B&E on Princess Anne Avenue
A reader writes:
I live on the 2000 block of Princess Anne Ave. Last night around 4:45AM (Feb 20th) we had a breakin. The man came in through my bedroom and I scared him off by yelling at him. He ran but I couldn’t see where he went.
We haven’t heard of anything else like this going on, but keep your eyes open.
I saw the cop cars on my way to work early this morning (I live a few doors down). I am really sorry this happened to you; you must have been very scared. Way to run them off though- that took guts! Did they break a window to get in? Again, so sorry for you and the violation of your space.
Kristin,
Thank you for your concern. He didnt break a window, he came in through my back door which is in my bedroom. He came in while i was sleeping. I must not have locked the door properly when i had taken my dog out before i went to sleep. He opened the door a crack and the noise woke me up. I was confused so I waited a minute and then he opened the door and came in. I yelled at him,and he ran. Then i locked the door and turned on the outside lights. I looked out to see where he went but didn’t see anything. I called ADT today and have had my alarm system activated. My roomate and I are fine and are just going to be extra careful. Thanks again for all your concern.
Do you have a physical description?
It was pretty hard to sleep last night knowing this occured. Christine, again, we are glad you are OK.
OTOH, does anyone know what the rules may be regarding the cost of the alarm when one is renting? I would think that after a break in, and considering the landlord was the person who installed the device, that he/she should be footing the bill.
Thoughts?
About a month ago someone broke into my house while my daughter and I were sleeping. I have an alarm and it went off when the person entered my house. Despite the alarm, the person stayed in my house and rummaged around the first floor leaving just before the police got to my house. The police arrived in 4 minutes. They caught him walking down the street with items he stole from me. He is in jail now.
It is pretty cool that there is an alarm already installed, this is something of an expense. I’d see the monthly service as akin to cable, as an option for the tenant.
As a landlord myself, I agree with John’s perspective and this is how I would approach it if one of my properties had an alarm system.
In my experience if you get the additional fire protection monitoring, the reduction in your homeowners is comparable to the alarm bill.
If you are in a rental property that does not have an alarm system installed, there are some options still.
http://www.specialtyalarms.com/site/1313932/page/470302
There are some relatively inexpensive perimeter alarm systems that are portable.
Kristin & Jaime:
Depending on the alarm system, you may be able to use the system without hooking it up to a paid service.
You can activate the alarm, but it will not notify the police or any security center. However, it may scare off any intruder (and alert you and your neighbors) if the alarm goes off.
Not the safest solution, but if your strapped for cash and can’t afford the monthly alarm system fee, it’s at least some protection.
That’s good to know, Laura, thanks!
Baseball bats by the bed are cheap too. ;)
re: bats — consider metal, not wood, as wood bats can break with one good strike, and a broken bat isn’t gonna do much good
Christine,
I am so sorry you went through that last night. I am just down from you on Princess Anne and I had a Break in about a year and a half ago while I was asleep. I know how frightening it is and how it really shakes your personal security for a while. I have found some comfort and security from beefing up my ADT alarm system. All accessible doors and windows are now armed and I am now prepared to protect my self and home. I have not had any more trouble.
The police were very helpful in that they walked around my home and gave me tips for securing my home. The best tips I think were having dead bolts and leaving the front and back door lights on and also they reminded me to always be sure and look around before I get out of my car when coming home alone.
It is a great neighborhood and community with wonderful people, but we do have to be aware and careful of the criminal element until we can eliminate it.
Stay safe
Karen
Jaime wrote “OTOH, does anyone know what the rules may be regarding the cost of the alarm when one is renting? I would think that after a break in, and considering the landlord was the person who installed the device, that he/she should be footing the bill.
Thoughts?”
I agree with John on this one, tenant pays the monthly cost (about thirty buck usually). However, I’m extremely lucky because right now my landlord is paying the monthly cost of the alarm. First time I’ve ever had that happen.
The Virginia Landlord Tenant Act says that the landlord is responsible for providing ‘reasonable and adequate security.’ In the past I’ve had that interpreted to mean at least lighting, and have gotten landlords to provide same. In the case of alarms – I tried to get one landlord to provide one but I moved out before he did so. Generally, the owner has to agree to the system. The company provides the system and installs it for free, but the owner has to agree to keep it for a certain amount of time – the last time I checked it was for something like three years. The tenant can then agree to pay the monthly fee, usually around thirty bucks. So Jaime, if you currently don’t have an alarm system and want one, I’d suggest you try to work with your landlord but first approach some of the companies (ADT, Brink’s are two) and find out what the cost is, the terms of the agreement, etc., and THEN talk to your landlord. If you think you’re in an area where you need one, check out the Landlord Tenant Act (google it, it’s online) then try to convince the landlord that you think they’re responsible for providing ‘reasonable and adequate security’ because it’s sort of a gray area.
To answer Mikes question…no I didnt see his face at all. It was so dark and he had just woken me up so my vision wasn’t great. Wish i did. I actually ran to all the windows to see if i could see him or see if he was getting into a car. But nothing. I think he ran through my neighbors yard or out the back gate. My neighbors gate was open and she never leaves it open. Sucks I really wish i could give a description.
RE #11: Did I hear someone say sharpened sticks are no good?