They didn't need an alarm system because Mom was always home.

By Dale Burger

In 1989 I made a career change and went into the alarm industry. In my second month I met with a couple to discuss having an alarm installed in their home. They were doing well and had all the latest electronic toys and other nice things in the house. At the end of my visit they decided not to get an alarm system because her mother lived with them and was always home.

About a month later my pager started repeatedly going off. (didn't have a cell phone in 1989) I stopped at a payphone and called the number in my pager. A woman answered and when I said who I was she screamed “Why didn't you make us take the alarm system!”

I drove directly to their home and the police were still there dusting for fingerprints. I learned that Mom left the house for 45 minutes to do the grocery shopping. Obviously the burglars saw her leave. The police figured there were 3 or maybe 4 of them and the damage was extensive.

They pried open the family room sliding glass door and threw the curtain back so hard that the curtain rod came out of the wall. In the kitchen they smashed a gallon of milk against the wall, drank all the beer in the fridge and stole the prescription drugs in the cabinet.

In the bedrooms the dresser drawers had been pulled out, thrown across the room and smashed into the wall sending the contents of the drawers everywhere. The beds were overturned, the jewelry, cameras and guns were taken and an undetermined amount of cash stolen.

In the living room was a state of the art large screen back projection TV. Next to it was a beautiful vase on a pedestal. Since the TV was too large to take they threw the vase through the TV. Then someone defecated on the living room rug, picked it up and smeared it on the wall like a rainbow. Add to this that everything had been thrown from the shelves, cushions overturned and the police fingerprint dusting was everywhere.

Imagine coming home to this type of disaster. The estimated loss from stolen property was $21,000.00 and estimated damages were $27,000.00. Then to add insult to injury after they got the insurance claim money their homeowners insurance policy was canceled. When they got another insurance carrier the rate was $400.00 a year higher. (remember these are 1989 prices)

Fact is most people get a security system after a break-in and that's just a shame.