Do you mean do I keep my door locked? No, not usually. My front door is usually locked because it's a double door and tends to blow open if it's windy and it's not locked. If I'm out in the yard, even the back yard, I sometimes leave my garage door open and the door to the house from the garage is not locked. But it's usually not a problem. I lock up at night, of course.

When I lived in West Texas, the home crime rate was so high that any time I wanted to go out the back door (to garden in the back yard, for instance), I always locked my front door--or I was likely to re-enter the house later and find my TV missing!

You can certainly report stolen items to the police, but unless those items have a clear identifying mark on them, there is probably nothing they can do to help. I still lament that unmarked Black Hills gold ring that disappeared years ago.

Sorry for your loss.

Kate

Hi Sammy, I don't lock anything during the daytime while gardening. Plus I have a dog who will bark her head off from inside the house if anyone approaches. I am sorry if you lost something :-( wish I could be more helpful.

I'm guilty of not locking too. I know I should too because there have been reports of just this kind of break in in our neighborhood. They see you outside working in the yard and figure the house is fair game. And to top it off you can't see either my front or side door from the back yard or patio. I'm sorry it cost you, Sammy, but thank you for the reminder.

That usually isn't an issue here, both due to the neighborhood and the very tall wall enclosing the entire front, other than the short drive to the garage door. There is absolutely no way for anyone to enter the front with the perpetually locked front iron gate and the perpetually locked iron gate beside the always closed garage door. If I'm going out back to "play", I do lock the front door, even though no one can easily get in and if they did, would have as difficult a time getting out, as well as put the beasts in the kitchen where any 'accidents' are on ceramic tile rather than hardwood or rugs. The rear is an extremely steep, very slippery hill which is landlocked and well fenced, so no one other than rabbits, squirrels and coyotes are coming in that way. So, yes, it's a habit, learned from childhood. Both of my parents were "city slickers" who grew up with locked doors and even when in small Alabama towns forty-five years ago, our doors were always locked. They always said if someone is determined to get in, they will. Locked doors keep honest people, honest. It's a bear when I am around the house and want back in without having to back track, but it beats the potential alternatives and prevents the wind from opening anything and allowing entry to critters from the hills. Kim

Thanks for your responses. My item was jewelry, and not hidden enough. Now that it is gone, I cannot imagine trying to contact pawn shops or antique stores in the city as well as surrounding suburbs. The police said that they do it, but I am afraid that the thief knows all the procedures, and I will never see the item again. The insuracne will pay 1/4 --- they stated that clearly in their contract, and we never looked for another company that had a jewelry endorcement.

I adjusted the problem to make it appropriate here, but the guy was doing work for us. He quickly said "ma'am, may I use your bathroom." The bathroom is connected to our bedroom.They were laying floor right where he was. I automatically said, "sure", and regretted it the moment I said it, but did not recant the permission.

I checked my jewelry box as soon as he left the bathroom, and my .......was gone. (I don't want things to go on google.) I confronted them and called the police. I had no way to keep them under my thumb until the police arrived.

I must count my blessings, and not dwell on this mistake. Many many people have made far more disastrous instant mistakes.

I appreciate you input.

I need to say so much about roses, but we have the worst heat ever, so there is not a lot to say.

Sammy

Oh Sammy, I'm so sorry! Perhaps a lock from the inside of your bedroom needs to be put on that door and kept locked when you have workmen around? My youngest sister never locked her doors and all the neighborhood kids were in and out with her two sons until the older girl down the street cleaned out my sister's wallet one afternoon. My eldest nephew couldn't believe anyone would steal anything as his has been a life of never wanting. It was unfathomable to him. The girl's situation was quite a bit more dire. The girl's mother would never believe she'd done it, even though the kid showed up with a large sum of money out of the blue. Neither the girl nor her little brother were ever allowed in any of the houses on the cul de sac after that. They all still live there, but the children involved are now grown or well into high school. They still lock their doors and none of the kids are allowed in anywhere without knocking and gaining permission first. Always seemed odd to me as we were raised that way. You never entered anywhere unless invited and only after telling our parents where we were. Kim

Sammy, I'm so sorry this happened. It's hard when we try to do something kind for someone and then have it backfire and suffer loss because of it. The most difficult thing is to keep from being jaded or become callous because other people take advantage or hurt us. I hope somehow this turns out for the best for you and your family. Gean

Seems it doesn't matter how 'nice' the neighborhood is, there is always the one person who 'gets' us., or tries... I keep all my doors locked and when I'm out in the garden, the key in my pocket.... I never answer the door, I can see who is there and most times it is a stranger, or some guy looking for work so I don't answer the bell....I keep my window-blinds tilted so eyes cannot see into the house, and I carry my cell-phone in my pocket... my yard is fenced and my gates locked, and there are lights that come on with dusk.... my windows are shut and locked., and no bushes close to them... I don't know what else to do, but times are not the same as when I was growing up many years ago... of course when I was growing up nobody had anything worth stealing anyway we were all dirt-poor.... sally

I never used to lock my front door or the door to the basement while I was out working. I do now. The neighbourhood is still nice but we have travelling gangs from outside who tour with a truck. Some steal only expensive bicycles, other gangs have other specialities. Gold and computers are the most wanted items. They enter although people are at home and elder people are shocked nearly to death when they meet a thief in their own home. We have learnt never to keep purses or bags in the entrance hall. Workmen may use only the basement lavatory. Not that I don't thrust them but it is more convenient for them not to have to worry about dirtying the floor upstairs.

Some neighbourhoods have organized neighbour watches with special signs put up on lamp posts but our block hasn't joined, but of course we still look out for anything irregular around our neighbours' houses. We have agreed with our neighbours to the south to keep the border hedge short enough for us to keep an eye on each other's houses. We always tell each other if we are going away for a time, long or short. We are lucky that our house looks so poor in this posh neighbourhood that no thief will bother about it!

I think it is very sad that one has to be suspicious of people. When we had the drainage remade of our house 10 years ago, I invited the work crew on their last day (very efficient they were and incredibly fast) for coffee and cake in the garden. The boss shouted in my face: This is a proper household! I had to take a step back, he was so excited. They told me over coffee that no homeowner ever offers them even a glass of water and he told me of some incidents at houses where they had worked for months.

These people were very considerate of our climbing roses, took them down carefully and covered them with burlap before digging around the house.

Sammy, so sorry for your loss.

I have 2 large dogs who are always out with me in the yard. And if someone is working inside, I am sitting there watching them with 2 big dogs (150-200 pounds each) by my side.

I have offered people who do a great job and whom I can trust (through recommendations and observation) water, coffee, sodas, etc. I bring everything outside to them, however.

We are having outdoor work done in our front yard right now. Every morning I put out coffee and home made cookies in our ground level basement (which is not connected to the inside of the house, and thankfully has a nice half bath). They were delighted when I first did that, and every day all of the cookies disappear.

When we have work done inside, I always lock up my jewelry box before anyone arrives, and my DH stays with the workmen while they are working (helps to have a DH who is a contractor - he chats them up, and they exchange incomprehensible stories).

When gardening our front door is always locked, and someone would have to walk right past me to get to the back door. Having said that, the police in our town have advised people to keep all of their doors locked when they are in the garden - some teenagers were going into houses, even when the owners were there - they would ring the doorbell, and go in (or break in) if no one answered.

I also remember my childhood in the same place where no one ever locked anything, ever, unless you were going away for two weeks, or something. We had trouble convincing my mother-in-law when she was old and living in a big house by herself to lock anything. She finally agreed, but if someone was to ring her doorbell at midnight, you guessed it, she would just open it happily! Sigh!

Jackie

I don't lock if I'm around, or even when I run to the market--locks only keep out honest people. I've been robbed twice, once in CA, once in NM and both times the house was locked. The damage to the house--windows, doorframe--was almost more than what was taken. Most home robberies are of easily sold and easily replaceable goods--tvs, cameras, weapons, jewelry, drugs. Now I keep my heirloom jewelry in a safe deposit box and look at the rest of it as a redistribution of goods. I'm insured and it's just Stuff. I don't want to live paranoid, frightened and intimidated or angry and frustrated because the police can do nothing.

As the economy worsens, there will probably be more burglary. I suggest people become more philosophical and take things less personally. Feeling violated is horrible; telling yourself "it's just a tv" is a lot easier on the psyche.

This is Kansas. Get caught in the wrong house and you'll be lucky to get out....houses in my area are isolated, hard to scope out comings and goings without being spotted, and 4 of 6 locally would be bad choices to enter unannounced. Crime fairly low and neighbors watch out for each other. I've twice checked out unknown cars at neighbors when they were gone and more than once called sheriff when unknown cars parked along the roads for too long.

Sammy so sorry to hear of your loss.
My neighborhood sounds similar to Prof. Roush's. Being a native New Yorker, I was somewhat surprised at how many people here have weapons and openly talk about it. I have to wonder if this keeps the local trash out of the homes. Similar to most areas, we have our share of undesireables...but surprisingly the majority of robberies are located in their neighborhoods. Makes no sence to me...
Old habits die slowly, I continue to lock doors. My other half a native Washingtonian, just shakes his head.
Jeannie

The most valuable thing I own is my life. Google Dr. William Petit. Nice neighborhood didn't prevent a horrific crime that started as a burglary.

We live on a dead end street with few strange cars along with fairly alert neighbors but have deadbolts on major doors and all doors locked at all times.
A young mother (Denise Amber Lee) was abducted and killed just 2 years ago in the next town. Yes we have a shotgun.
Criminals are generally lazy and choose an open door when possible.

Denise

Sammy,

Some people have found their stolen possessions being sold on Ebay, my sister-in-law for one. The items did not show up immediately so it is best to follow it for awhile. In her case the police said that they couldn't do anything. In another case I heard about some items were recovered. But I can't help thinking that notifying the police of the whereabouts of stolen items must help police in catching the gangs involved in these thefts even if you cannot recover your items.

Cath

Thank you all for sharing your experiences.
In my case since our yard is not totally fenced in, when someone comes to the door, we all hear the dogs.

The general contractor told me that all of his men had been with him for 10-20 years. He spoke highly of all of them, and I had seen them as they did other work. What I did not totally understand was that the vinyl tile I chose for the living room had a difficult pattern to match, and the general contractor did not want to try to lay that tile. Therefore he brought in a younger experienced tile person who could do a good job. That man had recently hired the older man who took my ring. This man was unknown to everyone. Once the police came, they made it clear to me that the man had some kind of a reputation. My mistake was huge, but it was money. Just money!

When I keep things in perspective, I realize that those quick mistakes can be made so many times each day. I need to count my blessings and move on. Your supportive emails are helping me to do that. My husband and I bought that ring in 1963, and a couple of weeks ago I managed to get it off my finger to have it re-sized. We bought it together, and I worked while we were paying it off. Now in my new frame of mind, I will buy a gem that is not at all like the original, and I will totally enjoy it.

Thanks for the support.

Sammy

I live in Washington, too...so enought said :)

Sammy- Have you posted the contractor's name on Angie's List? Does the man, who stole your ring, still work for him? I would want to know about their hiring policies, before I had that group in my home!

Sammy,

Some people have found their stolen possessions being sold on Ebay, my sister-in-law for one. The items did not show up immediately so it is best to follow it for awhile. In her case the police said that they couldn't do anything. In another case I heard about some items were recovered. But I can't help thinking that notifying the police of the whereabouts of stolen items must help police in catching the gangs involved in these thefts even if you cannot recover your items.

Cath

I really appreciate each message. A problem with my ring is that I had the diamond soltered to a new wedding band a few years ago. The wedding band has ROSES imbedded in it, and was very unique. It would be no big deal to separate the two rings, then there is just a solitaire diamond. Wherever I would go, even if I were to see a solitaire that looked like the right size, I doubt if they would be required to give me the appraisal value.

As I think about going to pawn shops, I realize there are so many surrounding counties, and pawn shops everywhere. More than likely the man would have taken it to someone who would have saved the diamond for a special purchase. I don't know anything about these stores, but I do fear the power of people who might be somewhere between the law and whatever the opposing force is.

Just like someone posted that people break into houses in plain sight of those who live there, they can get out fast before the police arrive. Within a few minutes of that man going into my bath/bedroom, I confronted him, but without the right to search him, he got by with this theft.

We all have heating/air people, plumbers, electric, and general contractors in our homes. I will never fully trust one of them again.

Sammy

When we have workmen in the house, even though I know them to be honest and reliable, I still take our few and modest valuables and lock them in the trunk of my car and pocket the key for the day. What people can't see won't tempt them.

And I keep all the doors locked when gardening and when at home, despite our neighborhood being very quiet and safe. Better safe than sorry.

The police just made a follow up phone call. He was so nice. He suggested that I get a safe and bolt it to the floor. I just checked on them, and they are not too expensive. He said they are good to have for fires as well as for valuables.

I continue to find so much value in what all of you are saying.

Sammy