Poll Question: Do you leave your doors unlocked when you're home?

[politicat]

When we're home, we don't bother locking our doors (because we're also prone to locking ourselves out, and that would be bad if we're both outside and we locked ourselves out.) We lock up at night or before we leave the house.

But several of our acquaintances (who live in neighborhoods far better than ours and much less prone to crime) always live behind locked doors - to the point of locking them when they go out to cut the grass.

I think that's a bit paranoid, but maybe I'm missing a great lawn-mower opportunity crime spree.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. I have trained my kids to always lock the doors.

In fact, my 10yo locks the door behind me when I go get the mail.

[Robb]

2. The only reason I ever lock my doors

...is so some numbnuts doesn't let my dogs out.

[miss_american_pie]

3. Other

When it's just the boys and me at home I lock them. When my husband is home, the last person to bed locks up.

[trof]

4. Locked, but there's a good reason.

We have two little girls next door.
4 and 2.
We are surrogate grandparents.
They are real cuties.

Sometimes they come to "visit".
They DO ring the doorbell.
And, if no one answers, they just come on in.

Miz t. is out and I'm back here in our little "office", all alone, and out of the blue this little voice at my elbow says "Hi, Mr. trof! Whatcha doin'?"

JESUS McMURPHY KEE-RIST!
Where the hell did YOU come from?
Damn near gave me a stroke.
whew

We lock the front door now.
;-)

[politicat]

8. Awww... that's so sweet!!

Sorry about the heart attack, but that's giving me cavities just thinking about it.

[Skittles]

5. I'm sorry, I have to say this

only a schmuck would leave their doors unlocked. What are you waiting for, the proverbial neighborhood axe murder that makes everyone locks their doors?

[politicat]

7. I AM the proverbial axe murderer, and Mr. P is the neighborhood scary guy.

We are the most frightening people in our neighborhoods. People cross the street to avoid our house.... (Not that it's not tidy and trimmed and stuff, but we have multiple signs warning Republicans, Christians, salespeople, etc about our non-welcoming ways, and we're known as those freaky punks down the street that glower. We're in training to be grumpy old men.)

[Skittles]

16. lol

living in a metroplex I automatically lock my door when I enter - always. It drives my boyfirend at the farm crazy because I am always locking him out. :o

[idgiehkt]

6. I sleep with my front door open

onto the screen porch. I have no air in my cabin so if I didn't I'd suffocate. There are four dogs in the yard so I don't worry about it.

[trof]

10. Dog = Best intruder alarm. EVER.

I miss ours.
:-(

[politicat]

14. You never met my mom's dog....

He could make friends with anyone, and everyone in the house was there to pet him.

Dumbest dog on the planet.

Though I've heard that mini poodles make great watch dogs -- protective and noisy.

[Mutley]

9. Mine are locked all the time whether I am home or not.

I don't live in the safest city in the world.

[nosillies]

11. I have personally known of examples of horrific violence

against people who left their doors unlocked. The murderers and rapist just walked right in. I don't even open my windows!

Plus, I have a two-year-old escape artist. So every door stays locked, and as an extra precaution, alarmed. I hear a series of beeps every time something cracks around here!

[politicat]

17. For me, the examples I know were the other way round...

Despite the security measures, despite the warrants and protective orders, despite the guns and weapons training... the murders and rapes happened anyway.

I guess I made peace a long time ago with the fact that the people most likely to hurt me weren't random strangers, but the people I let into my life intentionally or whom I had no choice over.

DH and I have talked about electronic locks or a security system occasionally... I resist because I don't want to put my faith in either technology or let my guard down. I guess I feel like the best key to my self-defense is myself; being aware of my environment and having faith in myself that in a fight, I WILL win.

[yvr girl]

12. My hallway door is always locked but

I often leave my patio door open, even when I'm asleep (which I know isn't the wisest thing to do.)

[Oeditpus Rex]

19. But... but...

You live in Canadia. There's no crime there. None. :shrug:

[querelle]

13. I'd Like To Be Able To Leave The Doors Unlocked

But there are just too many crazy ass people around these days. Home invasions, break & enters, etc, etc. BTW, I live in the B & E capitol of North America. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Who would have thought? Never happened to me.........yet.

Q

[LadyoftheRabbits]

15. Now that we live in the country,

It's a bit easier to go about unlocked. But never completely leaving them unlocked whilst gone or asleep. I hear people leave doors unlocked in Canada.

[querelle]

21. That's A Myth

Perpetuated by Michael Moore. When he did that in Bowling For Columbine, he did us no favours. He must have tried thousands of doors to find a few that were open. Canadian people do not leave their doors open. We are not as friendly as you think. We are actually an evil nation that seeks to undermine the sacred institution of marriage and enslave all children in homosexual re-training camps. Oh yes......all churches are to burned down because we are heathens in this god forsaken country. We actually allow HOMOS to marry! For shame!

Q

[politicat]

24. Funny enough, most of the burglaries I know about have been in rural

areas. My great-grandparents' area has been seriously hit in the last couple of years, both by regular burglars looking for cash, drugs, drug precursors, etc and by collection thieves (who take things like anvils and old farm implements to sell to collectors). Their houses are about a half mile apart (visible, but not close) and basically every house in the neighborhood where people leave the house during the day have been hit. (Ours hasn't been because there is someone in the house 24/7 and it is obvious and we don't have fertilizer on the property.)

Farms get hit a lot in the midwest and west because ammonium nitrate has several uses, from weapons to drugs. (Another advantage of being organic...) Also, farm diesel pumps are usually unsecured, so thieves can take fuel.

In comparison, my midsized town neighborhood, which is about 10 times as densely populated, has about a 10th the burglaries. (Most crimes in my neighborhood according to my local police department are either domestic or vandalism.)

[qnr]

18. Door opens to "main" street, downtown, next to the laundry area for the

apartment complex next door (we're the annex) ... have had too many people just wander in, thinking it was the laundry. We keep it locked now.

[CatholicEdHead]

20. Apartment door is locked all the time

unless I am loading or unloading the car, if I am there or not.

[cobalt1999]

22. only at night.

Don't lock them during the day nor when we leave the house during the day. Small intimate neighborhood, a few old retired neighbors with nothing to do but watch the street. That and a German Shepard guarding the place :)

[wain]

23. I live in a small country community

I never lock the doors. I do have dead bolts on the front and back and occasionally use them when away for a few days. I'll go on a 6 mile run and leave the car in the driveway with the keys in them, the garage door open and the front and back door open. However, I can see the day coming when I'll need to lock up, due to growth in the local area with its attendant crime increase. I sure do like living in a community that you can trust.

:)

[Blue_In_AK]

25. We have the doors wide open

while we're awake in the summer. The cool breeze feels just great blowing through here, and it's always so nice after being shut inside all winter.

[reyd reid reed]

26. I'm half and half...

Usually, if I'm home, the front door's wide open, just the screen door closed. But...if I'm upstairs and I'm the only one home, I lock 'em.

Always locked at night and when I leave the house, though.

[China_cat]

27. We used to not lock our doors when we are home

but then we had Jehovah's Witnesses walk in without knocking and uninvited. They stay locked now.

[wildhorses]

28. single female alone in a rural area (can you say woods?)

I voted that I keep them locked at night and when I am away from home but, I am NOT hypervigilant about it....of course....I have a gun:evilgrin:









know what would be fun:idea:
























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[NewWaveChick1981]

29. Locked at all times when they are not open.

We live in a relatively low-crime neighborhood, but that doesn't guarantee anything. Our cars are also locked at all times. Growing up in Atlanta, anything was possible, and my mother trained us to be aware at all times of anything suspicious. I'm not paranoid by any means, but I'm careful. :)