A Knock at the Door

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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1,225
Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
In the "non-lethal tools" thread, Amir asked about an aggressive individual knocking/beating on your door. Let's look at the situation:

1. You are under ZERO obligation to open your door to anyone except warranted law enforcement personnel. If you have any reservations about who is at your door, simply don't answer it. THE BEST WAY OF WINNING A FIGHT IS TO AVOID THE FIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE!

2. A security camera can provide you with more information about the unknown visitor. It is a great idea to use 2 cameras to cover the door: 1 for facial recognition, the other focused from behind so that you can see any "hidden surprises" that individual may be concealing. Setup of cameras will vary according to the layout of your door area(s). Many cameras now have the capability to be monitored from your smartphone, etc., so that you can observe the area even when you're not home.

3. If the individual is breaking down the door and into your house, confronting that individual is still a last resort. A better plan is to have a room in which your family can "retreat", with good locks on the door and a cell phone always available. Land phone lines can be cut, as well as home power, but a cell phone leaves you a fail-safe plan (as long as you remember to charge it!). The concept of a safe room has been dramatized in movies, etc., but a basic safe room is quite simple.

4. Have a family "code word" that is the absolute signal for everyone to follow a pre-determined plan. For instance, if you yell Spaghetti!!, that is the cue for everyone to hurry to a chosen location in the home. You can also use code words to train your children to escape a fire, etc. Holding practice drills with code words is really fun for kids, so that makes it quite easy to train them.


*If you don't have a safe room and the individual gets into your home, you can always leave by another exit. By doing this, you will immediately know if that person wanted to get into your house or wanted to get YOU. Notice how one of the elements of a solid personal protection plan (PPP) is to have built-in "tests" that force an individual to divulge his intentions. Allowing him access to your "stuff", but not to you, will tell you what he was after. With the cell phone, you can call 911 just as easily as you run through your back yard, etc. You can replace your belongings, but not your life. There is nothing in your home worth dying over!

Walk around your home and look at it through the eyes of a criminal. How would you get in? What are the likely points of entry? Once the entry points have been identified, it's a simple matter to either fortify them (cameras, alarms, extra locks, bars, etc.) or to make simple escape plans if any of those points are breached. For instance, you are in one of the locations in your home where you spend a good amount of time. You hear someone breaking into one of your identified entry points. You should have an escape route that leads you to the safe room or out of the house, while not going near the intruder. It takes only a few minutes to figure this out, you know your home better than anyone!

While walking around your home, identify three objects in each room that you could pick up and use as an improvised weapon. The obvious kitchen knives, candlesticks, etc. are good, but think creatively as well. A handful of dirt from your potted plant, a handful of laundry detergent into the eyes, the end of a tube of toothpaste is extremely sharp, breaking a CD in half provides a deadly edged weapon, a coffee cup is a great bludgeon, and so on..... You'll be surprised how many items there are around you! The acronym TOYS has been used: Tools Of Your Surroundings. Note how understanding the TOYS principle now "arms" you in virtually every location, not just your home.

The gray area exists when you get a seemingly polite knock at your door. You're not expecting anyone, and you don't have a camera. You are still free to ignore them, but let's say you want to answer the door. The small "chain lock" that allows you to open the door a few inches is WORTHLESS against a shoulder ram or a kick, so don't rely on one to keep you safe. There are floor-mounted stops that stick up to prevent opening the door, these are much better. Here's a short clip, complete with ominous music, to demonstrate one such product:


You could mount this type of door block so that it allowed one inch of door opening, but they're better when keeping the door closed so that the other locks can support their function.

Having the aforementioned pepper spray (or weapon of choice) in hand when answering the door is better, if you must answer the door.


REALITY CHECK: Modern homes are sieves. If a determined criminal wants to get into your house, chances are very good that he can. Sliding glass doors, windows, etc. can all be broken through. We tend to think that locking our sliding door is "good", and it is. But that is only when we look at the situation through the eyes of a good citizen. If you consider how easily someone can enter your home if all the societal "contracts" are not obeyed, you know how quickly you can be endangered. Home invasions, on the increase, take advantage of the ease of entry to most homes. (I'll discuss home invasion in another thread.)

RANT: Many people have no problem spending big bucks on sophisticated alarm systems. ALARM SYSTEMS HELP TO PROTECT YOUR "STUFF", BUT DO ALMOST NOTHING TO PROTECT YOU! If there was an emoticon that would reach off the page and slap the reader in the face, this is where I would use it! So, your alarm goes off. Did your alarm company help you plan how to gather and evacuate your family? Did they tell you that approximately 99.5% of home alarm signals are FALSE ALARMS? Did they tell you that alarm signals often receive low priority (without a live corroborating call) because most of them are false? Did they tell you that typical police response time to alarms is from 20-120 minutes (depending upon a few factors, sometimes much faster, usually not)? Did they tell you that their expensive alarm cannot prevent an intruder from harming you and your family? No, they sell false security in the carefully-prepared ads that show a concerned mother holding her infant and talking about emotional turmoil over a burglar who ran away from them when they walked in on him.... what if he decided to kill them instead? This is the mentality of "victim sheep", who actually believe that something/someone else is responsible for their safety. Alarms comprise a facet of a complete PPP (personal protection plan), but they have inescapable flaws of which you should be aware.

Notice how the brief planning session I described provides you with the foundation for securing your family in case of intrusion. Note how the plan can be adapted to fit into your own home layout and lifestyle. Note how giving a few moments' thought to tactics and solutions when you're relaxed and analyzing is far preferable to attempting to make those plans as the guy is kicking down your door!

As with all self-defense tools and tactics, there's no need to change your basic nature. Just as you don't walk down the street holding your screwdriver in the air because you know how to use it, neither do you need to alter your lifestyle just because you have added a few "protection tools" to your toolbox. I prefer to think of it as being a more complete human being.

I hope these comments stimulate you to examine your risks, surroundings, and lifestyle so that you may better protect yourself and your loved ones. As always, happy to answer questions and take comments.

Regards,

Lee
 

DonH50

Member Sponsor & WBF Technical Expert
Jun 22, 2010
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Monument, CO
What about an old-fashioned peephole viewer?

Or using an intercom doorbell to help identify the person? A neighbor announced he was calling the police when a burgler making the rounds knocked and the burgler fled (perhaps just to the next house).

One thing I have always considered is trying to keep out of the field of view when approaching the door so they don't know you are there. Unfortunately impractical in our current house as we have tall slim windows on either side of the door; nice to see out, but also to see in...

Another guy has dummy cameras mounted to cover the drive and doorway with "24 hour surveliance" stickers on the door. Don't know if they help but cheaper than the real thing. Wireless cameras have gotten awfully cheap these days.
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
5,158
46
1,225
Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
What about an old-fashioned peephole viewer?

Or using an intercom doorbell to help identify the person? A neighbor announced he was calling the police when a burgler making the rounds knocked and the burgler fled (perhaps just to the next house).

One thing I have always considered is trying to keep out of the field of view when approaching the door so they don't know you are there. Unfortunately impractical in our current house as we have tall slim windows on either side of the door; nice to see out, but also to see in...

Another guy has dummy cameras mounted to cover the drive and doorway with "24 hour surveliance" stickers on the door. Don't know if they help but cheaper than the real thing. Wireless cameras have gotten awfully cheap these days.


Hi, Don.

The peephole is OK if that's all you've got. A few things to remember are that if there is backlight behind you as you answer the door, the person outside knows where you're standing as you approach the door. Also, you can't really see what the person outside might be holding (howitzer?) so you need to understand the visual field limitations.

The intercom is only good at identifying those who you already know. A brown cap and the statement UPS! will have mot folks opening their doors to complete strangers. Not that all visitors are felons, but we're talking security here. Being prepared for contacts that fall outside the "known" camp is why we construct a security plan that allows us to gauge the intentions of this person. Nothing is perfect. As we see with all types of crime, there is a constant battle between good and evil where each side makes a new move to outsmart the other.

Experienced criminals can spot dummy cameras. Imagine if your livelihood required that you know a real camera from a fake......

Criminals are very good at what they do. Their choice of profession is extremely poor, but their mastery of the craft can often be amazing. The problem is, we underestimate the impact that being a "victim" has upon us and our family. There is no going back.

"Pacifistic" people often complain about preparedness being a mark of paranoia, etc. (No personal reference intended. Another rant.) Do you know who those folks call when crime comes their way? Someone who has been trained by guys like me.

We spoke to a woman who was trapped in a van in a third world country as the three guys in the van with her ogled her. She said that she looked at them with a look that appealed to their sense of human kindness, and they let her go. I tend to think that they either saw a better target of opportunity or they knew that a police checkpoint was just up ahead. Even when faced with their own murder/rape, some folks still decide to not prepare and develop awareness.

Lee
 

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