Home Invasion

Home Invasion

By: Richard Campi

I’ve lived and learned like many people, but obviously I’ve much more to ingest in life. I’m a retired public school teacher of very many years and teaching (also learning) has been a life’s mindset. I’ve advised untold numbers of people about security issues among a plethora of issues for people in all situations. Well…Friday, September 26, in the middle of the day, my wife heard the back door chime and came down from our second floor library/office. A man (40 something) asked her when our tenant would be home. Susan responded that she was not sure, about 5-6 pm. About a half hour later, I came home from the dentist and Susan left on her bike out the back gate. I went into the house through the back door to get out of my better public duds. Shortly I was to get into old work clothes and go to do outside work. For a few minutes, I was relaxing on the bed, watching a few minutes of the noon news on the TV. I heard about four footsteps, and at our front hallway bedroom door was a man headed to the front door, which was locked.

I shouted at him as to why he was in the house and what he was doing. He spun around and was running out the way he had come saying, “She said so.” I, running after him, shouted, “NO, she didn’t!” The man ran out the back door and I followed him. He had the advantages of about forty to fifty feet ahead of me, almost half my age, and had clothes on. I found this to be all too much with only the bare essentials to deal with. He ran faster when I shouted that I knew who he was. I saw that the man was carrying a white cloth bag and adjusting something to within it. Upon surveying the house scene, I came to realize that he had both of our wallets, our digital camera, its equipment, and our vehicle’s key with remote. These had been located on or near our dining room table. I quickly dialed 911, put on clothes, and an officer was at my house in about four minutes.

I’ve generally considered myself cautious about security, but of course, now I am more paranoid about always locking every door both coming and going. My wife, Susan, had a good look at the man who had come to the house earlier. I suspect that he was casing the place first and saw that she left on her bike. The next-door neighbor had her bike stolen from the back of her house the night before.

I’ve learned that this robber was so efficient that he probably is on record for us to identify with “mug shots.” The IMPD officer indicated that a detective would call us to come to the station to do this. But during a neighborhood association meeting the following week, a police officer indicated that it might be weeks before this happens because of lack of manpower in the department. At this time, there is no way to get efficient results from our police dept. system for loss of property. I cannot hurry the extremely slow process of our police work in which “everything is backed up severely.” The advice is to make sure you call about credit cards, check with your insurance, change the locking system of your vehicle and lock your self in your home at all times. (I feel like a prisoner.)

Since I’ve related this story to several immediate neighbors, locks and actions have been added to others’ houses. Some have it in their heads that this is less likely to happen where they live or that we shouldn’t have to live with the fear of invasion. Just be on guard and accept my word to the wise.

If I had had a weapon within reach during this invasion, I wouldn’t have had the chance to use it effectively. I do believe that if I had such a weapon, I may have shot to kill him in my moment of rage. However in this instance, I saw his face for only a split second, and in several seconds I acted.

I was assured as everyone was at the Neighborhood Meeting, that if I had shot and killed the intruder in my house, on my property, or blocks from here (having the items that were stolen on him), it would be absolutely legal and justified. I’m totally against killing most anything for any reason, but at the moment of seeing someone invade my house, I wished for the extreme. Things could have been much worse for both of us if weapons were involved. I know that the odds are great in that this was like winning the great lottery in reverse.

I don’t need to have any more to be sorry for! But what a real shame to be afraid to leave your door unlocked for minutes. I’ve largely written this for everyone else’s benefit and protection. One always thinks that it won’t happen to ME!