lights on it and they are pretty nice to have. I've had them go off at night and found racoons eating in our yard.

Thankfully they weren't intruders so to speak, but they were certainly cute.
We live in a nice neighborhood and have nothing to really worry about, but still, it's nice to know that they are there and noone can come up to the house without us knowing it.
 

pookie-poo

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My next door neighbor has a motion sensor light that shines on his driveway. I like the fact that it also shines on mine too...just a little added security for me.
 

carolpetunia

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Originally Posted by HopeHacker

...get a couple of motion detector lights for your front and back yards. That way if someone was sneaking in, the light would turn on, and hopefully scare them enough to get out of there.
Yes, that was going to be my advice, too -- that, plus making sure that you have all your windows covered so no one can see inside, no matter how close they get.

I would also put heavy combination locks on both gates to discourage trespassers.

You might want to ask the police if there've been any peeping-tom reports in your area lately... but most likely, it's just somebody using your yard as a shortcut.
 

brittany

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I agree with some that it could be something silly, and you are over-reacting. HOWEVER, If I were you I would be feeling the exact same way!

I'm not a fan of guns, but I would recommend calling the police and seeing about putting in a report. They may not think anything of it, but atleast you have a record. It would also help them if, say, one of your neighbors has also been experiencing this. If more than one person reports it then they are more likely to act. Especially considering your proximity to multiple "threats", not all sexual predators are labled that for awful reasons (urinating in public is considered a sex crime in NV), but if you have more than one, I would say that is cause for concern.


I know this is easier said than done, but try to relax. My family had motion detectors in California and they caught a neighbor trying to steal my dad's tools, he caught them in time thanks to the lights! Keep up posted!!

Brittany
 

carwashcats

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get the gun, get a liscense to shoot it! A few yrs. ago, (I live in the country, woods all around my house although there are neighbors and other houses within 100 to 200 yds. of each other) My neighbor across the street.her husband had died, they have a pretty big place, with pasture, I'll say they have quite a bit of money, with alot of stuff, she immediately decided to have a huge garage/yard sale, she had people working on it for about a week, each night they would cover everything up with tarps. Her driveway is 1/2 to 3/4 mile long. They have an electric gate right when you turn on the driveway.
it has a tv monitor in the house, so they knew whenever anyone was at the gate. Well one night I was outside watering my yard and calling for "Scream"
"Scream" (my cat) it was late, then I heard a mans voice repeat me ,"Scream" etc.
Well.. my hose went one way and I went the other back into my house, I call my dad whom lives next to me, and in a panic I told him what happen. He got his gun and met me on the trail in between. turned all the spot lights on everywhere, we walked all around, we came to this one spot and I told him,
I smell a cigarette burning, he said , oh it's probably nothing! i knew it was somebody. (sorry so long) About 2 nights later i was on my deck and i heard a truck slow down right past my driveway, so i looked through the woods and i could see it vaguely, then it just took off, and i thought... what did they do let someone out? well sure enough, and thank goodness the guy went to my next door neighbors house and not mine. i ran in the house again, never knowing what was about to take place all around me....that guy tried to break in the house beside me, ok he was trying to climb in the kitchen window whenever the homeowner came out of his bathroom, he went to get his gun and the guy ran off! so he calls the sherriff, whenever the sherriff finally comes down our street, that little truck i had seen earlier, had just pulled up and stopped across the street at her electric gate, the cops (so dumb) stop and casually ask the guy what he was doing, he said he lived there, and they told him they had just gotten a call that somebody was breaking in a house a couple up from here and to be careful, never ran the liscense, or anything.
as soon as they drive up to my neighbors and are talking to him, they hear
a gun shot. It was my across the street friend bless her heart. she just so happened to be up, and noticed the tv monitor, she said she saw these headlights coming up her driveway pretty fast! she knew she didn't open the gate for anyone, so she grabbed her shotgun, out she went thru the garage, she is such a brave lady..... she walked right out and stood in the middle of the driveway with them coming right at her, put the gun up and shot it right at them!! well he stopped and spun around and she yelled, the next one is going in your gut! and shot again, he couldn't get out of there fast enough!
of course the dumb sherriff couldn't even figure out what was going on to help. She told me the next day, after she shot the last time, she said, i walked thru the garage closing the door, and i sat in the house and waited for them, she said, they knew i had that shotgun, and if they still wanted to try to break in well she would be in there waiting on them! she said, and i would of blowed them away! and not thought a thing about it!
we also found were someone had tried to get into one of her back bedroom windows, they had gotten the screen off! that was probably the same one that tried to get in my other neighbors just alittle earlier. they never caught them. but they were wanting to rob her the widow, and the other guy was just like a decoy! Pretty creepy!
I can tell ya, I carried my 22 pistol everywhere with me after that! we had to beg the sherriff's department to do some extra drive bys , they were just like barney phiff(?). They actually pulled my over one night when i was leaving my own driveway. i told them , i'm not who your looking for! hell they should have known what i drove, and knew that was me! That is what is scary!
their the ones suppose to protect us! Yeah right!
like i said, sorry so long! but you have to take control of your own life, nowdays, alert the law but they are worthless unless something has already happened! I know i got my gun out during those few crazy days and start shooting, for practice in my backyard, so if they were lurking around ,well they knew i had a gun. My dad has always told me, if you hear someone in your house, and your in the bed, don't ever get up and go look for them! just get up, get your gun and go sit in the closet and wait on them to find you, and like someone said earlier, be prepared to shot them when they do! or they might take the gun away from you and use on you! It's advise, something good to know just in case something actually happens! Thank the good Lord it hasn't to me but hey there are so many cooky people out there!
I asked my dad, 'what if someone is trying to break in my bedroom window, which is right by my bed, my gun is in my nightstand loaded!ready to shoot! he said, if they get in 1/2 way start shooting! my gun is loaded because I believe that put in that situation, I won't have time to be loading it!!! as for my son, and the gun, he knows where it is and it is loaded, but he has been taught at an early age all about guns, he hunts! he has never tried to do anything with it! and he won't unless he actually needs it! I'll say prayers for you that this is nothing but do what you got to do! whatever it is!!!
Monique
 

carwashcats

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Originally Posted by Shorty14788

I don't live in the ghetto, but I wouldn't call it a great part of town... The neighbor on the corner is a drunk and his girl is a crackhead. (ONe day I heard her scream "you smoked my rock") My other neighbor was carjacked 2 blocks down the road. And just 2 days ago a dead body was found in a ditch 3 blocks away. In a trailer park about 1.5 miles down the road,is where 108 sexual predators live. Like I said... Its not a fantastic neighborhood.

So even if this whole thing really isn't a big deal.... It's still good to know ways that I can protect myself in case something else ever were to happen. I don't think my 5'3, 115 pound self is enough to scare someone away if they did want to do me harm.
GIRL...108 sex predators, dead body? That spells Gun or Move in my book! I am not a fan of a gun believe me but you have to live in reality!
 

carolpetunia

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

Natalie, things are different in the US and most folks feel much differently than we do about guns.
Yes... things are very different here in the US. Violent crime has drastically increased over the past several years -- so much so that, here in Dallas, our local television news is little more than a rapidfire recitation of the shootings, stabbings, rapes, home invasions, bank robberies, carjackings, kidnappings, and murder-suicides of the day.

So we have reason to be a little more nervous about these things than might seem appropriate in other civilized countries.

However, I agree with you, Natalie, that arming oneself is almost never the solution. Most Americans are 'way too fond of guns, in my opinion. Simple barroom brawls and ordinary family arguments so easily turn into murder when guns are present -- and in Texas, particularly, guns are present much too often.

But on the other hand: I sort of understand (but do not support) the desire to have a gun in the house -- heaven knows every thug on the street has one, and half the junior high kids, too. People feel helpless. They hope they might actually be able to defend themselves with a gun, and that makes it seem attractive... but in the great majority of cases, it doesn't work out that way at all.

Still, most people just don't know what else to do. There's no chance of getting the guns away from the crooks, because our so-called gun-control laws are worthless shams. And our so-called background checks and waiting periods are meaningless, as well. Even if they were all enforced perfectly, it would not be enough -- but in fact, they are enforced sloppily, if at all.

This nation actually allows the sale of guns that are specifically designed to conceal fingerprints and ammunition that's specifically designed to penetrate body armor! Where is the excuse for that? The police don't prosecute duck hunters, and deer don't wear bullet-proof vests.

But our politicians quietly accept the NRA's hush money, and then speechify oh-so-convincingly about their deep commitment to gun control.

Gun enthusiasts, flame me if you must. I'll stand by what I've said.
 

amberthe bobcat

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I would call the police and explain them what has happened and ask them for extra patrol to your area. I work for a police department and we get calls like this all the time, people asking for "special attention". That's what the polce are there for, so don't feel as if you are bothering them with this type of call. If anything else, it will help you feel better. You may also want to install a motion sensor light and put a spot light on it. That way, if someone does enter into your yard, the light will come on.
 

margecat

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I can't believe an open gate has turned into a thread filled with mass hysteria and talk about 12 guage shot guns.

I really think that the OP has herself worked up into such a state for no valid reason. An open gate is nothing to go off of the deep end about. Certainly not a reason to go out and arm yourself with a shotgun!
Well, SHE obviously has reason to believe there's a potential problem, and I think she should go with her instincts.

One has a right to own a gun for self-defense. And all those who think guns are "evil", have never been in a situation where it could've been useful...betcha they wish they had one then. Many lives have been saved by judicious use of firearms for self-defense. Try doing that with a fly-swatter.

How many of those who think guns are bad in any usage, would be willing to post a sign outside their house saying, "NOTICE TO CRIMINALS: this house has no guns. THANK YOU."?

I was not promoting "self-hysteria"; please go back, and re-read my post.
 

margecat

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Originally Posted by Shorty14788

I don't live in the ghetto, but I wouldn't call it a great part of town... The neighbor on the corner is a drunk and his girl is a crackhead. (ONe day I heard her scream "you smoked my rock") My other neighbor was carjacked 2 blocks down the road. And just 2 days ago a dead body was found in a ditch 3 blocks away. In a trailer park about 1.5 miles down the road,is where 108 sexual predators live. Like I said... Its not a fantastic neighborhood.

So even if this whole thing really isn't a big deal.... It's still good to know ways that I can protect myself in case something else ever were to happen. I don't think my 5'3, 115 pound self is enough to scare someone away if they did want to do me harm.
I agree. Even if her fears turn out to be unfounded, the ideas presented here are good everyday home protection procedures, even in the "nice" neighborhoods. I live in a "nice" neighborhood; we've had people come in from other neighborhoods, and commit robberies. For all of those who think I'm some sort of wild, gun-totin' maniac (I'm not, and have a healthy respect for firearms), let me tell you what happened in my "nice" neighborhood 2 years ago in October....

Hubby comes home from work at wildly varying times; often as late as 11 PM. I get home at 5 PM. I think the (from now on referred to as the ) creep thought I lived alone, because of this. (I think he had cased the area beforehand). That day, I got home a little after 5. I went in the house; realized I forgot the mail, so I went to the box. This means he probably saw me twice. I was at the kitchen table, reading mail; heard the doorbell. I didn't answer, as I wasn't expexting anyone. Then he knocked on the inside door; then used the doorknocker. I still didn't get up. Then he pounded on the door; I got up, saw him turn the INSIDE door's handle (we have a screen door on the outisde); I had it locked. When THAT didn't work, he proceeded to try to throw his weight against the inner door. The next part sounds soooo stupid of me:
I got up to answer the door, thinking it was DH. Sometimes, he'd forget to call before coming home; and USED to (not now :-)) get mad because I had the door locked, and his hands were full (though he never tried to break the door down LOL). I opened the door, to find not DH, but a guy who claimed he was from the phone company, coming out to talk to me. I shouted at him, "Get off my property!! NOW!!", and slammed the door, and locked it. I called the police, and he was NOT legit; he had been canvassing the neighborhood all day (mostly housewives here), getting personal info from them. I called a few ladies; they actually thought he was legit! Even when he asked them when their hubbies would be home...

The cop had told him he'd be arrested, if found in the area again. Guess what? Two days later, one the ladies I called had to call the police...

Tell me I don't need a gun for self-defense? This creep was not here to swap recipes with me! Not to be melodramatic, but, if I had not locked the door, I may not be here now...
 

sharky

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You have gotten some great advice...yes do call the non emergency number



I would ask a stupid question ... can you install a physical lock on the gate?? I have what here is called an RV gate... and every so often it wont close since the "barrell" is not all the way in the tube( undergrd) ....

two easy things I have heard about in the last yr ...

have a cell phone with you , keep the charger in a "safe room" .. that is a room with no windows and a lock .. that way if someone enters you house you can safely call police ... I would keep a gun here

the other is for all with keyless entry on there cars ... the remote will likely work anywhere in your house and it has a panic button( i use this and tried it everywhere in my house
) ...
 
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