LG, if your point is that it's stupid to just open up any stranger's door, I agree. Who knows who's inside waiting to take you out!
Maybe I should elaborate some - even then I could be the stupid one. But if so, I'll get a good education out of it.
These are rather large homes. I'm quite familiar with the town and most of the sections shown on the shows.They are mostly three story raised ranch homes or 2 story colonial homes. At that hour, nobody is in the front room of the house. They don't usually watch TV in their living rooms. Most are downstairs in the finished basement, in the garage workroom or in an upstairs bedroom studying or maybe asleep. Nobody is really paying attention so it would be easy for somebody to gain entrance, and if the know the general layout of the homes (and they're mostly alike there) it's easy to find a place to hide until everybody goes to bed.
Then it doesn't matter whether the door is locked or not, they're in, and can prowl around at will.
Isn't that why locks are put on doors in the first place - to keep intruders out?
Your point about just walking up to a front door and opening it is well taken. In this respect the news crew used the door bell to summon someone to the door if they found it open.
Krysilis, I wouldn't presume to say that the homeowners weren't lax, possibly to the point of stupidity. I don't know. I have nothing but contempt for what the reporters did, though. The most charitable thing I can say about it is that it was a dumb stunt. Had they rang my doorbell, they'd have gotten a good tongue lashing, an order to leave my property immediately, a visit from the police within minutes, a telephone call to the station that night, and harsh letters to the station and to all local newspapers (only one, in my case) the next day. They might have gotten more than that, depending on specifics of the situation.
BTW, although I lock my doors, I also know that door locks provide very little protection against burglary. Windows are easy to enter.
One realtor that I was dealing with (when I was still shopping) keeps a caddy parked at the airport with it's keys in it. Just so anyone can use whenever they come into the area. His realestate office door has no lock, and when asked he told me, that if anyone wants to use his phone or computer to surf the WWW, they can.
Spending a little time inside the local American Legion Post, I have noticed that nobody carries their car keys. they keep their keys in their cars. that way you never forget where they are.
Come to think about it, our last home in Southern California was in Atwater. That house did not have a lock mounted on it's front door.
we sure have lived in a lot of 'high crime' areas in between these two examples though.
Granted, my house isn't very large, but when I'm home my doors are seldom locked. I suppose if I felt like I lived in a high crime neighborhood, I would be more conscientious, but given where I llive, I don't see the need. *shrug* Maybe I'm just really stupid!
I have to laugh, though, thinking about growing up in a very small town. We never locked our doors and when someone knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, we'd just yell, "Come In." Same thing with all our neighbors. I'd love to have seen the reporters' faces on that one!
Granted, my house isn't very large, but when I'm home my doors are seldom locked. I suppose if I felt like I lived in a high crime neighborhood, I would be more conscientious, but given where I llive, I don't see the need. *shrug* Maybe I'm just really stupid!
I have to laugh, though, thinking about growing up in a very small town. We never locked our doors and when someone knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, we'd just yell, "Come In." Same thing with all our neighbors. I'd love to have seen the reporters' faces on that one!
No Belle! You are anything but stupid!
I have to echo the small town feeling. I grew up in one. Aw heck, the largest town in my state is just over 200,000 people. Most small towns are less than 5,000 people. I went wow in '85 from a small town of 300 to south FL a county of 3 million. Yeppers, culture shock. For the longest time I was known as "Gary from Carey." Our apartment got robbed about a month before we returned to the roa. That was a challenge. The crook(s) even got our plane tickets! They broke the window to get in. The crook(s) must have had a copy of our schedule and knew exactly where what they grabbed was hidden because he/they only had a 15 minute time frame to work with to rob us. Anyway, we had a yard sale, and a reissue of our plane tickets, so we made it back to the roa. So much for a locked door!
But that reminds me of an incident that happened on my wow field. We had witnessed to a couple who lived a few blocks away from us. I don't remember their names. They were laying in bed late one morning when a burglar came. The burglar kicked open the front door and grabbed their little 13" b&w tv. As the burglar turned to leave, the man lept out of bed grabbing his .22 cal rifle, pointing it at the burglar, shouted,"Drop it!" The burglar refused to obey and left but not before three shots rang out. The man "Rifleman"ed three shots from the hip. 911 was called and the police responded. They found the burglar about a block and a half away bleeding from two wounds (one in the shoulder and one in the kidney) and the tv about 50 yards from him. The burglar was rushed to the hospital. The man and the police were scouring the vicinity for the third shot. After a couple of hours, the third shot was found. At the hospital in the kidney of the burglar. The burglar had two bullets one behind the other in the same kidney and one bullet in the shoulder. Amazing I thought. From the hip even. Even though the little tv was dropped and the casing cracked, it still worked!
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LG
If the residents were awake, with lights on in their houses, then the stupid people were the reporters who thought that would be a good test.
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krys
LG, if your point is that it's stupid to just open up any stranger's door, I agree. Who knows who's inside waiting to take you out!
Maybe I should elaborate some - even then I could be the stupid one. But if so, I'll get a good education out of it.
These are rather large homes. I'm quite familiar with the town and most of the sections shown on the shows.They are mostly three story raised ranch homes or 2 story colonial homes. At that hour, nobody is in the front room of the house. They don't usually watch TV in their living rooms. Most are downstairs in the finished basement, in the garage workroom or in an upstairs bedroom studying or maybe asleep. Nobody is really paying attention so it would be easy for somebody to gain entrance, and if the know the general layout of the homes (and they're mostly alike there) it's easy to find a place to hide until everybody goes to bed.
Then it doesn't matter whether the door is locked or not, they're in, and can prowl around at will.
Isn't that why locks are put on doors in the first place - to keep intruders out?
Your point about just walking up to a front door and opening it is well taken. In this respect the news crew used the door bell to summon someone to the door if they found it open.
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LG
Krysilis, I wouldn't presume to say that the homeowners weren't lax, possibly to the point of stupidity. I don't know. I have nothing but contempt for what the reporters did, though. The most charitable thing I can say about it is that it was a dumb stunt. Had they rang my doorbell, they'd have gotten a good tongue lashing, an order to leave my property immediately, a visit from the police within minutes, a telephone call to the station that night, and harsh letters to the station and to all local newspapers (only one, in my case) the next day. They might have gotten more than that, depending on specifics of the situation.
BTW, although I lock my doors, I also know that door locks provide very little protection against burglary. Windows are easy to enter.
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Galen
Hmm, we have just recently moved to a 'new' area.
One realtor that I was dealing with (when I was still shopping) keeps a caddy parked at the airport with it's keys in it. Just so anyone can use whenever they come into the area. His realestate office door has no lock, and when asked he told me, that if anyone wants to use his phone or computer to surf the WWW, they can.
Spending a little time inside the local American Legion Post, I have noticed that nobody carries their car keys. they keep their keys in their cars. that way you never forget where they are.
Come to think about it, our last home in Southern California was in Atwater. That house did not have a lock mounted on it's front door.
we sure have lived in a lot of 'high crime' areas in between these two examples though.
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Ron G.
Locks only keep honest people out.
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Oakspear
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Belle
Granted, my house isn't very large, but when I'm home my doors are seldom locked. I suppose if I felt like I lived in a high crime neighborhood, I would be more conscientious, but given where I llive, I don't see the need. *shrug* Maybe I'm just really stupid!
I have to laugh, though, thinking about growing up in a very small town. We never locked our doors and when someone knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, we'd just yell, "Come In." Same thing with all our neighbors. I'd love to have seen the reporters' faces on that one!
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Brother Speed
No Belle! You are anything but stupid!
I have to echo the small town feeling. I grew up in one. Aw heck, the largest town in my state is just over 200,000 people. Most small towns are less than 5,000 people. I went wow in '85 from a small town of 300 to south FL a county of 3 million. Yeppers, culture shock. For the longest time I was known as "Gary from Carey." Our apartment got robbed about a month before we returned to the roa. That was a challenge. The crook(s) even got our plane tickets! They broke the window to get in. The crook(s) must have had a copy of our schedule and knew exactly where what they grabbed was hidden because he/they only had a 15 minute time frame to work with to rob us. Anyway, we had a yard sale, and a reissue of our plane tickets, so we made it back to the roa. So much for a locked door!
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Pirate1974
Trying that here in NC is a good way to get yourself shot.
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Brother Speed
Excuse me Pirate? I'm confused.
Shot for locking our door? or Shot for not being at home when we're being robbed?
Or the burglar would have been shot if caught breaking into the home?
Oh and like we were allowed to have guns on the wow field?
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
small town here too
i remember my parents taking my sister and i on vacaTION EACH SUMMER for 2 weeks camping and the door was never locked
how else could the neighbors water the plants take in the mail and news papers?
i still don't lock my doors and i live in a 6 unit building
how eles could my neighbor water my plants when i am at camp?
oh yeah i know the answer
give them the key
but i lost it about 6 years ago!
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Brother Speed
But that reminds me of an incident that happened on my wow field. We had witnessed to a couple who lived a few blocks away from us. I don't remember their names. They were laying in bed late one morning when a burglar came. The burglar kicked open the front door and grabbed their little 13" b&w tv. As the burglar turned to leave, the man lept out of bed grabbing his .22 cal rifle, pointing it at the burglar, shouted,"Drop it!" The burglar refused to obey and left but not before three shots rang out. The man "Rifleman"ed three shots from the hip. 911 was called and the police responded. They found the burglar about a block and a half away bleeding from two wounds (one in the shoulder and one in the kidney) and the tv about 50 yards from him. The burglar was rushed to the hospital. The man and the police were scouring the vicinity for the third shot. After a couple of hours, the third shot was found. At the hospital in the kidney of the burglar. The burglar had two bullets one behind the other in the same kidney and one bullet in the shoulder. Amazing I thought. From the hip even. Even though the little tv was dropped and the casing cracked, it still worked!
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krys
I'm sorry - this was a blond old lady's boo boo.
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Pirate1974
No. Shot for walking up to somebody's front door and trying to open it without their knowing about it.
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