Based on some of the posts here we must be averaging about 3 a week. This thread reminds me of that very long thread about guns, owning, carrying, etc.

You serious Bogie? Cause I believe anything you say.............

No. Just wondering why so many feel unsafe. I understand locking the doors, I do always have, but fortifying your bedroom...............

I have heard some of the builders of custom homes in The Villages have started to offer "Panic Rooms" as an option. There is also the option of adding a whole-house Halon 1301 fire suppressent system.

Maybe if The Villages Safety Department and the Marion/Lake/and Sumter County Sheriff's Offices were 'allowed' to provide their daily incident records each day for publication in the Daily Sun (or TOTV), we would be better informed and thus could make a more enlightened decision regarding home security issues.

There are lots of systems out there that work well in protecting you. Honeywell makes a very nice system that is easily installed by most technicians. It is expandable as you wish, with modules for every desire. The actual alarm system itself is not expensive.

ADT is not inexpensive. I had ADT for a while in The Villages and I was not happy with their service. The is no company that is local to The Villages. Your central station company can be anywhere in the world. If you are happy with the one you have now, you can keep using them. It's not necessary that they be "right around the corner from you."

Lots of people feel secure without alarm systems in their homes. There are those of us who are more comfortable with that added level of security in the event the unlikely occurs. Just like seat belt security and health insurance.

How hard is it to put a solid wood door on your bedroom and maybe a dead bolt. If it doesn't stop the intruder completely it will at least slow them down and give you time to call 911 and/or grab your weapon of choice.

IMO an alarm system gives a false sense of security. It will take time for the police or whoever to respond.

Anything can happen anywhere but I think The Villages is very, very safe.

Does anyone know of any intruders in a house when the owners were home?

I guess that I am in agreement about the relative danger. I am a pragmatic person. I don't take stupid risks. But I also don't live my life in fear - except for snakes and red hat ladies.

About 4 years ago, there was a rash of burglaries in The Villages. At the time, most of them were reported in the Villages Daily Sun. According to those reports, many of the intrusions were while people were at home. Some reported people awaking in the dead of night with intruders in their bedrooms. Some were in broad daylight. If my memory serves me correctly at least one home owner was injured in a scuffle with the intruders. To the best of my recollection, there were about 15 or 20 burglaries in that series. Two of the burglaries were about three blocks from my house.

One or two individuals were arrested and charged with some of the crimes.

About 5 years ago, there was a home intrusion not far from Lopez Country Club. Two young men held a man and his wife at gunpoint while they ransacked the house. Before leaving, they murdered the woman and seriously wounded the husband. I have a more than casual knowledge because I was called for jury duty. I was not selected. Both of the defendants were found guilty and only one, I believe, received a death sentence. The couples daughter investigated, but was never charged.

In this case, the "panic" or "ambush" alarm could have been helpful.

JLK

I'm probably "careless," but I refuse to be scared/worried/upset or whatever about safety here in TV.

Back home (St. Louis), I wouldn't think of leaving any door or window unlocked, ever. I did seriously consider ADT or a similar installation, but abandoned that when my neighbor's system set off very high-decibel warnings six times in one day - all because big trucks were passing our houses, thereby shaking his alarm's sensor(s)!

Yes, I keep my front door here locked at all times. And, the garage door down, except maybe for the few minutes it takes me to go to the Postal Station and back. But, my gut tells me The Villages is, overall, safe.

Avoid paranoia! It'll disrupt your lifestyle something fierce! :D

SWR
:beer3:

Having been around the police, fire and news business all my life, I am hesitant to label a safety conscious individual as being "paranoid."

The case where the woman was murdered and husband wounded during the home invasion was drug related. The daughter (20's) was living at home and had a drug dealing boyfriend. It was thought that the girl had drugs at the house and this terrible thing happened.

It was not a random thing at all.

Best bet - make sure your doors are locked, don't let strangers in the house, if you have a service technician in for work - watch them all the time - do not let them use your main bathroom or they might look for drugs.

As far as having a pistol in the house, remember in Nov. 2009 in Glenbrook where a wife "just had enough of her husband's attitude" and shot him 3 times in the stomach while he was taking a shower. Both the husband and wife were former police officers and both had pistols at home. If a pistol is in the house, chances are that the person hurt or killed will be a family member.

Whether it was random or planned, it was a home invasion and it was in The Villages. My memory is that there was no boyfriend involved in this, rather an acquaintance. The girl was never charged with anything.

I believe that the other 15 or so unrelated burglaries were "drug related" as well. I also think that a high percentage of home invasions all around the country are "drug related," in that the loot is sold to buy drugs. In 2009 there were over 2 million burglaries in this country.







JLK