Man in the house when sleeping
 

My niece call this morning and said she head a noise got up and there was a man looking at her in the living room. The 42" tv gone, money from pocket book gone and other things.
Her husband chased one but running with no shoes and other thing on could not catch him.
The police could only say why did you have your window open.#@$#&^&* holes.
They took a screen off and entered that way.They closed there bed room door of all things to conceal there noise. SCARY $%$#@

Where did this happen? Time to get an alarm system or a yappy dog.

Let me guess, the cops didn't finger print anything.
Dumb thieves like that are sure to have been busted before and are almost guaranteed to be on record.
Time to get a BIG dog (or small spoon).

My old boss had his wallet stolen off his night stand 6 inches away from his head. Wife in bed with him, kid in the next room! Dude is a 220lb hockey player! These crack heads had balls!

This happened this morning 3am. Cedar Rapids IOWA. This city is going to the crack heads I think.

OK, police didn't do their jobs.

But, why was a ground level window open?

Agreed. We live in a very safe neighborhood. Very safe. We also have 2 dogs. I still don't leave anything on the ground floor open and accessible at night or when I'm gone.

If you want/need to leave windows open, then you need a window stop. A window stop allows you to only open the window a certain amount that you decide (usually 4-8") enough that someone can't wriggle through.

There are several kinds, wedges, screws, tabs...

http://www.safebeginnings.com/Webcom...ages/304-D.jpg
http://products.onestepahead.com/ass...tail/09776.jpg

several different kinds
Window & Patio Door Lock, Home Security Hardware | Taymor

Wow in cedar rapids?

The cops are right.

You guys should both shut up and count your blessings that's all that happened.

It's a wake up call. Go get yourself a .45 and some range time - and a few better locks and an alarm system.

In english, what happened??

Meth heads everywhere and in the country they are stealing anything they can get their hands on.

Thanks for the window stop tips I will let her know about them. Yes they are very lucky the thieves only wanted electronics and did not damage anyone.
The cops around here always seem to blame the victim and treat the public as stupid. You know the i don`t have time for this crap attitude. Unless its picking your pocket.

thieves will use a ladder to access 2nd story windows, esp. if you are out of the house

if you need to leave the windows open more than a crack, you will need to buy some gridwork to put up - there are different styles to match your house style; be sure to use a special can't easily remove type fastener system

cheapest way to deal with windows open only a crack, is to drill some matching holes and put a nail, etc. thru both holes - above pics show nicer looking solutions

pistols can be turned on the owner by an intruder, so you need to take steps for that

can your niece handle the recoil of a .45? better find out

a .45 does have some advantages, but so do 12 rounds from a Browning 9 mm

if she is resistant to a course, start here off with a pellet pistol at the same place, then move her up to .22 shorts & so on - you go with her, or some other relative/friend

I'm not a small guy(or a burgler), but even 6 placed rounds of a .22 would influence my future burglering habits.
A place to escape with a lockable strong interior door would let loved ones know that there's always a backup plan. Noise, lights, and neighbors are a plus.

Chihuahuas don't eat much and they make excellent zone sensors...