Ever been robbed? When I was a teen I got home from school and noticed

[applegrove]

all sorts of plastic bags on the floor of our home. I asked my mom what was up with her stash of recycled bags all over the house. She said oh my god we've been robbed. The thief took some clothes of mine, some soap, some linen and a few pieces of good jewelry from my mom. The bags we guess he used so he wouldn't leave fingerprints. took a suitcase to carry it all in too. They never solved it.

[Brickbat]

1. I've been burgled twice, when I was living in Russia. Both times I was not at home.

Dealing with the police was an interesting experience, both times.

[Flaxbee]

32. I'll bet - I've spent a fair amount of time in Russia; my

husband lived there for a while for work ... were the police helpful at all? Or were you just wary of them?

[Brickbat]

33. The first time, I called the regular police line. I was nervous, though -- I was essentially an

illegal worker because my passport had disappeared into some bureaucratic hell hole (my employer, who was supposed to register it, had no idea where it was) and I was not registered to live in the city. So when the police asked for my passport as a routine question and to see if my papers were in order, I lied. Also, the apartment I was renting was off the books and too much attention could have gotten my landlord in trouble.

The second time, I called the special line for foreigners who need police assistance. The main difference was that they came to the apartment to help me, instead of making me go to the police station to make my statement, and I had to give my statement one extra time.

As a result of all this, my fingerprints are on file in Russia. Heh.

[sakabatou]

2. Yes.

Luggage was stolen out of a car.

[REP]

3. Burgled twice; robbed at least 3 times; car stolen; kidnapped/attempt rape once

The last asshole who tried to rob me ended up with a broken arm and smashed cheekbone.

All that happened in my hometown. I got sick of the crime and the weather and moved.

[suninvited]

4. While sleeping one night

I heard a crash in the front part of the house.

The house was a hundred year old home with maids quarters attached to the house. All I had to do was go through the sun room and into the kitchen to get into the front part of the house; I slept in the maids quarters because I liked that room.

I walked through the sun room and into the kitchen after hearing the noise and flipped on a light switch. I stood there a minute or so and heard no more noises, so I went back out and laid down. Then I heard what sounded like running footsteps, and I heard the sun room door close. I was worried at this point and waited a couple of minutes to go into the house and heard nothing further so I went back to bed and slept the rest of the night. I figured I was just hearing things that weren't really there.

The next morning, my daughter asked me if I had smoked a cigarette in the house because she smelled a cigarette. I told her no, but she insisted that I had smoked in the house. I was getting irritated, because I didn't like being accused of something I didn't do when my daughter yelled that the cigarette butt was smashed out in her floor. We started looking around and realized someone had been in the house the night before.

The crash I heard was a desktop computer in my daughters room, everything had been unhooked from the computer except the phone line, and when someone tried to pull the computer out of the desk it caught on the phone line and fell.

Several things were stolen, but nothing major.

The scariest part was that a person or people were in our house roaming around while we were in the house and wondering what would have happened if I had investigated the noises further and met the burgler(s) face to face.

[grasswire]

5. yes

I am due beer and travel money, and many experiences.

[Ptah]

6. Yes. That's why I haven't been able to post any sunflower pics.

:cry:

[femmocrat]

19. What happened, Ptah?

If you already posted about it, I am sorry I missed it. Did they take your camera?

[Ptah]

20. Burgled again.

Camera, GPS thing and laptop.

Being unemployed, I will have a difficult time replacing those things.

And my sunflowers are starting to bloom.

:cry:

[femmocrat]

37. I'm so sorry, Ptah.

I love your photos. :cry:

[Ptah]

40. Thanks, femmocrat. Here's one from a couple of years ago:

[abq e streeter]

7. Too many times to count...always small stuff too (which is usually all I had anyway)

Once they took my bong. TV's, tape recorders, jars of coins, OK, I can understand I guess... but to steal a man's bong. That's just low.

[ashling]

8. One time I got home to my apartment and noticed the front door was slightly ajar.

As I went in the kitchen door (same side of the apartment) I heard my guitar as it went out the front door. I got to the front door to find it standing wide open ... and no guitar.

[applegrove]

9. Yes somebody tried to get into my apartment one night. I heard some jingleling

of the chain on the door and mistook it for my cat. All of a sudden she meowed. I called her name and noticed the light coming into my room from the hall. I went to sleep. When I woke up the door was ajar with the chain still on it. Cat usually slept at the door. No hall lights were on, the light I saw the night before was from the door beingv ajar. Someone was trying to get in knowing I was in there. Scary stuff.

[shanti]

10. yes, three times

twice, i wasn't home. one time, it was a home invasion, but they didn't think i was there, and i surprised them. i felt totally violated every time :(

[XemaSab]

11. Twice and one more close call

The first time I was really little and we came home and the door was open. We went upstairs to the neighbor's and when my mom went back downstairs things were in different places than they had been 10 minutes earlier. They were there and we interrupted them.

The second time this dude opened my window and snaked my laptop while I was in the next room. I went into my room and the window was open and the computer was gone. They caught the guy and he's doing life.

The "close call" was when I was little and someone used a glass cutter on one of our windows in the middle of the night. My mom heard the sound and scared him off. The cops said the man probably wasn't breaking in to steal stuff. :scared:

[Maine-ah]

18. on the second

did the guy have one hell of a rap sheet to give him life for a break in and theft?

[XemaSab]

25. He did, yes

Plus he was suspected of about 40 break-ins since his last incarceration.

[bluesbassman]

12. Every April 15th since 1972.

:P

Seriously though, only twice. Both times stuff left in vehicles. Left a very nice leather jacket in plain site inside my car and must have forgot to lock the door, when I came back about a half hour later it was gone. Second was a pair of brand new motocross boots that were going to be a gift for my son. That time they actually popped the lock on the door. Cost me another pair of boots and a new lock.

I make every effort to hide stuff now if I have to leave it in a vehicle.

[era veteran]

13. Dec 14 2010/ Lexington,KY

Two macs, nice camera, broken entry door,etc. About $6000.00 loss about $3000.00 in insurance settlement. My city is 150 cops short and cancelled the last police academy class. We knew the deed doer but COULD NOT get a timely call from a detective to give evidence and when we did it was too late.
BUT... Our taxes are low and we elect tools and fools.

[wysimdnwyg]

14. Soap? A burgler took soap? Very odd

Growing up, I had two different homes broken into. Both times they broke out the glass in the back door and reached through to unlock. Today's lesson: if you have glass in the door (or next to it), use a double-key deadbolt.

[femmocrat]

15. Yes. The burglar came in through the window next to the fire escape.

He didn't get much... we were just kids in a crappy apartment at the time. It was still unsettling though.

[raccoon]

16. Burgled once when I lived in an old house that had been cut into apartments.

My neighbors robbed me after a fire in the house. Just a few pieces of relatively inexpensive jewelry.

Another old house that had been cut into apartments, my neighbor robbed me. Just money and some change I'd saved for the laundromat. I called the cops and they came over but that was it. I didn't know then that the neighbor did it, but in hindsight I know he did.

ANother time, I was singing in the church choir. During services, someone came in the locked room where we left out purses and other stuff. Thief just stole money--stole about $60 from my purse.

I'd much rather be robbed when I'm not there, if I have to be robbed.

[RSillsbee]

17. Some one smashed the window of my truck one night

in Tampa. They got a radio and a few other minor items.

On morning outside my apartment I was acosted by a mugger but he made a very important life decision when he saw me draw a gun and took off.


One night at 9:30 or so some guy showed up outside my house telling me he wasnted to give me a free copy of the Denver Post (he had no paper in his hand). I refused to open the door. I got a very weird vibe from the whole thing and I am sure it was a set up for some type of robbery.

[LeftinOH]

21. I came home once and bumped into a guy coming out of my house;

due to my polite nature, I automatically said "oh, excuse me". It quickly dawned on me that politeness wasn't called for in this situation. The *sshole took off before I could gather myself to realize what was going on. Never again.

[Maine-ah]

22. ok,

I'm sure it was scary, but that made me lol...

[LeftinOH]

23. No prob. It makes everyone I tell it to laugh. n/t

[Iggo]

24. Answered in a different thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9731837#9731850

[kick-ass-bob]

26. The house my parents built in the mountains...

My dad and I showed up one weekend and saw a window was jimmied open. We looked around the house and nothing seemed to be missing. We called home to my mom and mentioned - "why didn't we have any food left in the house?"

She was like, "uh, they did steal something."

:think: :crazy:

[Lucinda]

27. Not at home. But armed robbery, twice.

It's not as much fun as you would think. :P
Both were when I was younger.
First time was a fast food restaurant. The guy walked up to the counter with a gun.
The second time was when I was managing a hotel and working the desk late one night.
Both times they were given the money without any fuss - and the police were given excellent descriptions. I'm good at observing details under stress. Who Knew? LOL

I found that I am much calmer in those situations that I would have expected.

[Iggo]

30. It's weird how not-scared you become, huh.

When they robbed the 7-11 I was working at, I actually chastised the guy to "Relax and point that gun the other way. This ain't MY money. I'm still gettin' paid on Friday!"

[Lucinda]

31. Isn't it?

You never know how you will react until you are in the position. I bet you surprised the guy with your remarks. :toast:

[Iggo]

34. To be fair, I was scared shitless afterward.

I might've even cried when the cops finally got there...lol.

[Lucinda]

35. I wasn't - but I think I've always been calm in bad circumstances.

I was a little afraid when I ran across the first robber while walking on the street several weeks later. When that happened, I got a little twitchy, but I don't think he recognized me at all. I wasn't wearing my "oh so fashionable" Jack in the Box attire. :) Unfortunaltely I wasn't anywhere near a phone to call the cops, so I couldn't do anything about it.

I think I've always been calm "during"... I started kindergarten in an arm cast. I was running after my dog (in the house of course - lol) and I didn't turn when he did, and I ran into the wall and broke my forearm in two places. It looked like a u-bend in my arm :) Later, at the emergency room, I wasn't crying, just sitting and chatting with my mom - and two women there thought it was just some sort of birth defect and asked my mother about it.

I am so weird. :)

[eyepaddle]

28. I got held up at gunpoint by a couple of thugs once.

I was about ten feet from the gate to the backyard too. They took me for $16. I think it was part of a gang intitiation thing. It was 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon--why would they think I was carrying a meaningful amount cash at that time.

[RockaFowler]

29. I've been robbed 2x

The first time I was a kid. We were in Florida on vacation and this kid who hated my Dad broke into our house and drank all of the booze my Dad had and left bottles all over the house. He stole a few jewelry items from my Dad's room and all of our TVs. We lived in the woods, so no-one noticed until we were on our last day of vacation. Sad trip home for us.

The 2nd time I was living in a Mobile Home - the easiest homes to break into. The guy busted one of the jalousie windows in the bedroom. He stole all of our jewelry and any cash we had in a change drawer. We found my husband's ring at the local Pawn Shop 2 months later. I can't believe we had to buy it back - even with a police report. It was taken there by some crackhead who just wanted a few bucks to get a fix.

[emilyg]

36. Both passeger doors

on my Toyota were stolen.

[Xipe Totec]

38. Almost

We were on a month long vacation.

Thieves got into the house.

Had everything of value bundled up and ready to go.

Then they broke into my dad's liquor cabinet.

The started to party, put on some music, the party got loud, the neighbors noticed, they called the cops...


When we got home all our stuff was still there, in the bundles made by the thieves.

Well... everything but the liquor.

[Odin2005]

39. 5 years ago somebody broke into my apartment and stole my laptop.

They never found the perp.

[Philippine expat]

41. I know the distinction doesn't mean much to the victims

but if someone breaks into your house and car when you are not around that is burglary not robbery.
As the officer explained to me when I reported a burglary, for it to be classified as robbery there must be a
face to face, at least this is true in Texas other states may vary

[ceile]

42. Yes. With 2 roommates home at the time.

Came home to find my cat outside, I thought she had pushed my bedroom screen out chasing another cat, bird. Front door was ajar so I just thought one of the roomies had not pulled it all the way shut when they went to work. Chased the cat back in. Went to my room and noticed the window was wide open. They had taken the screen off my window and climbed through. Two stereos from my room and the VCR from the living room gone. They took my robe to wrap everything in then walked out the front door. Two roommates were home asleep when it happened sometime between 10am and noon on a Sunday. I didn't know whether to be pissed at the roommates or glad they were safe and slept through it.