Really Irritated, Our Office Was Broken Into Last Night!

10 years ago

Okay, this is a major rant! Last night around 9 pm we got a call from the alarm monitoring company for,our office. The alarm was going off and they wanted to know if it was accidental. We had just finished dinner, so it wasn't, and they called 911. We received four calls more in rapid succession, so DH and I went to meet the police at the office. Someone had used a tree branch to break the window in a back office and of course glass and bark was everywhere. The computer monitor, keyboard and mouse had been taken, but not the CPU, which gives you an idea of how unsophisticated our burglar was. Desk stuff was strewn everywhere and there was shattered glass into the adjacent bathroom.

An officer and k-9 had secured the building ground level and the dog had been cut by the glass. He was being bandaged in the parking lot and the vet called to stitch him up. His blood was dripped in every hallway and room and there was a puddle of it in the front reception area. The person(s) had also tried to pull a specialized monitor off one of the walls in another room, but that's all that was taken or deliberately damaged.

Thank god handy guy is staying with us this week! We called him and he brought wood from our basement to board up the window. We had to wait until the crime scene tech arrived to take photos and dust for fingerprints....our homegrown version of CSI. Let me tell you, that fingerprint powder is a MESS. You can't see it until moisture hits it, then it turns into a greasy black mud. It was all over two rooms when she finished--- chairs, equipment, doors, walls in some places, etc.

The three of us cleaned up the mess (handy guy did most of the work, I mopped the floors and cleaned the dog's blood off the baseboards and walls, DH picked up the biggest glass shards). HG boarded up the window and we got home around 11:30 pm. Today I will have the window replaced and the carpet cleaned, and HG is putting burglar bars on the back office windows. I have resisted doing that because it looks "ghetto" to me, but this time DH is insistent. Last year someone broke a window trying to get in but was deterred and did not actually get in due to the alarm.

Many feelings---- sad the dog was hurt, but he will be fine, they said. Annoyance at the extra work......incredulity that a person would make such a mess for a monitor, mouse and keyboard.....more annoyance that Handy Guy will spend today doing work at the office instead of Christmas decorating at our home....gratitude to the police, who were out in force to look for the perpetrator(s).....thankfulness that Handy Guy was here and so willing to do whatever was needed.

Rant over. It could have been a lot worse, obviously, and there are far worse things that happened to others last night in our town, state, and nation. But it IS really annoying.

Featured Answer

Annie Deighnaugh

10 years ago

I'm so sorry. Not only is it annoying, but it can be emotionally disturbing because it is such a violation of your space. I know that's how I felt when our house was broken into when I was growing up.

I'm glad that you didn't lose more. I'm also glad that it wasn't vandalized which sometimes happens making it only that much worse...when they spray paint and break stuff, etc.

Thank goodness you had the alarm and were notified so quickly. Did you have pics of the office before the break in?

I know your place was an office, not home, but this event can be a good wake-up call for us. We can make sure our windows are not obscured, that we have pics of our houses and contents, and that our insurance coverage is adequate. Below is a link to more info about securing your home from break-in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Discourage break-ins

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Comments (15)

mitchdesj
10 years ago
What a drag, sorry this happened to you.
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awm03
10 years ago
A monitor, mouse, & keyboard? Amazing that somebody wanted it that badly. I'm so sorry for your trouble, kswl. Hope this is the last of it.
graywings123
10 years ago
Very strange. Sounds like an amateur thief.
neetsiepie
10 years ago
Definitely sounds like kids. I'm really amazed at the police response. Here, you're lucky if they come out to take an actual report-never mind dusting for prints or bringing out a dog! They only use the dogs here when there is an active sighting of a suspect and they need the dog to get them out into their reach.

You might also consider some kind of obscuring film on the windows-to keep wannabees from peeking in the windows, if you don't already have blinds on them.
dedtired
10 years ago
Sounds like some kid whose school cannot afford to teach them about computers, or he would have known where the money is. So sorry this happened to you. What a mess.

As Annie said, it is the violation of your personal space as much or even more than the loss of stuff. Of course, if the stuff has personal meaning and is irreplaceable, that is a horrible feeling, too. I had a ring stolen from my house that had been my great aunt's, and I feel sick about it to this day.

Good idea to put the bars up, distasteful as they are.

We've had a lot of house burglaries around here,including one on my street. Ick.
ellendi
10 years ago
So sorry. Get the bars. There are many more choices now and I think you can find ones that are tasteful. Most important, you want to feel that your office is secured.

The problem with alarms is that that there is still time for damage to be done. An experienced thief knows just how much time they have to get in and out.
Annie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
I mentioned your plight to my DH and he said to make sure that your office has sufficient egress routes with the bars on in case of fire. Usually with a commercial space there are specific requirements for such things.
mtnrdredux_gw
10 years ago
Goodness, K, what an annoyance! I'm glad it wasn't serious, but as Annie says its still an emotional impact.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
I am strangely tired today, like I just can't clear my head of cobwebs. Eating cookies for lunch probably didn't help my mental acuity (or lack thereof), I guess, but hey--- everybody has a different comfort food.
nancybee_2010
10 years ago
So sorry this happened kswl. And you were having such a good run with the christmas tree etc!
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Things are going well on the home front still, nancybee! We got a 6.5 foot spruce planted in the front circle, Foster hollies in one set of planters and boxwoods in another set, and the garlands up over the front door. AND wreaths on the front columns, both ends of the bridge, and the front gates. Putting C7 lights on the spruce tonight. Sod laid out for the front paths, so all is well at the house, at least.
maire_cate
10 years ago
kswl - what an awful thing to experience. Let's hope the police catch the thief. Do you have motion activated security lights in the back? We recently added them in the rear of our home at our alarm company's suggestion.

And now I have to tell you how disappointed I am that HG isn't your DH. I must have missed the post when he was introduced. But as I read all about Handy Guy in a few posts I just assumed it was your way of complimenting your DH.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
LOL, maire cate! DH is an excellent person, highly intelligent and very interesting, but he is the least handy guy in the universe. The real Handy Guy comes down several days a month to do home maintenance and repair. He studied design in college and worked in that field for several years, then started his own remodeling business with referrals from designers and realtors. We live a little too far from his city for a commute, so he comes down and stays with us (and brings his dog, who loves the country). That's why he was available at 9pm. Thank heavens!
TxMarti
10 years ago
How awful! I hope it's all back to normal now. I laughed at my son-in-law because he has no less than 3 cameras pointing at every exterior door of their house, and not hidden either. He said the cameras alone should deter anyone trying to break in, and if not, he'll have pictures of them from every angle.

Really Irritated, Our Office Was Broken Into Last Night!

Annie Deighnaugh

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