Home Invasion Robberies

Home invasion robberies are RARELY random. A home invasion involves overwhelming force, fear, and planning. To forcibly enter a known occupied home is very dangerous act, not knowing the occupants defense skill level, weaponry and general home defense measures.

A big step in evading and surviving a home invasion robbery is situational awareness and threat assessment. Knowing or having an idea who is on your doorstep can be a deciding factor in whether you are a victim or not. Are you expecting anyone? The days of unexpected friends or family, I think, are mostly long. We seem to be able to text or call from any location to request or announce a visit. Through delivery tracking we can also find out when our package is going to be delivered almost to the hour or even sooner.

The first step you should take in evading or avoiding a home invasion robbery is not revealing that you have anything enticing in your home. Home invasion robbers are generally looking for three things: cash, guns and drugs. This is another reason why home invasion robberies are not random. The criminal has developed intelligence on you.

Many people have guns in their home and some have large sums of cash. I am not going to address the issue of drugs. You are not the client I am looking to help.

How does a would-be invader develop this intelligence? Most probably word of mouth. The home invader might even have received this information from a resident of the home or a family member of the intended target. Why people keep large quantities of cash of gold in their homes is not my business. My mission is not to give advice on that but to teach skills to keep you safe in your home. So how does the perpetrator get this information? One way is when a family member or resident inadvertently gives out the information. But my kid is not a dirt bag! My son does not have criminal friends.

Likely scenario: Your son thinks that grandma is so stupid because she doesn't trust banks and keeps all of her money hidden under the bed. Your son is having a discussion with a friend and reveals this innocently. Your son's friend, who is also not a criminal, inadvertently sends it down the criminal information highway via his not so innocent brother or cousin. By the time the story gets to his two-time felon cousin twice removed, the story is that Ms. Elma who lives on 88th Street keeps $15,000 dollars under bed. Now the plan is under way and the event will occur within a week.

This inadvertent leak of information can be harmless. First step is to not reveal this information to anyone who is not on the need-to-know list. Which is probably everyone but your spouse. If your children are aware of your loot, teach them to not tell anyone including friends. They may not understand the reason or even think "that's not going to happen." It may take some convincing or even a real example, but it is important to let them know. Better yet, don't tell them in the first place until they are old enough to understand.

I teach the Urban Navigator Course. It is a street survival course to keep you safe in your home, your work, and your outdoor environment. I teach situational awareness, threat assessment, and surviving dangerous situations like this. I am a former Seattle Police Officer with over 31 years' experience in law enforcement. For more information contact me at Urban Navigator Course.

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