Do you lock your doors?

[Liberal_in_LA]

I'm not asking because I'm planning to sneak over. I'm asking because
this story about the Indiana shooting (5 people killed in a rural area). says that
people are planning to start locking their doors. I am surprised that rural Americans
still don't lock their doors.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-09-26/indiana-deaths/50551018/1?csp=24&kjnd=0npklNBrpiPyKBJbb2%2BXbm7M%2FEmpgYmELGDwKyXiO1NZMi%2FXqv2FwSWjGk%2B8QvxR-856cd342-5c39-4432-9856-ee1c48b470a9_uHgLSkBXiM5LyYM8MDoii4v3h%2Bh3FO8zd4eEdyEdL8OJf7GykxpKGRAaYq%2FdxnIu
"It's definitely something to take into consideration. People who haven't locked their doors in years, they're definitely locking up tight now. I actually took off work today because I'm here with my elderly grandparents and I didn't want to leave them here alone until they caught who they are looking for."

[MH1]

1. My intent is 'always' so that's what I picked

of course even people who typically lock the doors sometimes forget or intentionally leave them unlocked on rare occasions for a specific reason.

I grew up rural and we often didn't lock the doors but there was usually someone around the house all the time.

[Papagoose]

74. I lock them when going to bed

I live out in the woods, not that that makes me immune to crime though.

[xchrom]

2. sometimes i'm bad about it because the dogs often go out at odd hours

and i'm not really awake.

[TorchTheWitch]

3. Always always always

In this neighborhood you'd be insane not to lock up tight even when you're at home - doors and windows.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. I might leave my door unlocked while running to the car. I live in a gated community

not likely someone would go in. Actually, I left the front door slightly OPEN all day once by accident. Nothing happened.

[TorchTheWitch]

25. I think it depends a hell of a lot on the neighborhood

On my street we aren't quite at the point where people have bars on their windows but we're getting there. My place and only two others on this street have not been broken into in the last 6 or so years that I've been here, and I believe it's mostly due to us three homes owning large dogs. However one of those people still had his daughter's bicycle stolen out of their fenced yard this summer. Having the dog goes a REALLY long way in making me feel safer, but I wouldn't leave any doors or windows unlocked.

Once you've been robbed once you're never careless again. Then again, the one time I was robbed about 20 years ago was when I lived in what was known as a very safe quiet neighborhood. It had been my grandparents' house for many decades and they never locked the doors and nothing ever happened. Just goes to show you really just never know. Apparently, it was the first robbery in that area in a number of decades. Just so happens that I ended up being the unlucky one. At least they didn't trash the place... other than the missing stuff and some things out of order they were rather tidy robbers.

[Mojorabbit]

34. I have four dogs

One is a shepherd and you can't get near the house
Without them barking. We only occasionally lock up.

[Shagbark Hickory]

43. Do you ever leave the house?

[bottomofthehill]

55. Same here, the Dog alarm system

She would not know the word attack, she has never heard it and has not been trained to, but, she defends the house and family against any thing from a squirrel to a bear. God help the Fed-Ex or UPS guy, although she is ok with the US Mail for some reason. Must be that she hears the truck every day at about the same time.

[Shagbark Hickory]

41. Would you have noticed if someone went inside and made themselves a sandwich?

[Liberal_in_LA]

47. probably not. They could make a sandwich, nap on the couch, watch TV, take a shower

If they left before I got home, I most likely would not notice.

[Shagbark Hickory]

48. So you should be more careful and lock those doors!

[Liberal_in_LA]

49. you are right.

[Tippy]

4. Yearsago hardly anyone in rural areas din't lock up but anyone with common

locks up everything today...When people do without many take what they can...

[rurallib]

8. we live in a rural area and just started locking our doors about 10 years ago

things started happening about then and it just didn't seem wise to leave them unlocked anymore.
That was after 50 years of never locking doors.

[nashville_brook]

5. most murders are familiar people (family) who already have access

i've never been a door locker...but then, i have no family.

[MineralMan]

6. It depends. Not while I'm home, except at night while sleeping.

Usually, if I'm leaving the house empty.

[TBF]

7. Usually - unless I'm out with the dog in the back yard

and then heaven help someone if they try to come in. Puppy is quite large and very protective.

I'm in the suburbs though off a major highway - sometimes we get crime (seems to come in waves - folks report it on the homeowner website so we know if things have been happening). We've had times in our area where someone will ring your front door to ask questions while the accomplice tries to get into the rear of the house and things like that. They move on when the police increase their presence.

When I was growing up in a very rural area folks tended to keep their doors unlocked more, but not here.

[TorchTheWitch]

32. That's the only time I don't lock the back door

And for the same reason - out in the yard with giant hairy beastie. Hairy beasties go a REALLY long way in keeping your home safe. I think it's even a good idea to have a small dog, too, for those folks that can't or don't want a big one... even a small dog is a good deterrent since they can still raise a loud ruckus, and a robber would likely be more inclined to avoid such a house in favor of a dogless quiet one.

When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs we rarely locked all the doors, so when I moved out of the house it was kind of hard to get used to doing it all the time.

[raccoon]

9. Ever read IN COLD BLOOD? The murdered family didn't lock their doors.

After that, I expect everyone in the neighborhood did.

A locked door wouldn't deter a really determined intruder, but at least it would
slow them down a little bit, give you time to dial 911, whatever.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. True story - some guys went on a killing spree in rural town. The daughter survived because she

had developed the habit of locking doors while in college. The night she was home, the perps found the doors locked. Saw the story on of those crime reality shows.

[TheWraith]

10. Usually they're locked at night.

But then, there have been problems with neighbors. A lot of people around her don't lock up.

This might stimulate a short burst of concern about home security, but it'll go away soon enough. If you're breaking into people's homes, doubly so in a rural area, it's only a matter of time until you catch a shotgun blast to the chest.

[Tallulah]

11. Always

day and night, night and day. I don't answer the door unless I'm expecting you or it's the mail lady.

[drmeow]

62. me too - although I do answer for neighbors

[TorchTheWitch]

65. I never answer the door unless I'm expecting someone, too

Mostly it's because I think it's just rude to stop by someone's house unannounced though.

[TNDemo]

12. I always lock my house doors but now I'm locking my car doors

since schmucks cleaned out the cubby in it recently. They emptied everything into one of our canvas bags (made it easy for them) but threw a comb back. Guess the trash and receipts were worth taking, along with the change and whatever else was in there.

[a la izquierda]

13. I live in smallish town in OH...

I keep windows and doors locked all the time, even at home. My window is cracked open at the moment (and letting water in from the rain in all likelihood), but I dare some idiot to break in with my 65 pound dog staring at him/her.
When I go to bed at night, my front and back doors are locked, and my bedroom door is locked too. It's always been this way since my time in Los Angeles.

[slackmaster]

15. My house used to have doors

We had to burn them for heat last winter.

:grouphug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. you are kidding of course.

[Ben Gay]

17. No, unless I go out of town and even then don't lock the back door.

We think locks only keep out the honest people anyway. I don't lock my cars either, if someone wants to get in, I'd just as soon he didn't break the window or cut the ragtop to do it. (We do live in a small community and have 2 rather intimidating-looking dogs, though) :-)

[Enthusiast]

19. I live in rural Ohio.

It would be foolhardy in the extreme to leave doors unlocked at any time. This is a result of prescription pain medication and heroin addiction -mostly. But meth and cocaine also play a role. The burglars/criminals grow more desperate and bold by the day.

[NutmegYankee]

20. Not in the summer.

I keep the doors open to allow air flow through the house as I live without AC. Only the screen doors are shut to keep bugs out at night. I only lock up when I leave the house. I see no need to lock the doors when I'm home. If my dog didn't get 'em, the shotgun would.

[Fresh_Start]

21. at bedtime and if we are travelling nt

nt

[Speck Tater]

22. Sometimes. A few years ago a was out of town for two weeks and didn't bother to.

Nothing was missing when I got back. Around here only the Republicans lock their doors. I think it's that whole paranoid streak so many of them seem to have.

[fizzgig]

23. always when i leave the house, usually when i'm home

and my car is always locked and windows up unless i'm leaving again in 10 or 15 minutes. i'm concerned about property crime rather than violent crime and i know that a locked door is going to be enough deterrent to most anyone who wants my stuff.

[annabanana]

24. Only when we all turn in for the night.. . .n/t

[dana_b]

26. yes.

one of my downstairs neighbors is unstable.

[Ilsa]

27. I lock my doors. But I still had a break-in

When I lived alone and I was sexually assaulted. Sometimes locked doors aren't enough.

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. I'm so sorry. that is truly awful.

[benld74]

28. Where I live NOW YES. Where I grew up NO

[Arkansas Granny]

29. I usually lock my doors before I go to bed, but sometimes I forget.

I grew up out in the country, however, and very few people locked their doors (this was in the 50's and 60's). Sometimes, when it was really hot, we didn't even close the door, just latched the screen door. We went on a family vacation and had to hunt for the key so we could lock the door when we left.

[Liberal_in_LA]

44. Robert Downey Jr. wandered into a neighbors house while drunk and fell asleep in their bed

Actually their kid's bed I think. I guess folks in malibu don't lock their doors either.

[David Sky]

30. Mostly yes, sometimes no, lights always on staggered schedule

radio or TV in one room always on with some volume when out.

I literally SLEPT THROUGH a burglary of a laptop and pocket book, when the unlocked door entry from an open garage was the access point to the ground floor where the computer was. The computer was in the adjoining room to where I was asleep.

I don't live in a really rural area, but in some areas, houses are 1/3 mile or more apart. Not a likely target, but possible, anything is a possible target, but the chances are much less in those areas.

In cities and suburbs and small towns with 100-25,000 people per square mile it's understandable.

[Liberal_in_LA]

45. sleeping through a burglary. That's scary.

:scared:

[David Sky]

54. Yes, I evidently sleep soundly at some times in the night. The police

informed us AFTER the fact that 15 robberies had happened in the neighborhood, (typical suburban development) of 400 houses in the last 4 weeks. All were after midnight grab and run type deals in houses with open windows or unlocked doors in late hot humid August.

Two men were subsequently arrested in an urban area 20 miles away...no computers were found, it is believed they were fenced in NYC or Boston or Philly ...bigger cities hundreds of miles away, sold on E-bay.

The pocket book was fleeced for the cash, no credit cards taken, and the remains were left in the back yard, not 10 feet from the rear window.

Here's the lesson, do NOT leave a computer or pocket book in a location in a lighted room at night, visible from outside the windows. It is believed that seeing the laptop from the back yard window is what attracted the thief inside.. he probably was VERY quiet, (I snore a bit when I am asleep!)

[shanti]

91. actually

there are scarier things than sleeping thru a burglary. how about waking up to the burglars IN YOUR HOUSE? with no dog or "protection"? yes, it happened to me.....but it won't happen again. :eyes:

[Lasher]

31. We live in a rural area and always keep everything locked up.

There's been home invasions and break-ins all around us but thankfully nothing like that at our home so far. It's mostly due to the drug epidemic - meth and crack for sure, but mostly these days the druggies prefer prescription drugs, I am told. We keep our prescriptions locked up in a safe, along with all of our guns - except one.

Our biggest vulnerability is, sometimes we forget to lock the car in the driveway. There is a remote in each vehicle to open the garage door. We're trying to do better.

[tpsbmam]

33. Always. And turn on my alarm at night. And I live in a rural(ish) area.

I live in a fairly rural area in the NC mountains. I have a farm next door, so I guess I qualify is rural. BUT, not long after I moved in, this idiot who rented her property not too far from here rented her property (including a house, barn & pasture) to truly charming characters who it turned out were dealing both drugs & automatic weapons! They brought a whole bunch of drug-addicted & automatic-weapon-seeking traffic into this rural area, and were incredibly creepy themselves. So a neighbor and I both put in alarm systems to help protect ourselves from both the scum dealers and from addicts needing to score easy money to support their habits. My neighbor lives right on the road and witnessed all of the traffic and did a couple of incredibly stupid things to let them know she was onto them and confront them. She was doing things that made her vulnerable to them going after her. Me? Not only do I live further from the road, but I remained pleasant in the couple of encounters I had with them, pretended I knew nothing and talked to the cops behind their backs!

I grew up in NYC -- I've never gotten the locking thing out of my system. I've gone shopping with the above neighbor when she's left her purse sitting open in the seat of the shopping cart while she goes 15 feet away and turns her back to pick something up off a shelf......I've asked her ever so politely if she's out of her fucking mind! :rofl: Not only would I never do that, I remain security minded when I buy a purse or something like that.....I lock my car doors as soon as I get in the car out of pure habit, and it's a good habit I intend to maintain.....I lock the car & turn on the security system when I park it around here and in my driveway at night.

What can I say......I'm a born & bred New Yorker now living in the country......don't think I'll EVER lose that part of the New Yorker in me! My mother did -- she rarely locked anything. We drove each other crazy! :rofl: :shrug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

39. omg. I'd like my door in that situation also.

[tpsbmam]

66. LOL I neglected to mention that they're tucked away in prison now.....

I still lock my doors & turn on the alarm every night!

[bigwillq]

35. Always (nt)

[jberryhill]

36. Only when I'm in the bathroom

I got conditioned to do that, because that's the ONLY time the kids want something.

[RockaFowler]

37. Always have - Always will

I live in a great neighborhood, but I feel more secure with my doors locked.

It's nothing against my neighbors or neighborhood, it's more my fear of something that may go wrong. I've always done it. I've always locked the doors. And I guess I always will.

My mother and father in law don't. My Dad doesn't. My mother certainly does (that's where I got it from).

[sinkingfeeling]

38. My back door is unlocked right now and I'm at work.

[David Sky]

56. Please send me a Personal message with your address and I'll .....

go and lock it for you, after I find out what you have that I would like to have....

Just kidding...

[Carolina]

42. ALWAYS

I read upthread where someone said Repukes with their paranoia were door lockers.

I beg to differ. I have had a home and car burglarized; and one night (EDT) while it was still light outside, I heard shattering glass and discovered a young man breaking into my neighbors' house. We don't live in a "bad" neighborhood either BUT times are hard and people are desperate.

[kentauros]

46. I voted "Other"

That is, I lock when I'm asleep or doing something "personal". The rest of the time, my one door is unlocked while I'm home.

The other thing is that I lock for privacy, not out of fear of a break-in while I'm there.

[kudzu22]

50. Always locked

It's a good neighborhood, but there's still no reason not to lock up.

[mmonk]

51. Yep. Not related to any particular crime stats or anything.

[in_cog_ni_to]

52. We ALWAYS have the doors locked.

Even when we're home, they're locked.

[customerserviceguy]

53. Here, I have to

My lady goes ballistic if I don't, and we just had a discussion about this Saturday. When she left for overtime work on Saturday in broad daylight, she locked the door because I was still sleeping in (got a cold, still suffering from it today). I told her that I'm not an infant, but she insists.

I once left my door unlocked and OPEN one full night just to get the cool night air in when I lived in the Northwest several years ago. Nobody took my stuff, or attacked me, or anything like that. I guess city folks (especially women) are trained to be more paranoid that folks out in the country.

These folks in rural country will go back to leaving doors unlocked once the shock of this has passed.

[Broderick]

57. no lock on the tent flap

it would be too easy for them to knife their way in anyway so I don't bother getting a pad lock.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

58. Having grown up with bars on our windows. That would be a yes. nt

[bottomofthehill]

59. the link below is to a good story about locking your doors

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/08/05/golfer_goes_off_course/?rss_id=Top+Stories

[Manifestor_of_Light]

60. Yes I lock my doors. I live in a little town.

And recently installed a fence around the whole property with an electric gate. Brick columns and wrought iron.

I am tired of the idiots wandering up that want to look at one of my old cars, with no intention of buying, since they have no money, or asking for work, or whatever.

the people here have no sense of boundaries. They are quite interested in what church you go to or don't go to.

And if they don't know anything about me they will make up shit.

:banghead: :wtf: :banghead: :wtf:

[Liberal_in_LA]

82. correction. n/t

ooops. Read it again. Electric gate, not fence.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

86. No the fence is not electrified.

However there are sharp ball-snaggers on the posts.
The gate swings open. Has a 12 volt battery running it.

[Javaman]

What? are you casing the joint? nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

80. no, I promise. leave the door unlocked.

:-)

[Recursion]

61. Do people really not lock their doors? My windows have bars, for God's sake...

I mean, I know I live in DC and all, but *really*? There are people that don't lock their doors at night? The crime rate here is actually a lower than a lot of medium-sized towns. Then again maybe that's because we all lock our doors...

[Liberal_in_LA]

79. yep, people really don't lock their doors. n/t

[louslobbs]

63. We always lock our doors and we are fortunate enough to be able to afford alarms on our homes as

well. Our Palm Springs home has a state of the art ADT Video Surveillance system where we can check on the house from our computers and cell phones when we are not there. Also, when everyone is in bed, we set the alarm to "stay" where the motion detectors no longer set off the alarm so you can freely move around the house, but doors and windows are still protected and armed. I wish I felt like I didn't need any of it, but sadly, I don't.
Lou

[Luciferous]

64. I always lock my doors unless I'm out working in the yard. I grew up with

a mother who was extremely paranoid about things like that.

[mrmpa]

67. My neighbors always let people.............

in the building. I live in a 200 unit condominium. The lobby door is always locked, to get in the building you must dial the person visiting and you'll be buzzed in. Too many times to count, I have seen residents sitting in the lobby getting up from their chair and letting a non resident into the building.

Once a woman said to me, "that's so and so's grandson, he's ok" and let him in. Maybe grandma didn't want to see him, maybe he's stealing from her or maybe has a drug habit and he pesters her for money or medications.

I've had nieces and nephews let in without question. My 81 year old mom lives with me, and we keep the door locked.

[Liberal_in_LA]

83. When I've lived in large buildings and strangers plead to be let in

I ask "why don't they buzz you in?" Excuses are - "they are in the shower", "they are on the phone so I can't call".

[mrmpa]

93. I hear that too............I'll just hang back or just ignore them. eom

[WCIL]

68. We generally leave our doors unlocked in the daytime

the last person in at night locks up. We went on vacation a few years ago and forgot to even shut our back door.

I know it is a terrible habit and we are trying to become "lockers".

[Fuddnik]

69. Nope.

Have two large dogs, who will fetch an intruder a toy as soon as he walks in, and then proceed to lick him to death.

At least they make some noise, beforehand.

[Avalux]

70. I live in San Antonio. I lock everything. Twice.

Wish I didn't have to; but being a female by myself it's necessary. I grew up in a small town and we rarely locked the doors...remember going to my grandmother's house and if she wasn't home, we went right in.

[Liberal_in_LA]

81. I hear ya. n/t

[Luminous Animal]

71. I know many people who do not lock their doors.

I used to leave my door unlocked (in San Francisco) during the day but my husband, about 5 years ago asked me to start locking it, so I do.

[MerryBlooms]

72. Doors locked and attack cat at the ready. n/t

[digonswine]

73. Only when away for more than a day-

And I open doors for neighbors--sometimes in the middle of the night. It is usually someone who went in the ditch in the winter on our corner. If I didn't answer--they could freeze to death! That does not mean that I don't look to see who it is in easy reach of my 20 gauge loaded with slugs. I love safe neighborhoods and am lucky to live in one. Don't lock my car doors, either-at home, that is.

[Raine]

75. Always have, always will, my parents always did too. nt

[War Horse]

76. I lock the doors

because getting through a locked door is usually a noisy endeavour. I consider it an early warning system.

[Lucian]

77. Uh, yeah, it'd be stupid not to.

[donheld]

78. Yes I do. My sister does not

her house is way out in the boonies, plus up until recently inside the door in 4 very large dogs. :)

[NuttyFluffers]

84. always, and wooden dowels on the windows' sliding casters, too.

make sure the glass pane is reinforced glass, better double paned for better insulation.

always lock my car, keep in sight where my backpack is, keep valuables out of sight, and when leaving my place vacant i leave either a radio, light on a timer, and/or the bathroom light/fan on with closed door (because it's the only room in the house that can be used any time of the day or night, and you never know when someone will be finished using it).

i literally cannot turn those security habits off even if my life depended on it. too ingrained. but my family has never been robbed or in danger, thank goodness, and i think such street smarts do play a part in avoiding being a victim.

[Fla_Democrat]

85. I do, but

I grew up in south Florida. Many here in North Florida, especially in the rural counties do not.











:smoke:

[Odin2005]

87. Always. I'm quite paranoid because my appartment was burglarized a few years ago.

[TwilightGardener]

88. At night and when I'm gone--yes, always. Keep my cars in the garage, too--

biggest crime in my area is people breaking into cars.

[shanti]

89. absolutely

when i am gone, when i am home, i even lock my bedroom door when i go to bed (some people laugh at that, but if you have ever had a home invasion, you wouldn't be laughing). i also have a security door in front and bars on one vulnerable side window. when you're a single woman, you have to be careful. i HAVE been thinking of getting a dog too....

[Honeycombe8]

90. Always. And I'm armed inside. So if you're planning to sneak over...

you'd best identify yourself. 'Cause I won't do that stupid thing you see in the movies, where the woman hears a noise in the darkness and goes to investigate and then announces she's there by asking "Who's there?"

[NYC_SKP]

92. More often than not, I do not. So I voted "No".

If I'm going out of town overnight I will lock the doors and set an alarm, but on the typical day while at work or on errands I do not lock the door.

:hi:

[Liberal_in_LA]

94. wow... in New york?

[NYC_SKP]

95. No, Northern California.

And, to be fair, I'm in an almost rural setting with a locking gate at the end of the driveway.

The house cannot be seen from the street so it's pretty secure.

(knocks wood)

:hi: