Saturday evening 7:10 p.m. Jim and I just had to drive down to the clubhouse to make sure everything was locked up. Before we left I decided to leave some lights on in our house just so when we got home I could think about how criminals might view our house and what they could see. I tried to think like a criminal. I tried to think about what a juvenile might think when he came upon my house with the lights I had left on and one car home, and then I started to think about what a person might think that was planning on doing a home invasion, whether or not their mindset might be different. Maybe they were invited by the number of lights on, what were they thinking? I always remarked that driving around our neighborhood you would see no lights on. When Jim and I first bought this house we were so excited about it that we used to drive out here, 26 miles from our other home, just to drive by the place. During those months we wondered why the front of the houses were always so dark. Once we moved in, we realized that everybody lives in the back part of the house. So, the front of the house could be completely dark and no one would know that you're home. Maybe that's our best defense, the fact that nobody knows whether or not we’re home? Now I believe in the Girl Scout motto "be prepared" so I am constantly thinking of potential scenarios against which to defend. Part of it is because I spent 23 years as a flight attendant and I always needed to discover the exit route. My thinking became focused in that direction and I've always believed there’s a solution or at least something you can do to prevent potential outcomes. So some things that make sense to me are: If you have speed dial on your phone make 911 one of the numbers, keep your phone handy and by your bed at night. If you hear strange sounds in the middle of the night use your car alarm to scare off possible intruders. Keep at least one light in a room at the front of your house on, even if you’re only in the back. Pay attention as you're driving into the subdivision to anybody that's driving behind you, did they follow you up your street and do you recognize the car? Become familiar with your neighbors and the cars they drive. Become familiar with teens that walk your street and say hello. Make your neighbors your friends, were all in this together. Be more aware of your surroundings.
Great advice. I think a big key, now that the weather is starting to improve, is for all of to "get out" of our homes and starting meeting neighbors and walking the streets. The more visible we are the less likely the "criminals" and kids are to be up to no good. The reason they are friends is because they walk up and down the streets and meet each other. Let's do the same and take back what we value. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteWayne