A Close Call: Lessons in Home Defense from a Foiled Break-In
Link to Video of the Attempted Home Invasion
“I feel violated.”
“It could happen to anyone.”
These were the sentiments expressed by Mrs. Ferguson after two masked men attempted to kick in her front door in the dead of night.
Mrs. Ferguson was at her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her four-year-old niece, her sister, and her mother when she heard a loud banging on the front door. The pounding continued, and she received a Ring Home Alarm notification on her phone. Opening the app, she saw the men trying to break into her home.
She triggered the alarm from her phone and called the police, but she was terrified.
“The only thing I could think to do was hide in the closet, turn off the lights, and pray to God that they wouldn’t come to kill my niece, my mom, or us,” Ferguson said.
She had no idea if the men were in the house or not.
Fortunately, the men left without gaining entry, and no one was physically harmed, but the emotional trauma remains.
“We’re now traumatized. Every sound we hear makes us question if we’re safe,” Princess Ferguson said.
Let’s review some principles of home defense.
It’s surprising that the front door held up against two grown men kicking it. Most doors would give way under such force unless they are specifically reinforced.
What if the door had been kicked open?
From the video, it appeared that at least one of the men was concealing a weapon in his coat.
In D3 (Delay), one of the skills we teach is how to reinforce doors to prevent them from being kicked in. One product we are currently researching is Door Armor. Installing Door Armor on your doors makes them almost impossible to be kicked in. You can watch their demonstration videos on their website. These will soon be installed on all my doors.
What did this homeowner do right?
- She had a strong door, whether she knew it or not.
- She had a Ring doorbell and alarm system installed. This likely deterred the intruders. Criminals don’t like to be seen or recorded, so when they heard the alarm and saw the Ring camera, they only attempted to kick in the door a couple of times before fleeing.