I am a victim of a completed burglary in which a criminal broke through a locked window on the ground floor to break into my house stole our families valuables and ruined sense of security we had in our own home. To my knowledge the criminal was never caught and even if he was the damage my family suffered is still present.
How does Webster's define a burglary?
The act of illegally entering a building in order to steal things.
A simple screwdriver and a stacked up lawn chair which was used as a ladder.
How did the burglar break in?Through a back window which is seen by several of my backyard neighbors. He broke several of my window screens causing additional damage.
What time was I burglarized?
In the late afternoon a few minutes before I arrived home from work. My wife knows because it happened in a span of 15 minutes from when my wife left the house to go by bread.
What type of victim am I?
An easy way to say it is that I am motivated one who will do everything I can to stop it from happening again.
What is my background?
I am an average working class guy who works a 9-5. We lived in our house for several years and lived in the suburban area for decades.
What type of area did this happen in?
It is a middle class area that we thought was very safe not to mention a police station less than a block away where cops patrol the area throughout the day. You realize that crime can happen anywhere and you cannot be naive about it happening to you. Once we got burglarized and our valuables are stolen we no longer viewed the area as safe but we fought back to protect ourselves and our home.
What type of damage did we suffer?
To save money we used a high insurance deductible, so we were impacted by the monetary loss. Mostly jewelry was stolen. The police officers told us mostly burglars want small things they can sell that do not have serial numbers. The criminal that broke into our house stole my wife's jewelry and watches. The crime scene clean up was difficult to clean
How do you feel after being burglarized?
Upset, confused, victimized, angry, and you wonder why this happened to you. You can get over a monetary loss but the emotional baggage of being burglarized will never leave you. You can move to a new house and a new area but the mental baggage will always be with use. If you stay in the house you still always have the thought that someone broke in again. A small noise in the basement and you are ready to run down into the basement with a steak knife. It is an emotional invasion and your belief that you are safe in your own home is gone forever.
What is my goal?
My goal is to share the tips I learned to help other people do not have to be the victim that my family and I have become.
