I would absolutely call the police. I would absolutely NOT call my insurance company. The cost of replacing a broken pane of glass doesn't offset the potential increased premiums. I don't know for certain that would happen, but I would not chance it. If your insurance co. sees you at increased risk for loss, they could certainly raise your premiums. If you work with a trusted agent, that's who I would ask.

Very scary if the attempt was made in daylight hours. Is you DH generally home at that time or was that an unusual day? IOW, could someone have been watching and expected the house to be empty and left when your DH appeared? I'd be spooked, too.

I would first call the police. Not 911, but the dispatch number and get them out to see the window and sash. They will file a report and that will probably be the end of it, but it WILL help them if other people in your neighborhood call with similar stories and concerns.

It's pretty unlikely that someone tried to break into your home while you were there, and the officer will probably discount the cats' affects as credible evidence :) Keeping your system armed even while you are at home can be problematic if you forget and set it off.

I also would NOT alert your homeowner's insurance for this. The window will likely fall within your annual deductible and any claim can make your insurance go up. (Some companies dispute this but our relative who is a muckety muck with a large insurance company says this is absolutely true.)

We had three break ins during one year. During one of them the criminals tried to rewire our alarm system! Once we realized how easy that was to do we put in an electric gate at the street that has to be opened with a code. That may be overkill for some, but our driveway is a half mile long and we are too far from the street for any kind of neighborhood watch.

So, my recommendations are:

1. Do not call the insurance company
2. DO call the police and report this.
3. DO tell the police about the abandoned home and ask for more of a police presence in your neighborhood in the short term.
4. DO tell your subdivision president or neighborhood watch captain about the incident, and/or alert your neighbors yourselves.
5. I personally would not arm the system while I am at home because we are in and out so much. (Presumably you already arm it at night.)

It's very scary to have someone violate your home. Over the years we've been the victim of several burglaries, including one actual robbery (we were home. It's not a good feeling!

Cover the cost yourself and don't call the insurance. Some ins. companies up the premiums for small fix-it's.

I'd call the police so they'll know to patrol a bit more. For the time being at least, turn the alarm on while you're outdoors.

Is there anyone slumming in the house next door? At night you ought to look for movement. Scary, huh?

Good luck and keep watching your cat's! If I ever see Lizzie back in this room at the window, it means she's watching a human or saw someone.

I agree with everything kswl posted with the exception that the burglar may have attempted to break in while your husband was there.

I have also had my homes burglarized several times and each incident happened during the day. Although I had a security system in all of the homes, I hadn't bothered turning them on. One time the burglary took place while I was in my home, but I was in a different part of the house and didn't realize what was happening. One time I walked in on the burglars (now that was scary).

About 50 years ago (yep, I'm that old), my dad had just exited his car in his garage when a guy with a knife robbed him. It was 3:00 p.m.! Fortunately, dad was not physically harmed and the police did end up apprehending the scumbag.

It really doesn't matter where one lives. It happens everywhere.

I would definitely report it to the police using the non-emergency number and have the crimewatch officer come out to the house. Here they take this stuff very seriously, and an officer will come to investigate. They would really prefer people call and it turn out to be nothing vs. not call and it is something.

Jen, we've had a series of daytime break-ins over the last year, some houses more than once, NO lie! A little over a month ago someone was apprehended, an 18 year old boy. Seems during the last robbery, one of the houses that had been broken into twice, a neighbor noticed a car in the driveway he had never seen before. The police began their initial search in the neighborhood, locating the car at a house right in our very neighborhood.

Three teen boys have been involved in the burglaries, a16,17,and the 18 year old. I haven't heard the outcome, but there haven't been any more robberies. They entered every time breaking a window in the back of the house. With fences, it's hard to see what's going on in the neighbor's yard.

Definitely report it. It gets it on record that there's a problem in the area but it also gives you a feeling of empowerment or control in that you're doing something about the violation. We had a new pickup stolen in the middle of the night from a shed within walking distance of our bedroom window. It's definitely given me a new appreciation for keeping a watchful eye and the feeling of security. Initially when we reported it to the sheriffs office they sluffed it off and said it was a probably a friendly prank and would likely be found somewhere close in a field or elsewhere on the place. Then they got a call from another neighbor about other things stolen in the area and then they took us serious and came to file a report.

Right now -- Costco has security cameras sets -- perhaps install those around your home?

And yes -- take photos and report it to the non-emergency number.

Does your alarm system have the option to make a tone when a door or window is opened even when the alarm is not armed? Mine does and I find that to be a welcome feature. It means that if someone enters the house, the tone will sound and I can call 911. Also, I can arm the alarm for the doors and windows, but leave the inside motion detectors turned off. That would be another option if you don't use the exterior doors much when you are home.

My alarm guy told me that most residential burglaries are committed by teenagers living within one mile of the target. I don't know if that's true, but it makes some sense.

I ditto everything KSWL said.

We keep our alarm system on when we go to bed and when we are gone from the house. I sometimes turn it on if I am here alone and taking a bath, blow-drying my hair, etc.

Sorry this has happened!!

tina

If you have an alarm then use it. I do set my perimeter alarm when I'm home, specially if I go upstairs to shower & dry hair in the middle of the day. I also have the chime feature enabled - if any door or window is opened it sounds a beep at the keypad. Great feature when you have kids coming and going. The chime feature also lets any trade/delivery people who come to your house be aware that you have an alarm and are using it.

The latest crime spree where my MIL lives is targeting widows. The criminals read the obits and then go right on over to the house and rob the poor window.

Ugh!!! I am sorry you are going through this. As others have said, it DOES happen everywhere, though I know it's different when it happens to you.

I read a lot about this when we were thinking about buying the house that had been broken into . . .what it came down to is that people will always find a way in, but the trick is to try to make it as difficult as possible so that they move onto someone else. Sad.

Make sure you have alarm sign in yard and stickers on as many doors and windows you feel necessary. I've been told many would be burglaries are detoured by them. Also put signs on the backside of your fence.

You have gotten good advice here regarding contacting the police and not filing a report with your insurance company.

Living next to a vacant house is not good; security cameras sound like a very good idea. If you don't have outdoor security lights, you might want to get some. And for vulnerable windows, bushes with thorns are an effective deterrent.

Haven't read all the responses but agree with letting the local authorities know as well as the neighborhood, maybe organize a neighborhood watch program if you don't already have one in place.

I would also suggest maybe getting a dog. I was feeling very vulnerable working at home alone all day by myself. I can't stress enough how much safer I have felt since getting our puppy. By four months she was already letting me know when she heard something; by six, her bark was mature enough to make someone coming to the door nervous. That is exactly what I was hoping for. I later found out that only a couple of days after getting our dog, the house next door had experienced an intruder in their garage, in broad daylight with their cars parked there! So maybe what I was feeling was a premonition?

Anyways, we got a puppy instead of a grown dog so it would grow up accepting our other animals (an older cat and birds) as part of the family. Being home all day was perfect for training purposes. She's been a real jewel since day one. Some may say it's a lot of work, but if done properly, it's not so bad and can be fun. Something to consider.....

Thanks so much for all of your responses. I read them on my Kindle while waiting for the police to show yesterday afternoon. We called the non-emergency number, and an officer came out within about an hour. We determined that the attempted break-in occurred a few days ago, but we only realized it had happened when DH was on the side of the house where the window was broken, doing yard work. (Although both of us had noticed that the A/C unit seemed to be running louder than usual - but neither of us voiced that concern to one another ... well, that's because the window that it sits right outside of was broken, but we didn't notice as two layers of window treatments cover that window.) Anyway, the police officer made a report and took a couple of photos, stating that if a similar break-in occurred in the vicinity, using the same type of tools that were used on our window, and the perpetrator was caught, they may be able to use the photos at our house to bring about a conviction. The officer also said that he couldn't even file the report on our property as attempted burglary since access was not gained. It would only go down as "criminal mischief."

I think DH and I both felt really violated and a sense of helplessness when we first discovered that this had happened. After sleeping on it, though, I feel like I've taken back some of my power and now just feel determined to protect my property to the best of my ability, and not allow the actions of some probably strung-out dirtbag to bring me down.

Last night DH was talking seriously about installing security/burglar bars on the windows on that side and back of the house. I know they now make them so that they are easy to open from the inside in case of fire, but I still think they're so ugly. Nothing says "welcome to the ghetto" quite like burglar bars, IMO. I'm not sure if our alarm system has the chime, but we will look into that. I called our alarm monitoring company yesterday and they are sending out more yard signs and window stickers. You never know if that will truly be a deterrent, but every little bit helps, I suppose.

I have also contacted our neighborhood (volunteer) patrol and will be contacting another neighbor who heads up our association this morning. I feel that the more neighbors know of the goings-on, the more likely they are to keep an eye out. I really hate to view everyone who is not familiar as a "suspicious person", but when something like this happens, it's certainly hard not to do that.

No dogs for us ... The cats take up enough of our time, energy and money (we just spent $700 on Pip when he got sick recently - yikes!), although I know that a dog that will bark to alert its owners of a stranger's presence is a very valuable thing!

We may look into the security cameras too. There is a house a few streets over from us that has cameras outside and a professionally made sign to alert that "you are being watched." Not a very friendly thing, but at this point, I'm not so sure I care to exude a warm welcome to everyone.

Thank you again for your suggestions, and for sharing your stories which really do help me to understand that things like this happen everywhere.

Yeah, I know pet care is expensive; I don't blame ya with that one; it didn't hurt that I had wanted a dog for years. Just after I wrote my post, the FedEx guy knocked and our Ellie went to the door in a full bark mode. I can't help but smile every time she does that. She's the funnest alarm system I've ever had!!! LOL

I don't often comment but I just had to comment about this subject. I worked in public safety for almost 20 years. For every violent crime you see reported on the news (gun shot, stabbing, carjacking, armed robbery, home invasion, etc.), there are countless others that aren't reported on TV or in the newspaper. And I'm not just talking about in big cities or the 'bad areas of town'. These days, the number of violent crimes are going up at staggering rates and they are affecting EVERY one and at ANY time of the day or night.

When I was growing up, my mom used to comfort us when we were scared by telling us that no one would break in while we were at home. She would say, "Those bad men only want to break in when no one's home. They want to get in, steal all the stuff and get out quickly without being noticed. They usually don't want to hurt anyone." Well, that is just not true anymore. These days, people are just flat out cruel and they would just as soon shoot you as to look at you. They WILL come into your home regardless if you are home or not. In fact, they often look for targets who are home so you can lead them to where all your expensive items are and even take them to other locations to get more.

With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to avoid being a victim:

1) ALWAYS BE MINDFUL THAT NO ONE IS FOLLOWING YOU...when you leave the bank, ATM, a nice restaurant, the mall, etc. If you EVER even think you are being followed, drive to the closest police station. DO NOT GO HOME!!

2) ALWAYS LOCK YOUR WINDOWS & DOORS...in your home and automobile.

3) LEAVE ON EXTERIOR LIGHTS AT NIGHT. Motion censored and/or timed lights are a great addition to a few that remain on all night. Mix it up to keep from getting in a routine that someone would notice.

4) GET A DOG (or at least have a sign that indicates you own one)

5) INSTALL AN ALARM SYSTEM with a BATTERY BACK-UP and ALWAYS HAVE IT ARMED and MONITORED, NO MATTER WHAT TIME OF THE DAY IT IS!! The sophisticated home invader knows that many people don’t turn alarms on regularly! So if you have it, always use it! By the way, if you don't have a landline and/or you are in a remote location, use a satellite alarm monitoring company.

6) IF YOU ARE A FEMALE LIVING ALONE, BUY SOME MENS BOOTS from a thrift store and set them outside your door to make it look like there is a man living there with you. You can put them beside your imaginary dog's bowl on the porch! :0)

7) ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR GUT! That first gut instinct is almost always right. Listen to it!

Below is an article about a home invasion that happened close to my home very recently. It was in a very affluent area and ended very badly. A 78 y/o grandmother and her disabled granddaughter returned home from running errands and were surprised by burglars as the men were about to leave the home. From the getaway car, one of the suspects fired a single shot from a handgun, striking the disabled woman in the head, killing her. To read more, the article is here:

FAYETTE CO GRANDMOTHER PLEADS to FIND SUSPECTS IN FATAL HOME INVASION

I hope this info helps at least one person stay safe.

Blessings,

~Addy~

P.S. There's some additional safety info in the link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: HOME INVASION ROBBERY - Protect Your Family With A Security Plan

Sunny, you need one of these

Strangers will be cornered unless you introduce the dog to them. This is if the dog is trained properly like mine. If someone were to attack me or the family or his dog sisters he would then attack back but otherwise he keeps them in their place (if they don't chance a run for it).
My dog is otherwise very social and has many dog buddies that he goes for long walks with. We make sure we keep him social in this way and he also really loves children.

He loves his sister too.

Another thought to follow up on addyson's advice to drive to a police station if you are being followed...sometimes we aren't sure where the police stations are, but we usually do know where a fire station is and there is ALWAYS someone there. That is one of the best places to go if you need help for any reason. We love our firemen!

spam reported

I am glad the police did not discount your report. Our neighbor had her purse stolen from the kitchen counter when she was at home during the day but had gone into the back yard to do some gardening. We live in a 'very safe' suburb, but someone obviously came to her door, saw the purse and no one inside, and came in to grab it.

A friend of a friend who lives in the city came home to find her dog (a large lab) locked in her pantry and her house had been robbed, also during the day and while she was just at the grocery store. Any other day at that time she would have been home alone. Whether her presence would have deterred the intruders or not, who knows. The dog did not stop them.

I do rely on my dogs for security, but as they are aging they do not hear everything they used to, so even they are not a perfect solution.

One thing no one mentioned is to make sure bushes and shrubs are cut down and away from windows around your house. When our house was broken into (30 yrs ago, different town), it was under cover from the bush that had grown over our bedroom window.

FYI, this is a 3year old thread that was brought back to life by a spammer.

Yes, and I'm the one who started this thread (under a previous user name). I was really surprised to see this resurrected. Honestly, I had completely forgotten about the attempted break-in. It was so long ago!

Ex 20 yr Insurance Agent... Do NOT file an insurance claim for all the reasons stated above.