I came home and my front door was open

[Shadow 7D]

I live about 10 minutes away from the closest city, in a pretty developed area, real nice, quiet neighborhood. I pull up to the house and my wife says "Oh, s***" I can see that something is wrong, but the front door is a little hard to see because it's actually on the side of the house.

The door is wide open, I leave the car running with the kids and my wife in it. My wife is disabled and unable to drive the car. I pull out my phone and diaedl 911, walking up to the house with my thumb on the send button, I go to the door look in and see that I am clear to where I keep my HD gun, I go in and secure it, then check out the rest of the house, gun in one hand, cell in the other.

A few things,

My wife said that she was wondering what could she do if I got shot and I had the phone, she has a phone but never carries it because she forgets to charge it. Both the kids are babies.

I have a crawl space that is accessible from the house where that used for storage, it has one light switch and if the light is off the cover lets in a lot of light. No real good way to check it, and if I was caught robbing my house, I'd either bail through a window or hide down there.

It was raining out, so not really dark, but the start of dusk. I thought that my dog was loose, because she is usually loose in the house, she was on her line but didn't run out to great us.

I have a cat that knows how to open the door if it isn't fully latched, that's what we think happened, he's done it when it was freezing out, now that was a cold morning. I guess that I didn't pull the door all the way closed, it's a little hard because of the weather seals, live in Alaska.

I think now that I probably should have called my neighbor and borrowed his shotty and parked the family with him.

Any advice on how to handle this better

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

You live in Alaska? Any reason why you don't carry a gun on your person?

 

[sm]

Any advice on how to handle this better

-Stay away from the house.

Priority one, is keeping you safe, as you are the most physically fit, and able bodied to keep wife and kids safe.

-Go to a neighbor's house / business/somewhere near, where family is safe.

-Call Law Enforcement
Let them handle this, and give the all clear.

 

[psyopspec]

I think now that I probably should have called my neighbor and borrowed his shotty and parked the family with him.

Call 911 and back off. They're paid to clear houses of possible threats, whereas you are untrained, unarmed, and not paid to clear houses by trade. If you were armed, back off a safe distance (at least to the neighbor's) and watch the door armed until the police arrive, keeping contact with the 911 operator.

 

[Madjohn]

no reason to try to be a hero, thats how people get killed. call the police and move you and your family to a safe distance.

 

[conw]

Basically, in order of importance, 1) NEVER EVER clear your house, not worth it if the cops can do it, 2) carry a gun in case of unfortunate events, and 3) your wife needs to get real and carry a charged phone with her. Frankly it's more likely to save a life than a gun is, any day of the week.

 

[MedWheeler]

I think you already covered your possibly-questionable actions, such as leaving the disabled wife and infants helpless and without communication, and making your initial approach to the residence while unarmed.
If the closest city is only ten minutes away, my guess is that law enforcement of some capacity is as well. Actually hit the "send" button next time; if you wait until TSHTF to do it, you may be unable to verbally provide your location and situation.
Two things that can be easily remedied come to mind: have a weapon in the vehicle or on your person when away from the home, and have one cellphone per adult (both should be functioning.) My wife never charges hers, either, and I have become used to doing that myself. Step in and help her out with that. Get a charger for the car that fits that phone.
If your gut feeling tells you that everything is okay, and you decide to clear the house yourself, position your family somewhere safe. If you can do so without tying up a hand, place a call to your wife on your cellphone and keep the line open. This is easier with a BlueTooth or wired earpiece. Don't speak back and forth, and don't use the "speaker" feature. She should be briefed ahead of time that, if she hears you confront an intruder, to be ready to hang up and call law enforcement. She will need to know if the intruder is being compliant with your takedown procedure, if any, or if he has resisted or made an escape. She should also be prepared to describe you, your weapon, and the intruder if he comes into her view. If she is sitting nearby in a vehicle, she should relay that information as well, so that the vehicle is not mistaken by arriving LEOs for a waiting getaway car.

 

[Shadow 7D]

As far as no gun, I am a university student and the local college is um, while not really clear, they reply that the chancellors policy is no guns on campus....so, they will take administrative action if they find out you have a gun, even if rendered inop.

And I just finished reassembling it after refinishing it, anybody know the knack on putting the sear spring back in a CZ-82?

So my "truck" gun was holed up with it's sister.

I was in the army, my first thought was I hope I find that damn dog, I was focused on getting the gun and clearing the house, the cops take awhile to arrive, fire depart / ambulance is like 2 min, but the cops have to drive out.

It wasn't until I came out and was talking to my wife that I thought about going down to my buddies and getting help. Honestly, I thought if anything or anybody was in the house, hit send and either get to a gun or hightail out of there. I guess I'm pretty confident on being able to handle myself.

 

[conw]

BTW, I don't mean to sound nasty when I say your wife needs to "get real." But she does need to have a better idea of how helpful, useful, and vital a cell phone can be. If she did understand those things she wouldn't be going without one in the first place.

I guess I'm pretty confident on being able to handle myself.

This is as much for anyone reading's sake as yours, but confidence does not mean you can outrun a blast from an intruder hiding behind the couch with a shotgun. Think about it...someone WILL hear you coming into your own house, and may be willing and able to blow a large hole on you. That happens to the best trained soliders and police on the planet, and it could happen to you even easier. That's why people only do it when absolutely necessary...

 

[Shadow 7D]

As my wife says, I'd feel pretty stupid calling the cops on a neutered gray cat, can just hear the "real cat burglary" comments. That had a lot to do with not just calling the cops, that and waiting for them to show up.

I didn't see any unknown vehicles or people, honestly thought I'd come in and find the TV missing.

And I was once trained on how to clear a house, so, not going in never crossed my mind.

Yeah, now thinking about it, it would be alot wiser to wait for the cops. Part of this I guess it to see how bad I screwed up, that and maybe someone else can learn from this.

Just really hate to have cops around my guns, even the ones in pieces.

 

[TAB]

never go in, thats what they pay the police for, call them.

 

[The_Seventh_Sign]

Ok how about how to deal with the aftermath better

First fix the darn door! Little planing a little drilling and a dead bolt a little painting.

Second put the cat on a leash outside (It is a harnest that goes over the shoulders keeps them sung and secure.) or you could rig up a pull sting firework to scare the cat next time it opens the door POP.
Or rig cans to drop and make lots of noise cats hate that too.

Why is the dog outside? Well the dog was the dead giveaway if it is a protector breed that it was the cats fault.
A dog will act anxious if it feels there is a threat in the house or someone new it does not know most of the time.
If it s a protector breed.

Just a few thoughts.
TSS

 

[BHP FAN]

The only thing I'd have done different,given the scenario,is I'd of left the wife with the phone,or better yet left her and the kids with the neighbor. you said you had at least some training. Also,it's your darn house! I think you did ok.You got to your gun,cleared the house and survived. Good on ya,mate. Some body ought to pin a ''Rugged Individualist'' medal on your shirt.

 

[RX-178]

I don't know why 'never go into your house if you suspect a burglary' is such a knee-jerk reaction in the gun community, but I know that it stems from Law Enforcement advice.

I take it with a grain of salt, personally. As many of our fellow THR members will tell you on other threads regarding the police: Police are not your friends.

If you EVER call them, you'll probably have to make a statement. Which, if you go by the same THR members, you should never do without an attorney. 'Don't talk to the police' after all.

So in essence, these people telling you that you should have called the police immediately are telling you that because the door (which you KNOW malfunctions, and that you KNOW that the pets can open in those circumstances!) was open, you should call the police, at which time they will investigate your house (in which case you have also just given them permission to enter your residence, and anything they find can be used to make a case against YOU). Then you must call, and likely PAY an attorney to make your statement to the police.



I would second the advice on getting your door fixed so that you're confident it won't open on its own (or with animal assistance). I also would have left the phone with your wife, in case you were incapacitated. Otherwise, I would have done the same as you did.

 

[BHP FAN]

Bingo. Thanks for reminding me about the door. A $30.00 deadbolt would have eliminated the entire scenario.

 

[Kleanbore]

I don't know why 'never go into your house if you suspect a burglary' is such a knee-jerk reaction in the gun community, but I know that it stems from Law Enforcement advice.

You "know" incorrectly. It comes from experts who train police officers, security personnel, competitors in the practical shooting sports, and other civilians. The advice stems from the fact that data from force-on-force training and simulation show that one is very likely to get shot. Very, very likely.

I take it with a grain of salt, personally. As many of our fellow THR members will tell you on other threads regarding the police: Police are not your friends.

OK.

If you EVER call them, you'll probably have to make a statement. Which, if you go by the same THR members, you should never do without an attorney. 'Don't talk to the police' after all.

Do not EVER confuse legal advice to not make a statement to investigators without the benefit of counsel with advice to not call the police if you need them. Sounds like you've really missed the boat on that one.

Or was your post intended to be humorous?

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I cleared my house once years ago. I was burgled once, within 3-4 weeks they came back for more. Came home one afternoon and saw the front doorknob was missing, deatbolt was still there, with pry marks where they tried to get it open.

Put the .357 in hand and did a loop around the outside, then went in and checked the rooms. The first time they got in was through a window, so I really couldn't be 100% sure until I went through.

It took the police nearly 20-30 minute to get there. Ended up catching the too young to go to jail punks a few weeks later, when I happened to see some of my stuff in a pawnshop.

Knowing there are HD weapons in the house, I'm not so certain I would clear again. Be a bit too risky. I'd prob just pull the truck gun, call 911, and wait for 20 minutes.

Still haven't ever found that doorknob.

 

[Neverwinter]

You "know" incorrectly. It comes from experts who train police officers, security personnel, competitors in the practical shooting sports, and other civilians. The advice stems from the fact that data from force-on-force training and simulation show that one is very likely to get shot. Very, very likely.

There are also the legal consequences to consider.
A cop is more advantaged than you when it comes to defending their legal use of force.

 

[hankdatank1362]

Only reason I would clear my own house was if my family was in danger.

 

[DHJenkins]

Even though it's already been said, I would have called 911 upon seeing my front door hanging open.

Of course, my front door isn't prone to malfunctions, and the police down here are actually courteous and helpful.

As a side note, those 'police are your enemies' threads are really disturbing. It seems even when I was "on the other side of the law" I was still treated better than alot of people on here who are/were actual victims. It kinda makes me sad that living elsewhere in this country isn't as fun or trouble-free as living here.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

We would have no issue calling in the LEO's to clear the house. They are very good to us and will do it anyhow. The problem is that of armor that they will need to wear. The weapons inside the home that we keep are able to crater most armor and penetrate soft ones. I think once improved armor comes online from the military to LEO's in a few months to years, they will be better protected.

 

[ccsniper]

I agree with everyone else, DO NOT GO IN!!! my house has been broke into and I have come home with the door wide open once, the other time someone broke into the window. We called the police and let them search our house, in order to get them there quicker tell the operater you think the person is still inside. Thats what I do now because the first time we called it took the cops an hour and a half to get there, and I bet the people were still here when we got home.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

A very long time ago I called in about a possible prowler outside. The LEO responded appropriately with no sirens and filled my property.

It turned out to be a stray animal in the night.

The last time I called 911 for anything happened to be in Missouri, I got the famous "... Please stay on the line, until the next availible operator can take your call..."

Right then and there I hung up and decided that I will not live anywhere near a major center where they are unable to process 911 calls.

 

[conw]

I take it with a grain of salt, personally. As many of our fellow THR members will tell you on other threads regarding the police: Police are not your friends.

If you EVER call them, you'll probably have to make a statement. Which, if you go by the same THR members, you should never do without an attorney. 'Don't talk to the police' after all.

Trollish as this post is, for clarification - as someone who tends both the mentioned positions - I should mention that they are not actually in conflict at all. I've never heard anyone say "don't make a statement without a lawyer present, period," but rather the advice is to err on the side of caution if you feel you may incriminate yourself, or if you are being questioned on suspicion of a crime.

It amounts to a simple cost/benefit analysis. The cost or risk of incriminating yourself is nowhere near the benefit of not having to clear your house. Or, put differently, the risk and cost of potentially clearing your house are too great not to take advantage of having trained personnel do so when there is really no benefit to doing it yourself anyway in this case.

 

[psyopspec]

And I was once trained on how to clear a house, so, not going in never crossed my mind.

If you harken back to that training, you'll recall that Less No. 1 is not to do it alone and unequipped. I'm glad everything turned out alright, and it's certainly a consideration that your door was cat-friendly. I don't want to sound like a jerk - just saying that as a taxpayer you've got people when it comes to situations where someone could be waiting to ambush you in your own home.