No Place Is Safe These Days

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone. I live in a condo complex that has four buildings which are all security buildings. I've lived here for a long time and I always felt safe until now. When I got home last Friday there were flyers posted on all three doors to my building. One of them said that a unit in my building had been burglarized on Wed. May 22nd sometime from 1pm-9pm. The other flyer said that at least 3 units had been burglarized in my building and another building on Thurs. May 23rd sometime from 11am-4pm. Tonight when I got home I saw another flyer with a picture of a car on it. It said that this car was stolen probably on Mon. May 27th during the night and they think that someone is targeting this complex.

On Thursday morning May 23rd, a woman that I did some pet sitting for came by so that I could give her back her keys. I went downstairs to let her in around 10:30am. I did notice that there were several men hanging around outside like they were waiting for someone. Someone also wrote a note on the back of one of the flyers that said that there were several workmen in our building on Wed. & Thurs. and that they left the doors open to our building so anyone would be able to get in. I left for work on Thurs. May 23rd around 11:15am and I didn't notice anything suspicious. The flyers also said that it looked like the burglars used a crowbar to open up the doors so they said to make sure that you make sure that your front doors are bolted and that all windows are closed when you leave. I always do this any way.

On Saturday I decided to walk around to see if I could find the units that had gotten broken into. I live on the second floor and one of the units was just down the hall from me. That's too close for comfort. It looked like the other 2 were on the first floor. I sure hope that they catch whoever is doing this soon. We already have a security patrol truck that drives around our parking lots at night. We're also supposed to have some security cameras in the parking lot areas but I've never seen them. My biggest fear would be if someone broke into my condo and then let my cats out. Losing any of them would be much more devastating to me than losing any of my material things. Thanks for reading this and please send some positive vibes my way.

[phesina]

We're sending around loads of positive energy, KAK.

[chocolatepuppy]

That's so true, no place is safe. I hope they catch the ones targeting your complex and quickly. Like you, they can take all I have if they want,
just leave my furkids alone.

[Karen]

Sending positive vibes your way, and a prayer that the culprit(s) get caught.

[Taz_Zoee]

Oh my gosh, that is scary! I really hope they can do something about this. Either find the people that did it, or do something to prevent it further.

[Scooter's Mom]

I hope they find the culprits. I have had my home burglarized and it leaves such an unsettling feeling.
I do hope they find the people responsible!

[Asiel]

Terrible when you live in a state of "what next"--- sending you all the good luck that the condo will get back to normalcy quickly. Praying that your cats will remain safe--

[captain]

KAK - I always remember the Seinfield episode when Jerry wouldn't let a man in, as he didn't recognise him - and he lived on the same floor as him!

I think that if you live in a building with security, no matter how inconvient it is, if you need work done, YOU as the owner/landlord should be there to let the people in, and not wedge doors open etc.

I hope your condo units return to safety soon.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone. When I got home tonight and went to mailbox, I saw the flyer about the car that had been stolen with some new info at the bottom of it. The car is a 1992 Honda Prelude and it must be this person's second car. The person found the car in another nearby city and it was reported to have been parked there since Thurs. May 23rd in the evening. Maybe this was the get away car that the burglars used. This morning when I was walking to my car to go to work, I saw a truck with at least one workman going into my building. I didn't notice any doors propped open. The truck said something about Kitchen/Bathroom Remodeling on it so someone must be having work done in their condo. I sure hope that things can get back to normal and that something can be done to help protect our building and units much better.

[moosmom]

I'd be very suspicious of the workers. Please be safe, KAK.

[Freedom]

Do you have dead bolts on your doors? If not, consider adding them. It is quite easy to get in to a door knob lock, using a credit card - I've done it when I've locked myself out, in the apartments I've lived in. Fast, quick, easy, and no one even realizes you are not using a key to open the door.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Do you have dead bolts on your doors? If not, consider adding them. It is quite easy to get in to a door knob lock, using a credit card - I've done it when I've locked myself out, in the apartments I've lived in. Fast, quick, easy, and no one even realizes you are not using a key to open the door.

Yes we do and I always make sure to lock my door using a dead bolt. This is one of the things that they were reminding people to do as well as to keep your windows closed when you're gone. I even have a wooden board that I place in the space next to my sliding glass door when I close and lock it. My parents also do this. This makes it very hard for someone to break into your home through the sliding glass door.

[phesina]

Best wishes, Tracey. I sure hope they catch whoever did these things. As long as they're still out there, this could happen again.

Those are good ideas for increasing your security, the dead bolt for the door and the wooden board by the sliding glass door.

Is there a condo association that hired these workers, or was it an individual owner? Could the association put pressure on the owner to be there to let the workers in, not just allow them to prop the door open?

Sending along all our good wishes and positive energies that you and your kitties stay safe, KAK.

[momcat]

KAK, I can't begin to tell you how very sorry I am to hear that your safety and security has been compromised. When we got home from church on Palm Sunday, Mike found that a rock had been thrown through a window of our back door. There is a deadbolt there but it can only be opened from the inside with a key that we remove when the back door is not being used. There is no latch there to unlock the door by reaching inside so whoever did this couldn't get in. Maybe a similar lock might work for you too.

[popcornbird]

Yep...we live in a relatively upscale neighborhood, and lately, there have a few homes burglarized around us. We installed a video surveillance system, hoping knowing they are being watched will keep the thrives away. Thefts have been increasing. Don't know what jerks think they gain by invading the privacy of others and stealing.