You never really think it will happen to you, and most of the time it doesn’t. But when your kids walk in and discover the “bad accident” that happened at your house, that sick violated feeling that a break in is all too real. Home robberies and break ins are on the rise and happening all around us. Protect your home and your family with what we’ve learned.
We thought our home was secure. Every time we leave, we lock up every window, every door and make sure we the garage door is completely closed. However when someone wants to get in, they will find a way…
I’m not even sure what time of the day it happened. It was one of those busy days where we had numerous things to tend to that kept us away from the house. When the kids walked in with my husband, they discovered the mess. Someone had broken into our home through the back sliding door and was in our home. With quick thinking, my husband send the kids to a neighbor’s house so he could investigate.
He immediately called the police and checked to make sure our dog was okay and that no one was still in the house. Once it was clear, he discovered they hit two places – the tablet charging station and our master bedroom.
What did they take?
- Hand held electronics AND charging cords
- Jewelry
- Wallets and cash
In the photo above, you can see they quickly rummaged through any box that was left in our master bedroom. They took my jewelry armoire apart, dumping every drawer into whatever backpack or bag them came in with.
In talking with the Anaheim PD, they told my husband this is a pretty regular occurrence when it comes to burglary. In a quick “smash and grab” job, they quickly gain access, grab tablets with cords (easily re-sellable), and jewelry. Typically they hit the master bedroom because that is where you store all valuables! They also shared that alarms are helpful – ones with a loud siren/noise is best because it calls attention to the home. Burglars tend to leave quickly when an alarm sounds.
Once the police were gone, it was time to assess and call our insurance company. Luckily we have a friend who works in construction and did most of our upgrades on our home. He was at our house instantly to help us clean and board up the shattered sliding glass door. Here are some tips we learned from the process:
- Make sure your Homeowners Insurance policy is up to date
- Take photos of your valuables and keep them in a safe place
- Record serial numbers of electronics
- Receipts and appraisals should be filed (you may need them)
- Have an alarm system on your home that alerts authorities and is REALLY loud (motion detectors/class shattering sensors)
- Keep your heirloom and most valuable items stored in a place OTHER THAN your master bedroom
- Do not keep iPads/iPods/tablets/hand held gaming devices charging in the same location
- Children’s rooms are rarely ever entered in a break in – great place to store their devices
I’m super thankful for my husband. While he was dealing with the police, I was at doctors appointments with my 91 year old grandmother as she was having issues with her blood pressure. Thankfully he handled EVERYTHING and especially was amazing with our kiddos. Once the coast was clear and the police left, the kids came home to discover what was taken. They were very upset about their wallets being stolen (actually we realized that only one had been taken), and that their iPads and Amazon Fires were gone. However, they were quite pleased to know that they would be replaced once we figured out how much was covered by insurance.
They handled the break in with ease. Thankfully their rooms weren’t touched. I think that made it an easier adjustment for them. We also let their teachers know what happened in case they talked about it at school and shared the incident with their friends.
So sorry to hear this! 🙁 Great reminder about kid’s rooms. When my family’s house was broken into when I was a teen, they hit every room but my little brother’s.
Thanks so much Denise. The whole thing is so scary, especially when you have little ones who are trying to understand why their things are gone.