Caught someone looking in my window, is there anything else that can be done?

[Spider-Who?]

Your best course of action is to reduce someone's desire and ability to peek into your home. Get actual curtains for all your windows and your sliding door. This way, there are no blinds one might think they'll be able to peek through. If your landlord doesn't want you to remove the blinds, then place the curtains behind the blinds.

Double check that all of the locks on doors and windows work and that you use them. Depending on the age of your girlfriend's children, instruct them that the locks are not to be messed with.

Again, depending on the age of the kids, make sure they know how to call 911 and that they understand not to let anyone into the house, and if they see someone standing in the door or window, to come to you asap.

As far as protection goes, here's my suggestion starting with a first to last resort:

Bat - Weapons that you have to swing aren't actually the best thing for home protection - the act of swinging for an effective hit takes time and leaves you open for attack; they can be easily ripped from your hands and used against you. A bat might make you feel safer, but most people who are willing to break into your house aren't going to feel threatened by this.

Pepper Spray/Tazer - these come in all manner of models and severity. And are typically extremely effective.

Firearm - The sight and massive sound of a shotgun shell being chambered is horrifying, and will typically be enough to keep an attacker/intruder from progressing further. Under different circumstances, this would be #1, but since you live in an apartment building and are not comfortable with it, a firearm might not be your best bet if you are not familiar with the type of gun and ammunition to keep or the construction of the building - getting too powerful of a weapon could potentially send bullets into your neighbor's apartment. There ARE guns, ammo, and best practices to avoid such a scenario, but again, its probably best that you avoid this unless you're familiar and trained enough. But in any case, the actual USE of a firearm should always be a last resort.

 

[Teelie]

Guns can be taken away from you too, and used to kill you and your family which is usually what happens when someone tries that since most people aren't trained to use them, can't aim them and are afraid to fire them in the first place. If someone buys a gun they should invest the time in learning how to properly fire it.

But that's all lost if someone breaks in and you have to unlock it form a safe. A baseball bat is handy and quick to grab.

At least a bat won't be used to mass murder everyone. That plus as you mentioned, kids, the danger of shooting other people, the cost in money, time, training and safety makes it the least viable of the options.

A tazer or pepper spray are good options but they are limited to either single use or extremely up close encounters. Neither of which you want to be involved in.

Bats/crowbars/blunt objects in general are the best compromise. You don't have to reload it or have one use out of it. There's almost no chance of accidently hitting someone else with it and if someone does take it from you there's still some chance of fighting them off in the struggle over it.

 

[Ghostvirus]

Just get a good, & well trained guard dog. Like in Donovan. Dont get a gun, get a dog. The dog can't be used on you.

 

[Piper Maru]

I wanted this so bad to be a braincrusher thread.

That's creepy tho man, I hope that however you move forward, this isn't something that you have to deal with again.

I thought so at first as well, oh well. Though he's pretty active on other forums, the hypes really missing out on his antics lol.

But for the topic at hand, maybe it was the Slenderman?

 

[Victarion]

Let's go shoot people peeking into windows. Perfect solution for over compensating.

Flay him.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Get a Mossberg 500 and keep it close.

Probably the best way to go about it.

Though I like the dog idea too.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Guns can be taken away from you too, and used to kill you and your family which is usually what happens when someone tries that since most people aren't trained to use them, can't aim them and are afraid to fire them in the first place. If someone buys a gun they should invest the time in learning how to properly fire it.

But that's all lost if someone breaks in and you have to unlock it form a safe. A baseball bat is handy and quick to grab.

At least a bat won't be used to mass murder everyone. That plus as you mentioned, kids, the danger of shooting other people, the cost in money, time, training and safety makes it the least viable of the options.

A tazer or pepper spray are good options but they are limited to either single use or extremely up close encounters. Neither of which you want to be involved in.

Bats/crowbars/blunt objects in general are the best compromise. You don't have to reload it or have one use out of it. There's almost no chance of accidently hitting someone else with it and if someone does take it from you there's still some chance of fighting them off in the struggle over it.

Bayonets are your friend.

But seriously, bat is a good low budget, if everything else fails defense.

Still dog plus gun combo is hard to beat.

 

[Ant-manic]

i sometimes use a living room scarecrow; cardboard cut-out of a menacing looking homeowner. put that in your window.

 

[bullets]

What about setting up surveillance? At least it might give you more leverage.

 

[Spider-Who?]

Guns can be taken away from you too,

It is far more likely that a bat will be taken away than a gun. Bats require a good amount of space to effectively use it, and more importantly, it requires you to be up close and personal with an intruder, which is the exact OPPOSITE of what you want.

and used to kill you and your family which is usually what happens when someone tries that since most people aren't trained to use them, can't aim them and are afraid to fire them in the first place.

Making up facts don't make them true. The actual facts are that most home invasions that involve the brandishing of a gun in defense end with the intruder running away without a shot fired, or the intruder shot and family safe. Also the extreme majority of legal gun owners ARE trained to use them because it's common sense and in many cases, training is required especially for concealment.

If someone buys a gun they should invest the time in learning how to properly fire it.

This goes without saying, and like I mentioned before, the vast majority do. Only a fool thinks training isn't required and only mis/under-informed people think most gun owners don't appreciate and practice this fact.

But that's all lost if someone breaks in and you have to unlock it form a safe. A baseball bat is handy and quick to grab.

Safes designed to hold a home defense weapon are designed to gain access in a fast manner. I can literally unlock my safe and retrieve my gun in as little time as it takes to grab a bat.

That plus as you mentioned, kids, the danger of shooting other people, the cost in money, time, training and safety makes it the least viable of the options.

A gun will be exactly as safe as you want it to be. Yes, this involves time and training, but if the cost of time and money are "too much" to adequately prepare yourself, than A) you have no business owning a gun and/or B) don't appreciate the reality if knowing how to protect yourself or your loved ones, since that involves time, money and training whether it's for a gun, a security system, guard dog, etc.

A tazer or pepper spray are good options but they are limited to either single use or extremely up close encounters. Neither of which you want to be involved in.

This is incorrect. Tazers are designed with darts that fire with an effective range of anywhere between 15 to 35 feet. Pepper spray typically has an 8 to 10 foot range.

Bats/crowbars/blunt objects in general are the best compromise.

You literally just said that an up lose encounter is bad. Of the three types of defenses weapons, bats and other striking objects are the worst offenders, and they can be EASILY grabbed and taken from you due not only to the short distance required for them to be effective, but also because they are long with plenty of material to easily grab in a manner of ways with little to no design aspects meant to keep it in your hand.

You don't have to reload it or have one use out of it.

This isn't the 1700s. It doesn't take you 2 minutes to reload a gun anymore. Magazine fed firearms can be reloaded in under 2 seconds, and even revolvers have speed loaders (though most gun owners don't use revolvers for home defense). This isn't the movies - someone defending their home isn't going to be firing off round after round in their home. There is no jumping from cover to cover and firing in mid air, there is no poorly written pun being recited behind cover. Despite what you may falsely believe, the last thing any responsible gun owner wants is to have to actually use their weapon in self defense.

There's almost no chance of accidently hitting someone else with it and if someone does take it from you there's still some chance of fighting them off in the struggle over it.

And if you use a gun, taser or pepper spray, you don't have to worry about wrestling an intruder for the weapon because the sight of a gun will keep them at a safe distance, or they'll be on the ground suffering from a bullet wound, tazer or spray because, once again, a bat or other bludgeoning weapon requires you to be within arms reach, which even as you said it's the opposite of what you want to do.

 

[webhead9707]

For about five-six years, we had a similar situation. We live out in the countryside, in a small development, on a plot that spans two acres. When I started the seventh grade, we started seeing someone standing on either the front lawn of our house, but most of the time, on our back yard. These incidents happened after nine o'clock or when it was dark, whichever came first. Over time, the person started moving closer to our house and we would chase him away. Finally, I got tired of living fear, so I threw a box of paintballs in the freezer and froze them. Due to the cyclical nature, I had a rough idea of when our friendly stalker would appear, so I kept my paintball marker nearly assembled.

One night, my mother called me and told me she saw someone standing by our treehouse, but made sure she acted like she hadn't noticed. I sprang out the back porch and lit the hill up with the frozen ones. Even though the visibility was horrible-it was fall-I knew I hit the ****, because I heard a loud thuck! and a grunt.

It was afterwards that the step-father of the schizophrenic down the road moved out that the episodes stopped. As for protection, I do not know what to suggest. Due to our location, the law enforcement we have is the State Police, who are useless. Back in the 9th grade, the other lunatic down the road tried to murder his wife, and when she got away, he tried to break into my neighbor's house with supplies. She cut across the back yard and ran to mine, since I was the only one home.

The State Police came an hour later....the best part occurred during the phone call. The preceding year, they made us change our addresses, to aid the new computer system that was supposed to reduce the wait time for them. I told the dispatcher my address and they told me, "I don't know where it is; it's not showing up."

Not to derail your thread, but, I wanted to illustrate some of the problems of handling prowlers/peeping toms.

Remind me to never ever move to the street you live on.

Get a Mossberg 500 and keep it close.

I'm more of a Remington 870 kinda guy myself.t:

Your best course of action is to reduce someone's desire and ability to peek into your home. Get actual curtains for all your windows and your sliding door. This way, there are no blinds one might think they'll be able to peek through. If your landlord doesn't want you to remove the blinds, then place the curtains behind the blinds.

Double check that all of the locks on doors and windows work and that you use them. Depending on the age of your girlfriend's children, instruct them that the locks are not to be messed with.

Again, depending on the age of the kids, make sure they know how to call 911 and that they understand not to let anyone into the house, and if they see someone standing in the door or window, to come to you asap.

As far as protection goes, here's my suggestion starting with a first to last resort:

Bat - Weapons that you have to swing aren't actually the best thing for home protection - the act of swinging for an effective hit takes time and leaves you open for attack; they can be easily ripped from your hands and used against you. A bat might make you feel safer, but most people who are willing to break into your house aren't going to feel threatened by this.

Pepper Spray/Tazer - these come in all manner of models and severity. And are typically extremely effective.

Firearm - The sight and massive sound of a shotgun shell being chambered is horrifying, and will typically be enough to keep an attacker/intruder from progressing further. Under different circumstances, this would be #1, but since you live in an apartment building and are not comfortable with it, a firearm might not be your best bet if you are not familiar with the type of gun and ammunition to keep or the construction of the building - getting too powerful of a weapon could potentially send bullets into your neighbor's apartment. There ARE guns, ammo, and best practices to avoid such a scenario, but again, its probably best that you avoid this unless you're familiar and trained enough. But in any case, the actual USE of a firearm should always be a last resort.

Nailed it. I second this entire post.

Guns can be taken away from you too, and used to kill you and your family which is usually what happens when someone tries that since most people aren't trained to use them, can't aim them and are afraid to fire them in the first place. If someone buys a gun they should invest the time in learning how to properly fire it.

But that's all lost if someone breaks in and you have to unlock it form a safe. A baseball bat is handy and quick to grab.

At least a bat won't be used to mass murder everyone. That plus as you mentioned, kids, the danger of shooting other people, the cost in money, time, training and safety makes it the least viable of the options.

A tazer or pepper spray are good options but they are limited to either single use or extremely up close encounters. Neither of which you want to be involved in.

Bats/crowbars/blunt objects in general are the best compromise. You don't have to reload it or have one use out of it. There's almost no chance of accidently hitting someone else with it and if someone does take it from you there's still some chance of fighting them off in the struggle over it.

Training? For a gun? I guess maybe it's just cause I've been around them my whole life, but guns are about as simple as a camera. You point, focus, and shoot. But this thread isn't about that, it's about helping the OP, so my bad for getting distracted.

Just get a good, & well trained guard dog. Like in Donovan. Dont get a gun, get a dog. The dog can't be used on you.

Rottweilers for the win!t:

 

[warhorse78]

We don't want guns, but my girlfriend is very wary of things like this. She has a very large stabbing knife near her side of the bed (who wouldn't get in bed with a woman who has a knife under her pillow) and carries a knife in her purse.

The police were good about it and came quickly. They found one guy but he didn't match my description (baseball hat vs. beanie). If something happens again we will definitely call the police first instead of startling the guy away.

I guess I should note I am not in a dangerous/sketchy area.

Well, why not just get a pellet rifle. Won't do too much damage, and anyways, the size of the thing is enough to scare off most people. If not that, then maybe borrow somebody's big dog.

I also once kept a can of wasp spray nearby, they shoot far distances, and if you shoot the person in the eyes, it will blind them enough so you can get out and go get help.

 

[Victarion]

My brother had a toy gun that sounded like a real one when you pulled the trigger. Get one of those, and paint the orange cap on the end black.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Double up the locks on doors and windows.
Stun gun/tazer if you are opposed to firearms (which I am as well).
Get an intimidating dog.
Look into alternative residence.
Good luck. Don't let it mess with your head too much.

 

[Dispatch Ninja]

I would set ask your local pd to set up an extra patrol watch for a couple weeks.

 

[Teelie]

I'm too tired for this ****.

 

[Teelie]

Training? For a gun? I guess maybe it's just cause I've been around them my whole life, but guns are about as simple as a camera. You point, focus, and shoot. But this thread isn't about that, it's about helping the OP, so my bad for getting distracted.

And you question why I say gun advocates don't get it? Point and shoot your camera gun. It's simple and easy. Just make sure you're not out of focus or you might shoot the neighbors.

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Being from the UK, I find this talk of having a gun by your bedside to be disturbing. I am all for home security and safety, but we are talking about the possibility of ending someone`s life here.

Unfortunately, I do not have a definitive answer to the OP`s problem.

I would have thought that having some form of surveillance/recording equipment would be a good start. Something of high enough clarity so that an identification could be made from any recording made.
Security lighting might also help in deterring people from entering in the first place.

 

[jacobed]

And every response requires firing off a gun.

Noone said you.have to shoot it. The gun itself is intimidation enough for probably 90% of home invaders I understand you dont like guns but some of your arguments against are downright laughable.

 

[StrainedEyes]

Well nothing happened last night, not that I suspected it would. He'd have to be dumb/crazy to come back to the place he was just "caught" the night before.

The neighbors took our letter to heart and a lot of them had their back lights on during the night. We also got a charlie bar for the sliding glass door.

We're going to invest in curtains for the bedroom and I will probably get some kind of blunt object to keep near the sliding door. All we have is a golf club, haha.

I definitely thought about using the most realistic toy gun her kids have just as a threatening device. The guy did run away when caught so I doubt he'd suddenly attack when faced with a (fake) gun.

Still super anxious about it. It's the weirdest/creepiest thought to think someone is watching you in your home. Yeah, the creepiest part is thinking of how many times we didn't notice he was there.

I'm hoping it was just some homeless guy, we have a few that work the corners a few blocks down, trying to get a peek at some action. I'm also hoping that being seen will deter him and he'll find new stomping ground.

A real gun is out of the question, not interested. The potential drawbacks to owning a gun far out way stopping a peeping tom. Especially with kids in the house. Also, a locked up gun is only useful if you have the chance to unlock it, which I imagine most home invasions don't give you that luxury.

I've also seen way too many episodes of "It Takes a Thief" where the owners thought their bad ass dog would stop anyone breaking in, only for them to wag their tails at the burglars.

 

[Spider-Who?]

And you question why I say gun advocates don't get it? Point and shoot your camera gun. It's simple and easy. Just make sure you're not out of focus or you might shoot the neighbors.

First off, I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Second off, what exactly do you think gun advocates "don't get"? Third, who do you honestly think has more knowledge and understanding of guns: the people who use, train with and respect the weapon, or the people who have little to no experience with guns and base most of their opinions on misconceptions and willful ignorance?[

(I'm not saying all anti-gun advocates are misinformed or ignorant, but a good portion are, and it's always easy to spot them based on what they say - no offense meant but your posts are full of that evidence - I highly and amicably suggest you study, research, and heck go out to a shooting range a few times. This way, you'll have a better understanding of the weapons and the seriousness with which responsible gun owners take the topic).

That's all I'll say on the matter, as this isn't a gun debate thread.

 

[Anita18]

It's good you got the neighbors involved. The more people know, the more vigilant they are. And that's the most important thing. See something, say something.

I second the dog idea. It doesn't even have to be that intimidating, it just needs to have a scary bark. My mom had a golden retriever with a vicious-sounding bark, but we joked he would lick burglars to death if they actually broke in. He sure sounded scary, though!

I live next to an extremely busy street and it actually makes me feel very safe. If there was anyone looking in my windows, there would be multiple witnesses at any given time of day. And the police drive by routinely, too. So busy street actually makes you safer in that regard. Depends on your neighborhood though - mine's practically the opposite of gangland.

Also, the frozen paintball story is awesome and hilarious.

 

[Spider-Who?]

The neighbors took our letter to heart and a lot of them had their back lights on during the night. We also got a charlie bar for the sliding glass door.

It's very good of you to let your neighbors know. Glad everyone is taking it seriously. The more people do, the less likely another situation presents itself.

We're going to invest in curtains for the bedroom and I will probably get some kind of blunt object to keep near the sliding door. All we have is a golf club, haha.

Keeping a weapon - of any kind - near a point of entry is a bad idea. You don't want an intruder breaking in, turning to the left and immediately seeing a weapon for them to use.

I definitely thought about using the most realistic toy gun her kids have just as a threatening device. The guy did run away when caught so I doubt he'd suddenly attack when faced with a (fake) gun.

I also would not use a fake gun. Bad, bad idea. That is a bluff you really don't want them to call out. What happens if the guy is drunk or (in the case of what happened to a friend of mine) schizophrenic? That's a situation where the mere sight of a weapon (of any kind) either doesn't affect them, doesn't register, etc and can result in them continuing an attack. You're going to wish that fake gun were real, or that you had another actual weapon.

Still super anxious about it. It's the weirdest/creepiest thought to think someone is watching you in your home. Yeah, the creepiest part is thinking of how many times we didn't notice he was there.

You gotta try and not think about that stuff or you'll just go crazy. Focus on the present and remind yourself that you - and your neighbors - are taking steps to keep everyone safe.

A real gun is out of the question, not interested. The potential drawbacks to owning a gun far out way stopping a peeping tom.

I get what you mean and totally respect your decision, but I don't think anyone here is suggesting the gun be used on a peeping tom. The potential drawbacks are determined solely by the gun owner, not the weapon itself. But if you are uncomfortable and/or unfamiliar and untrained with firearms, then you are making the right choice for your current situation.

With that being said, my original suggestion still stands: Get some tasers and pepper spray. You can keep your distance and (in most cases) incapacitate the guy, or at the very least distract long enough to try and evade. Next to an actual gun, that is your best bet to stopping an intruder. Bats really are the worst.

Also, a locked up gun is only useful if you have the chance to unlock it, which I imagine most home invasions don't give you that luxury.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, there are all kinds of safes, ranging from the massive ones that look like bank vaults, all the way to smaller safes that are specifically designed to be placed/secured in an easily accessible area (ie: in a drawer, or upside down underneath the top of a bed side table). Both the way the safe opens and the unlocking mechanism are designed for quick and efficient access in the case of emergency, all while not sacrificing the point of a safe, which is to keep the gun from gun desired hands. The home defense safe I use allows me to extend my arm from a sleeping position and unlock the safe and retrieve the gun, all with only one hand and before I can finish saying "one Mississippi".

I'm not saying any of this to tell you you're wrong in your decision to have a gun - like i said before, based on your situation, understanding, etc, I agree that a gun isn't the best decision for you at this time; I'm just trying to (hopefully) be helpful with giving you info for the future. Home and self defense is something that a lot of people don't take seriously, or don't fully appreciate the necessity of, and I believe we all owe it to ourselves to be as knowledgeable of the options and methods to do so as we can, in order to protect ourselves and loved ones in the best and most appropriate way.

Good luck!

 

[Teelie]

First off, I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Second off, what exactly do you think gun advocates "don't get"? Third, who do you honestly think has more knowledge and understanding of guns: the people who use, train with and respect the weapon, or the people who have little to no experience with guns and base most of their opinions on misconceptions and willful ignorance?[

(I'm not saying all anti-gun advocates are misinformed or ignorant, but a good portion are, and it's always easy to spot them based on what they say - no offense meant but your posts are full of that evidence - I highly and amicably suggest you study, research, and heck go out to a shooting range a few times. This way, you'll have a better understanding of the weapons and the seriousness with which responsible gun owners take the topic).

That's all I'll say on the matter, as this isn't a gun debate thread.

You've managed to convince me otherwise, guns are for everyone. We should all be shooting guns as a response to every criminal activity. Someone looks in your window? Shoot them. See someone jay-walking across the street? Shoot them.

And I'm not even against guns but clearly your biased opinion makes you think otherwise because I dared to say it might be excessive to use a gun in response to a peeping tom or that it just might be dangerous to have one in a house with children, close-proximity neighbors and a lack of training.

But don't worry, my supposed ignorance, supposed lack of research and the fact I'm not a gun-toting expert (yet) won't deter me from seeing the light from the shotgun blast of revelation you've given me.

Yeah, this is over. All you can do is sling your own "facts" around and defend something that most of the rest of the world finds needlessly excessive.

Gun-ho we go!

 

[Spider-Who?]

You've managed to convince me otherwise, guns are for everyone. We should all be shooting guns as a response to every criminal activity. Someone looks in your window? Shoot them. See someone jay-walking across the street? Shoot them.

....are you high?

And I'm not even against guns but clearly your biased opinion makes you think otherwise because I dared to say it might be excessive to use a gun in response to a peeping tom

Had you actually SAID that, we would be in agreement. But the comments you made - to which i responded to - had nothing to do with that. Go back and look at my posts - I never once talk about using a gun against a peeping tom; all my talk has been either correcting/offering counter points to you and discussing intruders and attackers - they are a very different threat.

or that it just might be dangerous to have one in a house with children, close-proximity neighbors and a lack of training.

One of the things I love about forums is that you can go back and look at my posts...and you'll find that I say the exact opposite.

But don't worry, my supposed ignorance, supposed lack of research and the fact I'm not a gun-toting expert (yet) won't deter me from seeing the light from the shotgun blast of revelation you've given me.

Yeah, this is over. All you can do is sling your own "facts" around and defend something that most of the rest of the world finds needlessly excessive.

Gun-ho we go!

What I don't understand is why people act like you do when they're corrected. You were not only giving the guy incorrect facts about home defense in general not just about guns), but you were also giving him false and contradictory information (ie: distance required with the baseball vs. taser). That is very dangerous.

The fact that instead of gracefully taking those corrections and counter points, you respond with dripping sarcasm like above is very sad and only further illustrates the point that most people who are aggressively against guns have very little actual knowledge of the topic and base their stance solely on bias and anger borne from wounded pride when they are corrected.

This type of response that you've chosen after being corrected within such a serious topic is worrisome. I hope that limit this immaturity with the topic to your online life, and not the real world.