Burglar Alarm System Fights off Home Invasion in Wichita, Kansas

We know it makes sense to have a monitored burglar alarm. For one thing, research conducted by Rutgers University has shown that your home has only one third the chance of being targeted as compared to your unprotected neighbor. We also know from extensive interviews with convicted burglars that they try to avoid home with alarm systems.

What Else We Know

Additional research has yielded additional information on burglar behavior:

• What burglars steal (cash, jewelry, electronics, guns, prescription drugs)
• How burglars get in  (front and back doors, windows, garage)
• Why many of them steal in the first place (drugs play a big role, and this trend is getting worse)

Burglar Alarms Do Work

As residential crime has continued to increase in jurisdictions across the U.S., we read and hear about more and more instances where a burglar has been scared off – or been apprehended – by a monitored alarm system. And that makes us happy, because one of our greatest fears is the thought of someone coming home and encountering a burglar in the act. That’s why we appreciate reports such as this story from Wichita, Kansas.

Tom Hentzen and his wife were having a normal Monday morning until he got a phone call while they were on their daily walk around 9:00 Monday morning. The person on the other end of the call told him their home … had been broken into.

That’s a horrible call to get – because with it comes the sense that your personal space has been violated. And that sense of loss can stays with you for a long time – years, in some cases.

More Details on the Intrusion

“When we got to the house, the door was open, we walked in and the policeman was here, and he said that the door was open when he got here,” Hentzen said. Hentzen and his wife left the home around 7:30 Monday morning to go have breakfast. Then they went for their daily walk, which was interrupted by word that someone forced the front door open.

A Huge Relief

They tried to get back home as quickly as possible, but were delayed by a train blocking traffic, before finally arriving back home. Thankfully for Hentzen, nothing was taken from the home. The police officer who responded said it was likely the home’s alarm that scared off the suspect, Hentzen said. “We’re very fortunate,” Hentzen said. “Thank God that we didn’t lose anything. Just thank the Lord that they got scared away, whoever they were, because that alarm goes off, big time.”

More Break-ins in the Neighborhood

But this is only the latest burglary attempt on a three-block stretch of homes on Dallas Street. A similar break-in happened a month ago at a home on the 1700 block of W. Dallas, in which a suspect made off with a jewelry box. Like the attempt on Hentzen’s home, it happened while the residents were away running errands in the morning hours. In both cases, the residents were elderly.

Taking Measure to Protect Home and Family

In the meantime, while some residents are posting flyers on their doors saying they are armed, others are getting security systems and installing motion-sensor lights to protect themselves. “[We're] very scared when we come home because they don’t mess around anymore,” Hentzen said. “They don’t mind shooting you or hitting you in the head or anything.”

Time are Changing

It’s true that more people are taking concrete steps to increase their peace of mind. And the best way to do that is to prevent an incident in the first place. By the way, with alarm system doing so much more, including home automation, video, and text or email notifications, there are more reasons than ever to make the modest investment in wireless home security.

How an Alarm System Helps

The best way to deter a burglar from violating your personal space is with a monitored home alarm system. If the perps are not scared away by the loud siren, then the police will be dispatched, and deal with them. When you’re ready for a home alarm, make sure you read the reviews and understand what it is you’re buying. The good alarm companies will explain everything to you, and won’t try to pressure you into buying something you don’t want or understand. Look for the best interactive, wireless home alarm technology, at the best price, with the best reviews, and you’ll feel safer – and more secure.