Rude awakening 06/02/10

[jimlongley]

At just after 3:00 am my dogs started fussing. They don't do that unless there is a pretty good reason, they are all in their crates in our dog room except for my lab, sleeping at the foot of the bed, and my wife's doxie, in its bed on my wife's side, and the lab and the doxie went right on sleeping.

Of course I got up to investigate, powerful flashlight, 1911 .45ACP, and a terrycloth wrap my wife refers to as my skirt, wireless phone tucked in pocket of "skirt."

Windows and doors all secure, but the dogs seem to be barking because the back alley neighbors' dogs are all up in arms about something.

I open the kitchen door, no lights, gun in hand, another neighbor's outside motion sensor light is on, behind their RV, and I hear noises coming from the direction of the alley that sound like some sort of animal is rummaging around out there.

So I aim my light that way, hit the momentary button, hear a voice say something, off the light, and I see flashlights in the RV.

I dial 911, and as I talk to the operator, the bad guys leave, walking down the alley southbound.

After the operator thanks me and says they'll get someone out as soon as possible, which sounds a little like "later" to me and we hang up. I put the phone back in my pocket, and with my trusty .45 and flashlight I gingerly move outside and down to the alley. From here I can see the broken glass from the passenger side window of the cab of the RV, so I survey down the alley in the direction they went, the quarter moon is bright enough that the only thing I need the flashlight for is poking in shadows. I went as far as I felt I needed and then returned home to await the arrival of the police.

Once the police arrived, which I didn't time, but it was long enough for me to do the slow and careful survey up the alley, return to the house, lock the kitchen door, turn on the scanner, put the gun on the family room table, unlock the dog room and back door, and go back out through the fence gate to await the officers.

Couldn't hear the scanner outside, so still don't know how long it was, but the officer that arrived drove right by me and the RV, and then circled the block, maybe looking for the bad guys, and then came back to talk to me.

He went and woke the neighbors, and it turns out that a flat screen TV and DVD are missing.

I filled out a report and was back in bed by 4:05am, but didn't sleep a wink wondering all of the "what ifs."

I think my little blip with the flashlight tipped them off that someone was watching, which is why they left so soon. I wasn't watching long enough for them to dismount the TV, so they had to be at it for a while before I woke up. Of course there was little else of value for them to take anyway, so even if I did scare them off, they were just about done.

So I find myself wondering what, if anything, I should have done differently.

I probably shouldn't have gone off my property with my gun drawn, no place to conceal it in my skirt. From now on my shorts go on before another search - 5.11s with an ample pocket to conceal the .45.

Maybe I should have grabbed one of the many cameras lying around the house and taken pictures.

I probably should have turned on my own outside lights, but they are not motion sensors, they are tied to the garage door opener, so I would at minimum have to trigger the garage door.

Wife, lab, and doxie all still snoring blissfully when I got back in bed.

Probably should have woken up the wife and had some backup, or a telephone operator.

[Purplehood]

I think you are extremely lucky that the police did not show up while you were wandering down the alley with a firearm.

[Oldgringo]

"woulda, coulda, shoulda"

You and Purplehood, IMO, are correct on all counts. As 03linghtningrocks caution us, a CHL is not a Batman license. We're glad you came through it without incident.

[jimlongley]

I think you are extremely lucky that the police did not show up while you were wandering down the alley with a firearm.

I realized that very quickly at the time, my initial thought (if I was thinking at all) was just to have it for defense if they were hiding around the corner, and as soon as I came to my senses I got back to the house and left it inside.

Really should have woken up the wife for backup.

[Keith B]

I wouldn't worry too much about the police catching me with the gun, but in the SKIRT?? That would be around the station really quick!!!

Sorry your neighbors got hit, but they should be thankful you were watching out for them. Admittedly they had already gotten a couple of items, but they could have lost more if you hadn't ventured out especially since they were still sound asleep with the police and you in the alley. Hopefully the fact that the bad guys know someone now watches will prevent them ever coming back, but you never know who the next ones will be.

And, may I suggest a pair of sweat pants to throw on instead of a skirt. At least you could Plexico carry your 1911.

[Quahog]

Jim,

Sounds like you kept your cool, didn't go overboard, etc. Yeah, maybe walking off your property with your gun wasn't best but you realized it and corrected it quickly.

Perhaps dialing 911 and just hanging back would have allowed the police to catch the perps in the act but who knows. I just think it's good you're doing a post-mortem to try and learn from it.

I keep a pair a shorts, T-shirt, flashlight, eyeglasses, phone and car keys on the bedside stand and my gun out-of-sight but within reach just in case.

[Rex B]

Sounds like you need to install some real security lights.

[fickman]

Do you know the neighbor? If so, I might have tried calling them.

With regards to leaving your property, many will disagree, but there are a few neighbors of mine for whom I would've entered their yard to look for signs of eminent danger to them (look for a kicked-in door or broken window, listen for screams, etc.). I wouldn't do it for all of them. Most of the time I'd hang back, keep my family and house safe, and wait for the police. I wouldn't have walked farther down the alley than the place I observed the activity.

Here are some what-ifs that could change the situation on you (these are endless, but might be worth considering tactically in the future):
- What if there was still 1+ BGs at your neighbor's house? Still in the RV after the others bailed? In the house with the homeowners tied up, attacked, dying, or just held hostage?
- What if they had a lookout watching the alley a few houses on the other side of your property, putting you in between them?
- What if their escape path was past you instead of the opposite direction?
- What if your neighbor noticed them near the same time and came out of the house with a firearm? Would ya'll recognize each other?

I agree on the security lights. I need a major upgrade of external lighting for my house, too.

[jimlongley]

I wouldn't worry too much about the police catching me with the gun, but in the SKIRT?? That would be around the station really quick!!!

A co-worker of mine says that I should claim I was wearing the skirt just to scare them away. Even dressed I look kind of like Uncle Fester, and like that I look kind of like a bald bigfoot.

Yeah, I'll have to call Felty and see what's going on.

I believe I already said I was switching to my 5-11 shorts for such forays.

The alley, in the direction they went, splits two ways, the other directions they could have traveled were up the alley to the nearby street or through my yard, and if they had come my way I would have been making an attempt to stop them.

My neighbors and I are not close, arms length smiles and waves and a little across the alley gossip, but they don't invite us to use the pool or anything, and I don't have their telephone number.

My little foray down the alley was only to the split, which is still bordered by my (fenced) yard, so I was almost on my own property. I went maybe 50 feet.

I didn't consider a lookout, but until I got to the alley, there was no real place for a lookout to do any good.

For their escape path to be past me, they would be traveling 90 degrees from the alley, which isn't out of the question, but it is also a natural funnel and I would have felt more comfortable about confronting them there on my property.

My neighbor and I are both pretty large and I would have recognized him compared to the bad guys, and it's possible he might have reconized the hairy bald guy in the skirt as not being a threat, too.

[fickman]

I was just trying to brainstorm some other variables.

I think the outcome was almost perfect and you acted prudently throughout. . . you are still in possession of your firearm, you are not contacting an attorney, your neighbor only lost a few goods that should be insured, and nobody was hurt. The only upgrade to this outcome would be no loss for the neighbor and apprehended BGs, but it's not a perfect world.

You also were reinforced on your decision to pay attention to those dogs. My weimaraner sounds too many false alarms during the day to pay attention, but at night time, I'd go straight to alert level "red" if she sounded her deep alert bark (which should scare off a good percentage of potential intruders on its own).

[PJK]

I think you did everything very well. Remember as a CHL we are not wanting to find conflict, but protect ourselves if conflict finds us. I think the flashlight was the right move to make, it removed the perps from the equation. This is the exact scenario you want.

I agree that the dogs go crazy at every butterfly in our yard throughout the day, but when they start barking at night out comes my Glock or 1911 and my 18 1/2 inch Mossberg Defender shotgun. The advantage to the shotgun is the pucker factor. When you saw then, had you racked the slide they would have turned white in fear. That is why it is next to my wifes side of the bed EVERY night.

As for the dogs I totally agree to listen to them. We have a dog door to our backyard and when they go outside and start barking, I know something is afoot. The last time it happened, I scolded them and woke up the next morning to my car and every other car on our block broken into. This incident was part of my conversion experience.

My suggestion on things to have changed:

1 - Get a shotgun!
2 - No reason to go down in a skirt. The last think you want to do is get into a physical altercation and have the skirt drop and be fighting butt naked. Stick with the shorts and have the flashlight and cell phone in the pocket at the ready.
3 - Have some easy to slip on full shoes next to the bed as well. If they were in your house and there is broken glass, you need to protect your feet.

[C-dub]

I don't think I would have left my property unless it was for my in-laws, next door. I definitely wouldn't have hit the light unless I had their escape route cut off.

If they left on foot, how big was the flat screen? Maybe they had a car around the corner, but anything bigger than 30-35" is a bit awkward to be walking off with. Or was it a smaller set from the RV?

[jimlongley]

Got a shotgun, but my bedside gun is still my .45. I have it set up as a night fighter with a laser and Trijicon night sights. Waiting on a laser/flashlight for my shotgun, and then it will be racked up next to the bed. I'm not a great believer in sound effects with the shotgun, it's kept ready with one in the chamber and eight in the magazine five OO buck followed by four slugs.

The flat screen was 32 inch, but they didn't seem to be struggling with it. I couldn't see them that well, the quarter Moon was bright, but not bright enough for detail.

I did not see or hear a car, so if they had one, it was a distance away.

The alley where I went goes behind my property and I was a little concerned where they went, which was part of my reasoning or lack of same for going that way. No way to enter my yard over there, but I was still concerned.

I have sturdy slippers next to the bed, street capable, so I wasn't concerned about my feet, but from now on the 5-11 shorts are on the hook on the back of the door, with a sturdy belt. OTOH, fighting butt naked might give me a tactical advantage, either the other guy would be laughing his head off or running from the hairy beast.

My dogs have a lot of different voices, so there are some things I pay very little attention to, but that night was the "I don't know why those guys are barking over there, but I am going to join the alarm" bark, not the bird in the yard, or the challenge the dog down the block that can't be seen sound, so i was somewhat on alert. Between my house and the house next door south of me, is fully fenced off so nobody can go through there, although the neighbor has a gate in their side. On the north side the adjoining yards are wide open, but the houses are at a thirty or so degree angle to each other so it funnels down to about twenty feet at the narrowest. My outside kitchen door is about half way down my house on that side at about the thirty foot width point, and is where I was observing the activity from while talking to 911.

[rdcrags]

Skirt??!!??

A few years ago, this forum molded my sense as to what I would do in a case like yours. Stay in the house and wait for the LEOs. Don't even go in my own yard after hearing a noise outside. I won't even go to another part of the house if I hear a noise there. Just stay in the bedroom with boss and weapons after alarm or call for help. I didn't use to think that way, but am convinced now that that is what I should do. Cover the hallway. Period.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

[Purplehood]

Skirt??!!??

A few years ago, this forum molded my sense as to what I would do in a case like yours. Stay in the house and wait for the LEOs. Don't even go in my own yard after hearing a noise outside. I won't even go to another part of the house if I hear a noise there. Just stay in the bedroom with boss and weapons after alarm or call for help. I didn't use to think that way, but am convinced now that that is what I should do. Cover the hallway. Period.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

If I think someone is in the house, I am going to do something about it. I am not holing-up because I heard noises. I do agree about going outdoors though, but I would have to consciously remind myself not to do it. My first impulse would be to go out and investigate.