[SoundGoon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turnaround /img/forum/go_quote.gif americans feel safe keeping their doors unlocked because they all keep a gun under their pillow just like in the soaps/movies.

lol

 

[lumanogin]

I have deadbolts. I didn't think annyone still had front doors without them.

We have a padlock on our backyard gate, and on our backyard patio door theres a lock for that too. Plus we have dogs. they're 2 pound chihuahuas and pomeranians, but when u add them all together they count as one big pit bull.

 

[Sybaek]

Who in their right mind doesn't lock their doors nowadays? There's so many crazys around now. My home front door has a steel security screen door with 2 locks and a reinforced steel door with another 2, so a total of 2 deadbolts on the front door. The back door has a solid deadbolt as well as all the balcony doors. It becomes sort of second nature to check them all before I go to bed.

I have wondered though... Since I have 4 locks on the front. What if I lock every other lock? If someone tries to pick them, they'd keep locking half while unlocking the other half...

Another thing to note, many Americans have home alarm systems. As soon as one of the doors/windows is pried open, the whole house goes nuts and the security company calls to see if all is okay. If it's not okay, you have a cop show up about 5 minutes later.

Plus as above stated. Too many Americans have guns. Home invasion is just plain risky. Better off just stealing a car.

 

[splaz]

I get annoyed when I get locked out when I don't have a key, seems a fact of life though, there have been a few break ins in my street so looks like that's the way it has to be.

I used to live on Christmas Island though, you'd leave your doors wide open. Such a tight, close knit community and trusting of each other. Not to mention that the 'new' plasma tv, joe up the street got looks an awful lot like the one that was stolen from your house. It really wouldn't be hard at all to track down who's responsible with such a small population.

 

[Bob_McBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turnaround /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you guys see Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911 -- when he goes from Detroit to Canada across the lake and starts busting into people's homes to show that the Canadians don't lock their front doors like Americans do.

I want to see him do it in Texas

It is pretty much true. Barely anyone I know locks their doors when they're home, except at night.

 

[Hey_Its_Cole]

My doors are allways locked, I currently work at a police department as a dispatcher for my college job, most break-ins are not really break-ins most people gain entry by opening unlocked doors. I had one happen tonight just a few hours ago, someone gained entry to a residence by walking in through a unlocked back door, they stole beer, food, and a $3,000 laptop. This occured in a upper middle class neighbor hood.

I keep guns around my house and my doors are allways locked.

 

[m_memmory]

here in the UK and my doors are always locked.

In fact I'm so used to walking through the door and locking it behind me that my folks will ask me to leave it open for them as they are going out ... only to find that I've just locked it as it's what I do as soon as I walk in.

 

[Edwood]

Most Americans have these doors for their basement.

According to TV shows.

-Ed

 

[ken36]

Not in San Antonio. I live in a fortress.

 

[KYTGuy]

As pointed out by Edwood in his lock thread, most home (and car) locks are so "old Tech" that they are not resistant to five minutes of fumbling by a fifth-grader with a hairpin, after he has read about it being done in a comic book.

I usually lock my doors, but sometimes forget. Sometimes I forget after locking the door, and have to pick my way in - usually takes only a minute or so more than just walking up and unlocking with a key.

Most valuables in my house are in a very secure safe, bolted to the concrete foundation in the most remote part of my house - it has electronic, magnetic , and mechanical elements to its locking system, and anyone opening it is on an off-site record/video, daylight or darkness.

 

[traficante]

dp

 

[traficante]

I live in what most here would consider an undesirable neighborhood and I leave the windows open overnight and my front door unlocked during the day when I'm home. My GF has on different occasions inadvertently left her keys and wallet hanging on the front door overnight and no one has taken them. I have no dog, fence, alarm, or gun. I've lived in the same house for 25 years and I've never heard of anyone breaking into anyone's house.

 

[Oistrakh]

why are there so many "Do Americans do ______" threads lately?

 

[marvin]

For me, keyed locks are strictly for keeping opportunists out. Single sided deadbolts give a bit more time to call 911 and prepare for intruders.

Quote:

Originally Posted by traficante /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've lived in the same house for 25 years and I've never heard of anyone breaking into anyone's house.

Somewhat surprising that you never heard of anyone having their home broken into given that there were ~ 20,000 burglaries in LA last year.

 

[refault]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline889 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Our doors, both front and back, are kept locked unless we're outside. My dad said that ten, twenty years ago, he could leave all the doors unlocked and not have to worry about it but times have changed. With all the druggies out there today looking for a quick buck (Big problem here, a lot of crack addicts have been breaking in to houses to try and get stuff to sell), leaving your doors unlocked is asking for trouble. Even in the valley where I live, which is supposed to be quite safe since mostly everyone is over 60, there've been several break-ins and they're getting more and more frequent as the years go by.

Everything is to blame on the "druggies" and "crack addicts" eh?

You have no idea about the demographics/statistics of local crime in the Honolulu district in the current. HPD has done a great job at nailing your percieved "druggies/crackheads" and has made many busts recently that a lot of drug-related-theft has gone down in the past couple of years.

Not everyone trying to steal stuff from your place is a "crackhead/druggie/drug addict."

I've had run-ins with old acquaintences-turned-tweakers who have tried to sneak into my house before, but caught them in the act and that was that. The tweakers thereafter were incarcerated for attempted burglary + many other charges (possession of a controlled substance, grand theft auto, etc.), and after getting out have been paranoid and hilarious as ****. They no longer act as stupid as they did in the past and even a few have apologized for their attempted criminal behavior to my property.

Skyline, I bet you haven't even been jumped. You know little to nothing about crime/theft/burglary/etc. man.

Anyway, Honolulu these days is quite safe. I would still lock my doors, yes, at least when away from the house for a period of time (mainly because a lot of people know where I live since I have brought a lot of folks over.)