[airbornerangerboogie]

I've just moved to a nice quiet, upper middle-class home in South Arlington Texas. I came home from a business trip to find a CSI van and 4 police cruisers 2 houses down from me. It was a home invasion, as far as I can tell they were invaded by persons unknown at around 3:00 am. Don't believe that anyone was physically hurt, but the next day they had an alarm system installed and the yard has been lit-up at night. I do hope they've also taken the additional step of arming themselves, a lot can happen in the few minutes it takes the LEO's to get there. Anyway, my family is now asking me to take them to the range to learn to shoot. Pity, it takes something like this to motivate someone. When you see it on TV it's tends to be somehow unreal, but when it's your neighbor, well that's reality slapping you in the face.

 

[gottabkiddin]

my family is now asking me to take them to the range to learn to shoot. Pity, it takes something like this to motivate someone. When you see it on TV it's tends to be somehow unreal, but when it's your neighbor, well that's reality slapping you in the face.

Wow, that's gotta be a pretty shocking thing to find out as you're moving into your new home. Glad to hear no one was hurt in the ordeal.

+1 on the range time with the family. Stay safe.

 

[ccw9mm]

Pity, it takes something like this to motivate someone.

It takes the wolf for the caribou herd to grow stronger. It has always been that way. Always will be.

If this family learns from the mistakes, it'll have been baptism by fire, forged by the experience. They'll never forget it.

Hardened home; greater awareness; randomized entry/exit times and patterns; a group plan where everyone's on-board, trained, effective. It just might make the difference. One can only hope.

 

[Bark'n]

Very well put, ccw9mm...

Sometimes it is nearly impossible to change people from looking at danger and violence in the abstract until it hits close to home or happens to them. For some, until they have been touched by it personally, they have no frame of reference in their life to compare it with.

We certainly hope that no one is injured or permanently scarred to bring them to the realization that no one is immune from violence and it can happen anywhere, anytime. Even where you feel the most safe and secure... In your home. But sadly, for so many they never get the opportunity to come around because their first brush with violence ends in their own death. And that is nothing more than a tragedy and a waste of life.

Most rational people really do know that, yet they just can't seem to break that invisible bond of "It won't happen to me" attitude which has a strangle hold on them.

I'm glad that so far, it seems your neighbors came away without serious injury. They could have easily ended up in the funeral home.

I'm glad your family is coming around as well, with no more than a wake up call which happened to someone else, but close enough to have a real effect.

I hope they will follow through and not fall back into complacency!

Good luck and thanks for posting this story. It can be very illuminating for those who care to look.

Stay safe, and be prepared!

 

[RETSUPT99]

Could it have involved drugs? That doesn't make it right, but sets a purpose for the invasion, which describes many of these crimes.

Batton down the hatches...could be coming to a neighborhood near you...it's happening all over.

 

[Thumper]

May be a good time to go meet the neighbors. :yup:

 

[Bob O]

Unfortunately, often it takes something happening 'close to home' before one takes action.

Hopefully, one takes the necessary action before it happens 'at home' - and it's too late!

Bobo

 

[DM2]

May be a good time to go meet the neighbors. :yup:

I agree. With you being new to the neighborhood, it might be a good idea to make your own assessment on the type of people they are.

Also, you may want to check with the investigators and explain to them that you are new to the neighborhood and you were curious as to whether they think its random or targeted and whether this has happened to anyone else in the area recently.

 

[teccles]

Stay safe and be Careful!!!!!! keep up good SA...Have fun with the family...

 

[ajohn151]

I've just moved to a nice quiet, upper middle-class home in South Arlington Texas. I came home from a business trip to find a CSI van and 4 police cruisers 2 houses down from me. It was a home invasion, as far as I can tell they were invaded by persons unknown at around 3:00 am. Don't believe that anyone was physically hurt, but the next day they had an alarm system installed and the yard has been lit-up at night. I do hope they've also taken the additional step of arming themselves, a lot can happen in the few minutes it takes the LEO's to get there. Anyway, my family is now asking me to take them to the range to learn to shoot. Pity, it takes something like this to motivate someone. When you see it on TV it's tends to be somehow unreal, but when it's your neighbor, well that's reality slapping you in the face.

Im very glad no one was injured and your family is shocked into action.

It makes me think of the saying me dad used to say "Why do bank robbers rob banks? Because its where the money is". Seems intuitive but for the most part people forget that.

I live in a very affluent community (although I am far from affluent!!!!) and people are just stupefied when a crime occurs. My wife works in insurance and it blows my mind how high the crime rates are here. People I work with believe because they live in Johnson County that there is no crime. They seem to believe that because they and their neighbors live in a house farm that cost a bizillion dollars they are exempted from crime. Criminals don't rob poor people for the most part.

I feel that most suburban affluent communities become complacent. Believing that they are secure from crime because they don't live in a bad area. I would argue that they are easier targets because they concentrate their wealth and have a false sense of security.

Just my 2c

 

[itowbigtruck]

The turning point for my wife was our cars getting broken into in our driveway while I was out of town and she was alone. Luckily it was a non-violent act that made her see the light. All of a sudden she didn't mind me carrying everywhere and she now wants her own. We are working on that. She has shot mine at the range, so she doesn't have a problem, she just didn't see the sense of carrying everywhere or keeping it in the night stand.

 

[Reborn]

I've just moved to a nice quiet, upper middle-class home...QUOTE]


Is there really such a place anymore........doesn't appear to be so...:frown:

 

[edr9x23super]

Too bad Joe Horn could not have lived next door to them.....

 

[DM2]

Im very glad no one was injured and your family is shocked into action.

It makes me think of the saying me dad used to say "Why do bank robbers rob banks? Because its where the money is". Seems intuitive but for the most part people forget that.

I live in a very affluent community (although I am far from affluent!!!!) and people are just stupefied when a crime occurs. My wife works in insurance and it blows my mind how high the crime rates are here. People I work with believe because they live in Johnson County that there is no crime. They seem to believe that because they and their neighbors live in a house farm that cost a bizillion dollars they are exempted from crime. Criminals don't rob poor people for the most part.

I feel that most suburban affluent communities become complacent. Believing that they are secure from crime because they don't live in a bad area. I would argue that they are easier targets because they concentrate their wealth and have a false sense of security. Just my 2c

I agree and I see the complacency all the time where I live. As I travel through suburban areas, I see purses left in cars on the passenger seat wide open, cars left running outside of starbucks in the winter, garages left open all the time and convertible tops left down with expensive cell phones in the cup holders.

If I had a dollar for every time I hear someone say, "that doesn't happen here, this is a safe area" (which is about as common as "he's a good kid, he didn't do this"), I might have enough money to actually move to one of these "safe areas". But of course I'd also bring my two dogs, floodlights, and security system and all the knowledge I've learned and continue to learn here on DC.

 

[ajohn151]

I agree and I see the complacency all the time where I live. As I travel through suburban areas, I see purses left in cars on the passenger seat wide open, cars left running outside of starbucks in the winter, garages left open all the time and convertible tops left down with expensive cell phones in the cup holders.

If I had a dollar for every time I hear someone say, "that doesn't happen here, this is a safe area" (which is about as common as "he's a good kid, he didn't do this"), I might have enough money to actually move to one of these "safe areas". But of course I'd also bring my two dogs, floodlights, and security system and all the knowledge I've learned and continue to learn here on DC.

+1
:congrats:

:nono: