Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You

THIRTEEN THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it athttp://www.faketv.com/) 8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again... If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in. Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runshttp://www.crimedoctor.com/and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job Protection for you and your home: If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone’s evil plans for you. (I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.): WASP SPRAY A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection... Thought this was interesting and might be of use. FROM ANOTHER SOURCE On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life. Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed. Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them." Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray. "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out." Maybe even save a life. Put your car keys beside your bed at night Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime. P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem.

Save Your life

Subject: Save Your life

Please take the time to read this. I know you are smart
enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you
will go "hmm I must remember that".

After reading, forward it to someone you care about,
never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest
point on your body.
If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans:
if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.
Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more
interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he
will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE
MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car:
Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the
hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you
but everybody else will.. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,
eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or
making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The predator
will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for
him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,
and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR,
LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a
parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car,
at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your
car from the passenger door. Most serial killers
attack their victims by pulling them into their vans
while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your
vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone
in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back
into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk
you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
(And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs.(Stairwells are
horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control,
ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running
target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely
WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic:
STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy,
the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man,
who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting
women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked
"for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which
is when he abducted his next victim.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know.
It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another
candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys,
if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you
you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be
reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it

and it's better safe than sorry.

Clothes Dryer

The clothes dryer stopped drying. The repairman went to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint filter after every load of clothes. He told us that he wanted to show us something. He took the filter over to the sink, and ran hot water over it.

WELL...the hot water just sat on top of the screen! It did not go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a waxy film to build up over the screen, and this does not let the air pass through, so the heating unit overheats and burns out. You cannot SEE the film, but it's there. This is also what causes dryers to catch fire, and potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower because your clothes will dry faster) is to clean that filter after every load, and wash it with hot soapy water with an old toothbrush (or other brush) every three months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!